Expo 2008

Expo 2008 was an international exposition held from Saturday 14 June to Sunday 14 September 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain, with the theme of "Water and Sustainable Development". The exposition was placed in a meander of the river Ebro. It was coordinated by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization responsible for sanctioning World's Fairs. Zaragoza, the city of the international exposition, is the administrative and financial capital of the autonomous community of Aragon and Spain's fifth most populous city. It was elected the host city of Expo 2008 on 16 December 2004 by the BIE, beating Thessaloniki (Greece) and Trieste (Italy). The exhibition's most emblematic buildings were the Torre del Agua, an 76 metres (249 ft) high transparent building designed by Enrique de Teresa to evoke a drop of water, the Bridge Pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid, and the river aquarium. The exposition site also hosted several events, including a daily parade by Cirque du Soleil called The Awakening of the Serpent. Aside from the countries, non-government organizations and private companies took part in Expo 2008, always with the idea of water and sustainable development. Prior to the event, the Expo 2008 host committee estimated that the exposition could generate €135 million in tickets for admission to the exhibition center.