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A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single point at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or of any polygon shape. As such, a pyramid has at least three outer triangular surfaces . The square pyramid, with a square base and four triangular outer surfaces, is a common version. A pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground, and with the pyramidion on top, means that less material higher up on the pyramid will be pushing down from above. This distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures. Civilizations in many parts of the world have built pyramids. The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. For thousands of years, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids—first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, both in Egypt—the latter is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining. Khufu's Pyramid, built mainly of limestone , contains over 2,000,000 blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tonnes to 15 tonnes and is built on a square base with sides measuring about 230 m , covering 13 acres. Its four sides face the four cardinal points precisely and it has an angle of 52 degrees. The original height of the pyramid was 146.5 m , but today it is only 137 m high as 9 m has gone missing due to theft of the fine quality white Tura limestone covering, or casing stones, for construction in Cairo. It remains the tallest pyramid.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.