The Eiffel Tower is indisputably the most famous monument in Paris and France, as well as one of its greatest symbols. It is a self-supporting wrought iron tower 324 meters high, including its antennas, about 20 meters long, used to transmit radio and TV signals. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, as well as the centenary of the French Revolution. Initially it was intended to be a temporary structure, with an expected duration of no more than twenty years, but it ended up becoming an integral part of the Parisian landscape. In the years following its construction, the structure was in fact used as a station for meteorological observations, for experiments on air resistance and as a giant radio antenna. The tower was used in 1908 to send the first long-distance radio message and then to communicate with warships and airships, as well as to intercept enemy communications during the war. For 40 years, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest monument in the world. It can be covered in full, climbing its 1665 steps, or through panoramic transparent elevators. On the tower there are three terraces on which it is possible to stop to admire the view. For the occasion of the transition to the new millennium, in 2000 more than 20,000 yellow-white light bulbs were mounted on the structure: from that moment, every evening from sunset until one in the morning, the tower sparkles intermittently for 10 minutes every hour. Furthermore, together with the evening sparkle, it is also possible to admire the effect of the lighthouse (with a range of 80 km) positioned on top of the tower which rotates around it with its light beam.