In 2023, scientists conducted a study and found that the length of all roads on Earth reaches 21 million kilometers. The largest number of roads on which cars can travel are laid in the United States – their total length is 3 million kilometers. In the list of countries with the longest roads, Russia ranks fifth with 1.5 million kilometers. In most cases, roads for driving cars are covered with asphalt, but in some states preference is given to concrete pavement – it is more expensive, but has a longer service life. Maybe you have ever wonderedwhich is the longest road in the worldWe have the answer to this question, and there are many very long roads on Earth.
The Pan-American Highway is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest road in the world
Contents
- 1 The longest highways
- 2 Pan-American Highway
- 3 Asian route AH1
- 4 Australian Highway 1
The longest highways
If you search on the Internet for the name of the longest road on Earth, sources will give different results. The fact is that there is no clear answer to this question. Some roads are considered long, but periodically break off for several kilometers. There are also long routes that are very difficult to travel by car. And when we talk about roads, we usually mean transport ones.
Map of all roads on Earth
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Pan-American Highway
According to most sources, the longest road on planet Earth is the Pan-American Highway. It connects South and North America andstretches for 30,000 kilometers.
The Pan-American Highway begins in Alaska, in the oil town of Prudhoe Bay. While driving along it, people pass through many climatic and ecological regions. For example, for several kilometers a car can be surrounded by deserts, and then by dense jungles and even mountain passes. Traveling along the Pan-American Highway, people can see Canada, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica and many other countries. The road ends in the southernmost regions of South America.
Length of the Pan-American Highway
The idea of building a Pan-American Highway first appeared in 1923. According to the official version, the authors of the project wanted to unite several countries with this route. But there is also a version that with the help of this route the United States wanted to increase sales of American cars – it is much easier to supply them to Latin America.
The construction of the Pan-American Highway turned out to be a very long process, which was expected. Even in 1970, the road was not completely built, and even today it is not complete.
Pan-American Highway in the Atacama Desert
For example , on the route of the Pan-American Highway there is an 87-kilometer section known as the Darién Gap. It begins in the Panama Canal and extends to the northwestern part of Colombia.
Pan-American Highway in Ecuador
This area is located in the jungle and there is no road. The reason for this was that local residents protested, fearing for the safety of their culture. In particular, they feared the destruction of national parks. On top of all this, this area is still a very dangerous place. The fact is that it is often visited by members of dangerous groups and drug dealers. So, maybe it’s good that there is no road for cars in the Darya Gap.
Darién gap on the map
Despite the gap several tens of kilometers long, the Pan-American Highway is included in the Guinness Book of Records as “ the longest highway.”
Read also:Why is the 100-kilometer Mayan road considered an engineering marvel?
Asian route AH1
Some sources list the Asian route AH1 as the longest road. It starts in Tokyo, Japan, passes through the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, India and many other countries. The end of the road is located on the border between Turkey and Bulgaria. The length of the Asian route AH1reaches 20,557 kilometers.
Asian route AH1 on the map
However, as with the Pan-American Highway, this road ends. The fact is that between Japan and South Korea there is a stretch of sea 942 kilometers long. Also, the zone that separates South Korea and North Korea is closed to most ordinary citizens.
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Australian Highway 1
Australian Highway 1 is considered the longest continuous road. It was continued in 1955 and has a length of 14,500 kilometers.It is the longest national highway in the world and covers all existing states in Australia except Brisbane and Darwin. Recently, extreme sports enthusiasts from the Highway 1 to Hell team set a record, circumnavigating the whole of Australia in 5 days, 13 hours and 43 minutes.
Australian Highway 1 on the map
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In conclusion, it should be noted that there is another similar article on our website. It is called “The 10 Longest Bridges in the World” and is highly recommended reading for all curious people!