The world’s longest highways stretch across thousands of kilometres, connecting countries, cities and continents. From the Pan-American Highway to maj…
1/12Pan-American Highway — ~30,000 km | Pass Through: US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina | Stretching from Alaska to Argentina, the Pan-American Highway is widely regarded as the world’s longest highway system. First taking shape in the 1920s, it has one major break — the Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia. (Image: Shutterstock)
2/12Asian Highway 1 (AH1) — 20,557 km | Pass Through: Japan, South Korea, North Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey | Running from Tokyo to the Turkey–Bulgaria border, AH1 is the longest route in the Asian Highway Network. The wider network dates back to 1959 and connects major road corridors across Asia. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
3/12Australia’s Highway 1 — 14,523 km | Pass Through: Australia | Forming a giant loop around the country, Highway 1 connects Australia’s major cities and state capitals. Created in 1955, it is recognised as the world’s longest continuous road. (Image: Alamy Stock)
4/12Asian Highway 2 (AH2) — ~13,100 km | Pass Through: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Iran | Running from Denpasar to Khosravi, AH2 links Southeast Asia with the Middle East. It passes through India’s Northeast and is one of the longest routes in the Asian Highway Network. (Image: Stock Image)
5/12Trans-Siberian Highway — ~11,000 km | Pass Through: Russia | Stretching from St Petersburg to Vladivostok, the Trans-Siberian Highway crosses almost the entire width of Russia. It is a network of federal highways rather than one single road and was fully paved in 2015. (Image: Reuters)
6/12Tripoli–Cape Town Highway — 10,808 km | Pass Through: Libya, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa | Also known as Trans-African Highway 3, the route is planned to connect Tripoli with Cape Town. At 10,808 km, it is one of Africa’s longest proposed road corridors, although major sections remain incomplete. (Image: Reuters)
7/12Asian Highway 6 (AH6) — 10,475 km | Pass Through: South Korea, North Korea, China, Kazakhstan and Russia | Stretching from Busan to the Russia–Belarus border, AH6 is a major east-west route across Eurasia. Much of its Russian section overlaps with the Trans-Siberian Highway. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
8/12Asian Highway 5 (AH5) — 10,380 km | Pass Through: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey | Running from Shanghai to the Turkey–Bulgaria border, AH5 connects China with Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
9/12Cairo–Cape Town Highway — 10,228 km | Pass Through: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa | Also known as Trans-African Highway 4, this route connects Cairo with Cape Town through eastern Africa and forms one of the continent’s major north-south road corridors. (Image: Reuters)
10/12National Highway 219 (G219) — ~10,000 km | Pass Through: China | Running from Xinjiang to Guangxi, G219 crosses some of China’s most remote terrain, including Tibet. Unlike the international Asian Highway routes, the entire highway lies within China. (Image: Stock Image)
11/12Meanwhile, India’s Longest (North-South) Highway: NH 44 — 4,113 km | Pass Through: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu | Running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, NH 44 is India’s longest National Highway, forming one of the country’s main north-south road corridors. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
12/12Also, India’s Longest (East-West) Highway: NH 27 — ~3,500 km | Pass Through: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam | Running from Porbandar to Silchar, NH 27 is one of India’s longest east-west highways, linking the western coast with the Northeast. (Image: NHAI)
