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Skyline

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

A skyline is the shape you see near the horizon. It is the outline formed where the sky meets the earth. This shape can come from a city's buildings. It can also come from nature or people living in the country.

Lower Manhattan from Governors Island with a fishing boat (46294p)
Lower Manhattan from Governors Island with a fishing boat (46294p)

No two skylines are ever exactly alike. They act like a unique fingerprint for a place. This makes them very easy to recognize.

Many things change how a skyline looks to us. In cities, high-rise buildings are the most important part. These are often called skyscrapers. The shape of these buildings creates the outline. The materials on the outside also matter. Some buildings use brick for their walls. Other buildings use glass to catch the light.

Burj Khalifa Night View 01
Burj Khalifa Night View 01

These details make each city look different.

People have used the word skyline for a long time. The term was first used for New York City in 1896. A man named Charles Graham used it for a color print. This print was for the New York Journal.

San Gimignano 05
San Gimignano 05

An expert named Paul D. Spreiregen also spoke about them. He said a skyline is like a work of art. He called it a collective vista for a city. It shows the facts of life in that place.

Some people like to rank different skylines. They might look at how tall the buildings are. They might count how many skyscrapers a city has. One service called Emporis used height and other data. They gave points to buildings to rank skylines. In 2012, three cities ranked the highest. These were Hong Kong, New York City, and Singapore.

Hong Kong skyscrapers in a night of typhoon
Hong Kong skyscrapers in a night of typhoon

Skylines are very helpful in the media we watch. Movies and television shows use them often. They use them as backgrounds for scenes. This helps the viewer know the location of a story. News programs also show skylines to set the scene.

Burj Khalifa Night View 01
Burj Khalifa Night View 01

It is a quick way to show where we are. Even in remote places, a skyline can be striking. A mountain like Everest creates a famous shape.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Lower Manhattan from Governors Island with a fishing boat (46294p).jpg
Lower Manhattan from Governors Island...
File:Burj Khalifa Night View 01.jpg
Burj Khalifa Night View 01.jpg
File:San Gimignano 05.jpg
San Gimignano 05.jpg
File:Mount Everest as seen from Drukair2 PLW edit.jpg
Mount Everest as seen from Drukair2 PLW edit.jpg
File:Hong_Kong_skyscrapers_in_a_night_of_typhoon.jpg
Hong_Kong_skyscrapers_in_a_night_of_typhoon.jpg
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