Taller Or Smaller? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Taller than the CN Tower

Few structures have captured the world's imagination the way the Burj Khalifa has. Rising 829.8 m (2,722 ft) above Dubai, the tower was built between 2004 and 2010 as the centerpiece of a massive urban redevelopment project. Its completion shattered every previous height record, making it not only the tallest building ever constructed but also the tallest free-standing structure in human history. Using the CN Tower as a benchmark, the scale is staggering: the Burj Khalifa extends 276.5 m (907 ft) higher than Canada's most famous landmark.

Answer: Taller than the CN Tower

National pride is built into the very name of Merdeka 118, which commemorates the declaration of Malayan independence in 1957. Completed in 2023, the skyscraper reaches 678.9 m (2,227 ft), making it the second-tallest building in the world at the time, behind only the UAE's Burj Khalifa. Measured against the 553.3 m (1,815 ft) CN Tower, Merdeka 118 enjoys a height advantage of 125.6 m (412 ft).

Answer: Taller than the CN Tower

At 634 m (2,080 ft), Tokyo Skytree dominates the skyline of Japan's capital. Construction took place from 2008 to 2012 to provide improved digital broadcasting coverage for the Tokyo region. Upon completion, it overtook China's Canton Tower to become the tallest tower in the world.

Its final height placed it 80.7 m (265 ft) above the CN Tower, which ended Canada's long reign as the home of the world's most prominent communications tower.

Answer: Taller than the CN Tower

A twisting glass exterior gives Shanghai Tower one of the most distinctive silhouettes ever placed on a skyline. Built between 2008 and 2015, the structure was designed to improve energy efficiency while reducing the impact of strong winds. When it opened, its height of 632 m (2,073 ft) made it the second-tallest building on Earth, trailing only the Burj Khalifa.

Although it never held the world record, it still rises 78.7 m (258 ft) higher than Canada's CN Tower (which was the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years).

Answer: Taller than the CN Tower

Visitors arriving in Guangzhou are often drawn immediately to the flowing, hourglass shape of Canton Tower. Completed in 2010 for the Asian Games, the structure reaches 600 m (1,969 ft) and briefly held the title of world's tallest tower. That distinction came at the expense of Toronto's CN Tower, which had dominated the category from 1975 until 2009.

The title lasted less than two years before Tokyo Skytree claimed it, but Canton Tower remains 46.7 m (153 ft) taller than its Canadian predecessor.

Answer: Smaller than the CN Tower

Long before the CN Tower appeared on the world stage, Ostankino Tower represented the cutting edge of engineering. Constructed in Moscow between 1963 and 1967 to expand television and radio coverage across the Soviet Union, it became the first free-standing structure to exceed 500 metres.

Its height of 540.1 m (1,772 ft) earned it the title of world's tallest free-standing structure, a record it held for roughly eight years before the CN Tower surpassed it in 1975. The difference between the two is surprisingly small: the Canadian tower is only 13.2 m (43 ft) taller.

Answer: Smaller than the CN Tower

Few landmarks symbolize Shanghai's rise as effectively as the Oriental Pearl Tower. Built between 1991 and 1994, its futuristic design features a series of spheres linked by slender columns, creating one of the most recognizable skylines in Asia. At 468 m (1,535 ft), it spent years as the tallest structure in China, though it never claimed a world record. Compared with the CN Tower, however, it falls short by 85.3 m (280 ft).

Answer: Smaller than the CN Tower

The gleaming twin spires of the Petronas Towers transformed Kuala Lumpur almost overnight. Completed in 1998 and connected by their famous skybridge, the towers rise 451.9 m (1,483 ft) above the city. Their completion made them the tallest buildings in the world, a distinction they retained until Taipei 101 surpassed them in 2004. That six-year reign was relatively short, but their iconic status endures.

The CN Tower, meanwhile, still towers 101.4 m (333 ft) above them.

Answer: Smaller than the CN Tower

For more than four decades, the Empire State Building represented the pinnacle of skyscraper engineering. Completed in 1931 during the depths of the Great Depression, it was built in little more than a year and immediately seized the title of world's tallest building. Remarkably, it held that crown for 41 years, one of the longest such reigns in history, before the original World Trade Center overtook it in 1972. Even so, this legendary structure reaches only 443.2 m (1,454 ft), leaving it 110.1 m (361 ft) shorter than the CN Tower.

Answer: Smaller than the CN Tower

The skyline of Tehran is dominated by Milad Tower, a telecommunications and observation tower whose construction began in 1997 and concluded a decade later. Reaching 435 m (1,427 ft), it quickly became one of the tallest towers in the world and remains among the most prominent structures in the Middle East. Unlike several of the other landmarks on this list, it never held a world height record. Even so, its scale is impressive, standing just 118.3 m (388 ft) below the height of Canada's CN Tower.