The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is among the most unique in the world — it’s navigable by boat. Its Welsh name means “the bridge that connects” because the 11-mile aqueduct links England and Wales. It is part of the Canal World Heritage Site, which consists of a series of historic waterways including canals, tunnels, and aqueducts.

The Inca civilization (whose capital city was Cusco) is known for its sophisticated irrigation systems, with canals, aqueducts, fountains, and tunnels. The walled settlement was once home to Inca nobility and features a remarkable system of 13 integrated terraces that are connected by aqueducts for both aesthetic and practical purposes. The longest aqueduct at the site is 200 feet long.

The city of Carthage was located in what is now Tunisia, a country in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The 100-mile-long aqueduct was a massive undertaking overseen by Roman Emperor Hadrian. It was built around 130 CE to relieve drought conditions in the area and was named after the town of Zaghouan, which lies at the bottom of Mount Zaghouan, the source of the water for the aqueduct.

The Tarragona Aqueduct (or Les Ferreres Aqueduct) is known as "The Devil's Bridge," thanks to a local legend that says the devil himself built it after winning a bet with a woman who lost her soul. In reality, Emperor Augustus of Rome built the aqueduct in the first century CE to bring water from the Francolí river in Catalonia to the town of Tarraco.

Hampi was the ancient capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire, which ruled in southern India from the 14th to 16th centuries. The ruins at Hampi, including the aqueduct, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hampi had an advanced network of irrigation channels that connected its temples, palaces, and storage tanks. The most famous section of this network is Bukka’s Aqueduct, named for Bukka, one of the first kings of the city.

The Nasca (or Nazca) peoples thrived along the southern coast of modern-day Peru for about 900 years, starting in the first century BCE. The civilization is known for its unique architecture, including earthwork mounds, pyramid-like structures, plazas, and aqueducts. The Nasca Aqueducts in southern Peru were built to store water from the Rio Grande River, enabling the Nasca people to survive summers in the arid desert climate.

The massive Valens Aqueduct once supplied water to the people of the Byzantine (and, later, Ottoman) Empire from the hills outside present-day Istanbul, Turkey. The aqueduct is named after Roman Emperor Valens, who ordered its construction in the fourth century CE. It is considered the longest aqueduct in the ancient world, spanning nearly 265 miles.

Like many of the world’s most famous aqueducts, Aqua Claudia was built by the Romans to carry water to their cities. Emperor Claudius oversaw the completion of this aqueduct in the first century CE. Aqua Anio Novus was then built directly on top of Aqua Claudia, creating a two-tiered aqueduct from the Aniene River to Rome. Large sections of the structure still stand today.

Also known as El Puente (“The Bridge”), the Aqueduct of Segovia was built in the first century CE and is still in use today. It carries water for 10 miles from the Frío River to central Segovia. The 2,388-foot structure was made with granite blocks from the nearby Guadarrama Mountains and features 165 scenic arches. It is one of the best-preserved examples of Roman aqueduct architecture in the world.

Pont du Gard (“Bridge of the Gard,” a river in southern France) is one of the world’s most famous aqueducts. Romans built the tiered structure around 19 BCE to carry water over the Gard River to the city of Nîmes. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, the son-in-law of Augustus Caesar, is credited with building the aqueduct. Today, the 155-foot-tall bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.