The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. The structure is 443 feet 135 m tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet 120 m. When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world`s tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the 525-foot 160 m Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 541-foot 165 m Singapore Flyer in 2008, and the 550-foot 167.6 m High Roller Las Vegas in 2014. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as `the world`s tallest cantilevered observation wheel`. It is Europe`s tallest Ferris wheel,[11] and offered the highest public viewing point in London[12] until it was superseded by the 804-foot 245 m high[13] observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.[14] It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.75 million visitors annually,[15] and has made many appearances in popular culture.
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