World’s longest road has no U-turn, passes through 14 countries; its name is…, total length is…

World’s longest road: India boasts some of the longest highways in the world, with the 4,112 kilometer-long National Highway 44 (NH 44) being the longest road in India. But did you know that NH 44 dwarfs in comparison to the world’s longest road– the Pan -American Highway– which passes through as many as 14 countries and measures a whopping 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) in length?

Where does world’s longest road originate?

The 30,000 km long Pan-American Highway starts from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America, ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern tip of South America. Interestingly, no road in the US or Canada is designated as part of the Pan-American Highway, which officially begins at the US-Mexico border in Nuevo Laredo.

Why Pan-American Highway has no U-turn?

Notably, the Pan-American highway is considered a straight road, and does not have a single U-turn or any sharp turns from beginning to end. According to estimates, the road is approximately 30,600 kilometers (19,000 miles) in length, making it the longest highway on the planet.

It would roughly take more than 60 days to travel from one end of the Pan-American Highway to the other, even if one manages to cover 500 kilometers daily.

Which countries does Pan-American Highway connect?

The Pan-American Highway traverses through 14 countries of the Americas — Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina– passing through various histories and cultures, making the journey more eventful than the destination itself.

All 14 nations share the responsibility of the maintenance of the Pan-American Highway.

When was it built?

The Pan-American Highway was built in the 1920s, with aim to promote tourism across various nations in the Americas. An agreement was signed by the 14 countries, including the US, Canada, and Mexico, in 1937 for developing and maintenance of the crucial highway. The highway was completely opened for traffic in 1960.