Epcot, Theme park at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, US
Epcot is a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, spanning 305 acres (123 hectares). Since a major overhaul from the late 2010s to the early 2020s, it is organized into four neighborhoods: World Celebration at the main entrance, World Discovery for space and technology, World Nature, and World Showcase, whose eleven national pavilions ring a man-made lagoon.
The park opened on October 1, 1982, as the second theme park at Walt Disney World Resort after Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney's original idea for an experimental residential community was transformed into a theme park concept after his death.
At the World Showcase, visitors walk through eleven national pavilions where they meet people from those countries, who speak their native languages and serve traditional food. Each pavilion offers films, live performances, or exhibitions shaped with input from the respective governments.
The park can be reached by monorail, bus, or car through parking areas near the main entrance. The two sections are far apart, so plan several hours to walk through both areas.
A large geodesic sphere called Spaceship Earth stands at the entrance and houses a ride through the history of human communication. The exterior is made of thousands of triangular aluminum panels that drain rainwater into an underground system.
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