People always wanted to build bigger and higher. When Cheops ordered building the Great Pyramid in Giza it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years. Building the 443.2 m (1,454 ft) high Empire State Building in 1920′ was a testament-to-human-engineering. This motivations are still the case today. It is not a surprise that the highest and biggest buildings in the world are now in emerging economies of Asia.

Take a look at how the top 10 tallest buildings in the world look like on the satellite images. The images are a courtesy of Terraserver.com.

International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong – 484 m (1,588 ft)

International Commerce Centre opens the list of the top 10 tallest buildings in the world. It is a 108-storey, 484 m (1,588 ft) high commercial skyscraper completed in 2010 in Hong Kong.

Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China – 492 m (1,614 ft)

Shanghai World Financial Center located next to the 2nd tallest building in the world Shanghai Tower has been topped out in 2007 and is 492 meters (1,614.2 ft) high.

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan  – 509 m (1,670 ft)

Taipei 101 location in Taiwan is 509.2 m (1,671 ft) tall. It has been built between 1999 and 2004. So it’s one of the oldest on the list.

CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China – 530 m (1,740 ft)

CTF Finance Centre building located in Guangzhou, China is the world 7th tallest building with the height of 530 m (1,740 ft). The construction started in 2010 and will be completed in 2016.

One World Trade Center, New York, USA – 541.3 m (1,776 ft)

One World Trade Center is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex. It’s 1,792 ft (546.2 m) high. The construction started in April 2006 and the building was opened in November 2014.

Lotte World Tower, Seoul, South Korea –  555 m (1,823 ft)

Lotte World Tower located in Seoul, South Korea is the 5th tallest building in the world with the height of 555.7 metres (1,823 ft). The construction started in 2011 and should be ready this year (2016).

Ping An Finance Centre, Shenzhen, China – 599 m (1,965 ft)

Ping An International Finance Centre located in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China is the forth tallest building in the world, with 600 m (1,969 ft) height. The construction started in 2010 and should be finished this year (2016).

Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower, Mecca, Saudi Arabia – 601 m (1,971 ft)

The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, is a government-owned massive building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It’s the third tallest building in with the world, with a height of 601 metres (1,972 feet). The construction started in 2004 and finished in 2011.

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China – 632 m (2,073 ft)

Shanghai Tower is the second tallest skyscraper in the world. The building is 632 metres (2,073 ft) high and has 137 stories, with a total floor area of 380,000 m2 (4,090,000 sq ft). Construction work on the tower began in 2008 and has ended in 2015.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE – 830 m (2,717 ft)

Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004, with the exterior completed in 2009. The building was opened in 2010.

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