The Top Ten  April 2 - 9    

World's Tallest Buildings

RankBuilding, CityYearStoriesFeet
1. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 101 1,667
2. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 1,483
  Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 1,483
4. Sears Tower, Chicago 1974 110 1,451
5. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai 1999 88 1,381
6. Two International Finance Center, Hong Kong 2003 88 1,362
7. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China 1996 80 1,283
8. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China 1996 69 1,260
9. Empire State Building, New York 1931 102 1,250
10. Central Plaza, Hong Kong 1992 78 1,227
A building differs from a tower in that the former is considered to be a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. Also, an essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors.

Prior to Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center 1 and World Trade Center 2 were listed as the 5th and 6th tallest buildings in the world. They were destroyed by a terrorist attack.

See Also:
World's Tallest Buildings
World's Tallest Towers
Skyscraper Facts
Skyscraper History