At the peak of the 700-metre tall Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro stands Christ the Redeemer, an art-deco monument to Christianity, recognised around the world as an icon of the city, and the nation of Brazil itself.

The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931 by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and French engineer Albert Caquot. The face of Christ was designed and sculptured by the Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida. In total, the statue is 30 metres tall and weighs 635 tonnes.

Nearly two million tourists make the journey from Rio de Janeiro up the Corcovado mountain, to marvel at the statue. A few more even make the the final ascent, up to the very top of the statue itself. It's not an official pilgrimage, but to many faithful it may feel like one.

Many designs were considered for the statue, but this was chosen as 'symbol of peace'. Christ stands, ready to embrace with open arms anyone who approaches. Though its no coincidence that this pose also resembles a Christian crucifix.

On a clear day, standing at the base of the statue, you can see the whole Guanabara Bay, from Rio de Janeiro to Duque de Caxias, and across to the eastern shore cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. It's hard not to feel like you're on top of the world. Click and drag to view.

But you can go a little higher, inside the statue is a staircase that leads all the way to the top. Not far now…

From a distance, you might think the statue was made from solid stone, but it's actually lightweight reinforced concrete. Here, we're looking along one of the hollow arms, and you can see where the wooden moulds were fitted, and separate concrete blocks joined together.

We're standing on the shoulders of Christ. Just a little higher to go…

Here we are… is there any other view like it?

The crown of thorns that rings Christ's head may be symbolic, but also serves a practical purpose - as a lightning rod. Lightning has struck the statue on numerous occasions, sometimes damaging parts of the structure.

From all the way up here, you can see how the statue is faced with fragments of soapstone, chosen for its durability.

This iconic structure has inspired many copies and homages across the globe, from the to Cristo del Pacífico in neighbouring Peru, to the Christ of Vũng Tàu in Vietnam. But there's nothing quite like the original.

No visit to London is complete without stopping by the British Museum. The collection is vast, and stretches all the way back to the first humans. So to help guide your next visit, we've chosen 5 unmissable exhibits. Click, drag, and use the arrows to explore them all!

These colossal stone beasts would have induced awe and provided protection at the entrance to the Palace of Ashurnasirpal in Nimrud, modern-day Iraq. Interestingly, the one on the right has an ancient board game scratched into its pedestal, perhaps by a bored palace guard?

Escape the crowds in this quiet corner of the British Museum. Classical ceramics might not be everyone's cup of tea, in fact, many visitors simply skip this room. But these carefully crafted vases and wine jugs provide an eye-opening insight into Greek aesthetics.

Buddhism is one of the world's oldest religions, and its adherents are found across the globe. Unsurprisingly, there's an enormous artistic culture associated with it. The museum's collection shows the breadth of styles and objects to be found from Pakistan to Japan.

The Arctic collection of the British Museum may not be the largest, but it is one of the most fascinating. The objects on display, from drums and knives to waterproof jackets and ritual objects, show the rich material culture of Arctic people.

This dog sledge, or uniek, made by Aleut people of the Alaskan peninsula, some time before 1855, shows the woodworking and construction skills of this Arctic culture. Driftwood sledges such as this allowed the Aleut to travel far over the ice, in search of valuable furs.

Next-door to the better-known Parthenon galleries is this monumental tomb from Xanthos in Lycia, then part of the Persian Empire. This structure shows how Greek aesthetics were already diffusing eastwards by the 4th century BCE.

No visit would be complete without seeing the Parthenon gallery. The bas-relief frieze that runs around the gallery, and the sculptural arrangements of gods and goddesses that mark each end, are considered the pinnacle of Classical Greek sculpture, and the pride of the museum.