The Pan-American Highway has been crowned as the longest ‘motorable road’ in the world by the Guinness World Records stretching over almost 15,000 miles stretching across North, Central, and South America. The incredible road thereby covers two continents and traverses a variety of terrains and landscapes, from deserts to snow-capped mountains, beaches, and rainforests. The Australia Highway One, at 9,000 miles, is the longest continuous road in the world, followed by the Trans-Siberian Highway at 6,800 miles, which spans across Russia from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.
The weather along the Pan-American Highway is as diverse as the landscapes themselves. From the icy landscapes of Alaska to the tropical warmth of Costa Rica, each section of the route offers unique weather experiences and breathtaking car views.
From Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, all the way down to Ushuaia, Argentina, the road is a feat of engineering connecting 14 countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina.
From North America to South America, this route would take about 316 hours to complete if you were to drive constantly at 60 mph.
The Pan-American Highway was formally proposed during the Fifth International Conference of American States in 1923 to establish a continuous roadway system to promote travel, trade, and cultural exchange throughout the Americas.
Construction began in the 1930s, and over the years, different segments have been made and upgraded.
The only break in the route is the 60-mile tretch of rugged terrain known as the Darién Gap located between Panama and Colombia and is an area marked by dense rainforests, swamps, and rivers.
This stretch of rainforest has long been the focus of debate, with some supporting the construction of a road through it, while others oppose it due to its protected status and potential environmental impact.
Environmentalists are not the only ones who are opposed to this, so are Panama and Colombia themselves.
Here is the full list of the world’s 9 longest roads according to HowStuffWorks:
- Pan-American Highway
- Australia Highway One
- Trans-Siberian Highway
- Trans-Canada Highway
- Golden Quadrilateral Highway Network
- China National Highway 318
- U.S. Route 20
- U.S. Route 6
- Interstate 90 (I-90)
