World's tallest roller coasters

By Orlando Parfitt When it comes to roller coasters, size is everything. The taller they are, the greater the thrill and the louder the screams. Well, time to put in those earplugs, ‘cos we’ve unearthed the ten tallest rock ‘n’ roller stars on the planet. Travelling at ridiculous speeds and stretching hundreds of feet high, these attractions could be the ride of your life. Just don’t look down… 10. Eejanaika, Fuji-Q Highland, Japan Height: 249 ft A so-called ‘4th dimension roller coaster, which sadly doesn’t break through the time-space continuum but instead features seats that rotate independently. Apparently the name translates as ‘Ain’t it great!’ in Japanese, but after a ride on this mega roller, you’ll be checking the phrase book for ‘pass the sickbag’ instead. 9. Fujiyama, Fuji-Q Highland, Japan Height: 259 ft Another entry from Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyama was the tallest coaster in the world when it opened back in 1996. Despite losing its crown since, it’s still an imposing ride which is rather aptly named after Mount Fuji. The highlight’s a 249 ft drop - only slightly less scary than falling down an actual mountain. 8. Thunder Dolphin, Tokyo Dome City Attractions, Japan Height: 262 ft Unfortunately ‘Thunder Dolphins’ aren’t real animals, but if they were, riding on the back of one might feel a bit like 30 seconds on this mega coaster. Besides a cool name, this Tokyo-based attraction is also one nippy customer, with a top speed of over 80mph. 7. Intimidator 305, Kings Dominion, USA Height: 305 ft When you style yourself as the ‘Intimidator’, you’d better live up to your name. This whopper does just that thanks to a NASCAR-inspired design which - as you’d expect - puts the focus on speed. The high-light (literally) is the enormous 300ft first hill which is held up by only three support posts. Scary. 6. Millennium Force, Cedar Point, USA Height: 310 ft This millennial monster broke all kinds of records (including for height and length) when it was finished back in 2000 and still regularly wins Amusement Today’s ‘Golden Ticket’ award (that’s a real magazine, we promise). The only duff thing about this coaster is the rubbish tagline: “The future is riding on it.” 5. Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima Spa Land, Japan Height: 318 ft We return to Japan now for another coaster built in the year 2000; aptly the ‘Year of the Dragon’. This striking steel creation is apparently still the tallest ride in the world to use a chain lift and has the longest track length (8133 ft). Nonetheless, with a top speed of 95mph, a ride on this coaster is unlikely to drag-on… 4. Tower of Terror II, Dreamworld, Australia Height: 377 ft The highest Australian entry on our list definitely won’t be sued under the Trade Descriptions Act. After passing through a giant skull, victims… we mean passengers, are slowly winched up a giant tower, before plummeting 330 ft face-first. Cue temporary weightlessness and - we suspect - the odd pair of brown trousers. 3. Superman: Escape from Krypton, Six Flags Magic Mountain, USA Height: 415 ft The Man of Steel flies again. This super-heroic ride has just re-opened after a major overhaul, which saw theme park boffins add reversing carriages to a coaster that could already go 100-mph-in-seven-seconds. It’s back in business just in time for spring break, though we reckon it’s best to stay of the booze the night before. 2. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point, USA Height: 420 ft We’re into the ‘Strata’ coasters now - that’s rides taller than 400ft to you and me. The world’s first was this monstrosity in Ohio, which also set the record for top speed, an eye-wateringly fast 120 mph. The dragster’s also so tall engineers had to fit strobe lights at various points up the tower to stop planes crashing into it. 1. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ, USA Height: 456 ft Almost identical to the Top Thrill Dragster except in one, all-important respect – it’s bigger. 36 feet bigger to be exact - making it the current king of the coaster world. That silly title’s apparently a mythical tiger, which explains the Indian-style bamboo styling. It’s unlikely you’re going to notice such details, however, when it’s sending you down its giant tower at 120mph. Also on Yahoo! Travel: