Longest Highway in the World - Top 10 longest highway in the world
Longest Highway in the World – Top 10 longest highway in the world The Pan-American Highway is known by most as the longest drivable road in the world with an approximate length of 30,000 km (19,000 miles). Stretching through 14 nations, the Pan-American Highway runs from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina (interrupted by the 106-km [66-mile] Darién Gap).
News Key Longest Highways In The World:
Generally recognized as the longest road in the world, the Pan-American Highway (~30,000 km) extends from one end of the Americas to the other, linking Canada, the USA, Mexico, and several nations in Central and South America.
Highway 1– Australia (c. 14,500 km) The longest national highway in the world that circling the whole continent of Australia.
Trans-Siberian Highway (over 11,000 km as the crow flies), Russia, between St. Petersburg and Vladivostok
Trans-Canada Highway (7,821 km): Extends from the westernmost tip to the easternmost tip of Canada.
National Highway 318 (~5,476 km, China): From Shanghai to the Tibet-Nepal border
Important Distinctions:
Longest Network → The Pan-American Highway is the longest motorable road in the world according to the Guinness World Records.
Longest National Highway: Australia instead of multinational Pan-American Highway.
The Darién Gap: At 106 km long, this continuous stretch of dense rainforest along an often swampy route helps to break the Pan-American Highway, requiring a boat to cross from one side to the other between Panama and Colombia.
One of the longest road systems in the world the Pan-American Highway encompasses roughly 30,000 km (or 19,000 miles) from Alaska to Argentina. Highway 1 in Australia (14,500 km) and the Trans-Siberian Highway (11,000 km) are two of the biggest long-distance highways, and together with other arterial networks they connects the biggest continents and countries as they cross diverse landscapes.
- Pan-American Highway (about 30,000 km – 48,000 km): Starts in the USA’s Alaska and ends in Argentina’s Ushuaia, passing through 14 countries.
- Highway 1, Australia (9,000 mi): Giant ring road circling the Australian continent
- Asian Highway 2 (13,177 km) Denpasar (Indonesia) to Khosravi (Iran) via numerous Asian countries.
- Trans Siberian Highway (11000 km): Way that Linking St. Petersburg to Vladivostok Russia
- WE-WC Highway (8,445km), Western Europe, Western China highway network, connecting Europe and China;
- Trans-Canada Highway (7,821 km): Crosses Canada from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts.
- Golden Quadrilateral (5,846 km): A network connecting major Indian cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata
- China National Highway 010 (5,700 km), from Harbin in the northeast to the southern city of Sanya.
- US Route 20 (3,365 mi / 5,415 km) – Coast-to-coast highway in the USA from Massachusetts to Oregon
- US Route 6 (3,207 miles; 5,158 km) the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, the USA
Caveat: Lengths vary slightly depending upon sources and whether they include official or unofficial extensions.
Top 10 Longest Highways in the World
| Rank | Name | Region | Length (Approx.) | Key Feature |
| 1 | Pan-American Highway | Americas | 48,000 km | Links Alaska to Argentina; has a 106 km gap in the jungle. |
| 2 | Highway 1 | Australia | 14,500 km | A giant loop that circumnavigates the entire continent. |
| 3 | Trans-Siberian Highway | Russia | 11,000 km | Spans 7 time zones from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. |
| 4 | Trans-African Highway | Africa | 10,228 km | Specifically the Cairo–Cape Town route; parts are still unpaved. |
| 5 | Trans-Canada Highway | Canada | 7,821 km | One of the world’s longest national (single country) routes. |
| 6 | Golden Quadrilateral | India | 5,846 km | A massive loop connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. |
| 7 | China National Highway 318 | China | 5,476 km | Known as the “Heavenly Road,” it reaches the base of Mt. Everest. |
| 8 | US Route 20 | USA | 5,415 km | The longest road in the US, stretching from Oregon to Massachusetts. |
| 9 | European Route E40 | Europe/Asia | 8,690 km | Links Calais (France) to Ridder (Kazakhstan). |
| 10 | Interstate 90 (I-90) | USA | 4,861 km | The longest east-west transcontinental freeway in the US. |
Interesting Road Facts
The Impassable Gap: The Pan-American Highway is broken by the Darién Gap in the center of the jungles and swampy mud between Panama and Colombia; 106 km of nothing. No road here → travelers must get their cars shipped by sea to continue their journey.
Highway 1: The Longest National Highway in the World (Australia’s Big Lap) Sure, if you were to hammer it 24/7 at average speeds, you’d knock it out in maybe 7-10 days but most “Lappers” take 3-6 months to check it all out.
Some of these routes are engineering marvels: they are not a single road, but a series of various highways, all grouped under one name to aid cross-continental travel.
F&Q (Frequently Asked Questions)
🌎 The Pan-American Highway
Can you really drive from Alaska to Argentina?
No. Although it is the longest road in the world, it is effectively interrupted by the Darién Gap—a 106 km (66 mi) stretch of impenetrable rainforest and swampland between Panama and Colombia. There is no road here. This means you have to ship your vehicle in a container or on a ferry from Panama City to either Cartagena or Buenaventura to finish the journey.
One obvious solution would be the construction of a road or bridge through the Gap.
Leaving the gap unfilled until 2026 at the earliest. The reasons are three-fold:
Nature: Biodiversity hot spot – a UNESCO World Heritage site
It serves the purpose of a natural ‘buffer’, inhibiting the spread of foot-and-mouth disease from cattle in South America to those in North America (or so it is theorized).
Political/Security: This region is notoriously hard to police, and is in the hands of non state players.
What is the duration of the complete journey?
3 months of driving, around 8 hours a day behind the wheel. However, the reality is that most adventurers take between 6 and 18 months, allowing for border crossings, shipping the car, and seeing things.
🇦🇺 Australia’s Highway 1
Is this truly one single highway?
Basically, it’s just one big ring road, really a series of highways that interconnect. Create a Post While Canberra requires a slight detour, it’s the only road in the world that links together all of a continent’s state capitals.
Can I drive it in a regular car?
Mostly yes. The route of 14,500 km is almost entirely sealed (paved). The North (between Darwin and Cairns) is an exception, though, some bits can get extremely rough or flooded in the wet season. If they’re not in a 4WD though, most travelers are forced by their cars to stick to the fully sealed “Barkly Highway” detour.
🇷🇺 The Trans-Siberian Highway
How is this similar/different to the Trans-Siberian Railway?
Yes. As the railway is legendary, the highway was only “completed” (paved) in the past 15 years. It spans 7 time zones. Gas stations can be 400+ km apart in very remote parts of eastern Russia so we need to be carrying extra.
🇺🇸 US Route 20 vs. I-90
Which one is actually longer?
Like the longest of roads in the United States which is US Route 20 (5,415 km). It is often mistaken for being Interstate 90 (which is the longest freeway, however: 4,861 km). Route 20 is an older “surface road” that passes by many small towns, with numerous traffic lights along the way, while I-90 is a high-speed, multi-lane thoroughfare.
🌍 Quick Comparison: The Records
| Record Title | Winner | Length |
| Longest Road Network | Pan-American Highway | ~48,000 km |
| Longest National Highway | Highway 1 (Australia) | 14,500 km |
| Longest Continuous Freeway | Interstate 90 (USA) | 4,861 km |
| Longest “Surface” Road | US Route 20 (USA) | 5,415 km |
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