World's longest continuous road covers 20,359 miles and travels through one of the deadliest places on the planet
The world’s longest continuous road covers a whopping 20,359 miles and travels through one of the deadliest places on the planet.
The Pan-American Highway not only spans thousands of miles but also across two continents.
Having been dubbed as the longest road on Earth, it begins at the top of Alaska and ends up all the way down at the tip of Tierra del Fuego in South America.
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However, if you ever decide to take a roadtrip yourself, there is one particularly deadly and dangerous part that you’ll need to avoid.
Thought of as one of the deadliest places in the world, the Darién Gap is a part of the Pan-American Highway that is considered a very dangerous region.
The gap spans around 100 miles and connects Panama to Colombia.
It’s not possible for people to drive through the gap with its dense jungle, and so forces travelers to take a detour.
In fact, it might be best to avoid the region altogether, opting instead to divert around the entire area.
The route might be less satisfying but much less risky as the region is frequented by armed militias, dangerous gangs and drug trafficking groups.
So, it’s not exactly the type of place you’d want to break down in or pull over to enjoy the views.
Still, if you're determined to continue, it is possible to fly over the region, with your vehicle traveling in a shipping container, before buckling in and heading on your way.
In spite of the gap in the road, the Guinness World Records still recognizes the Pan-American Highway as the longest motorable road.
The idea for the epic highway was first proposed by the US in 1923, apparently in a bid to bring nations closer together. And possibly also to boost sales of US-made cars and exports.
After the countries involved reached an agreement, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the US signed the Convention on the Pan-American Highway in 1937.
Construction on the road began, though as you can probably imagine, it didn't come together quickly.
The original section of highway runs from Laredo in northern Mexico to Buenos Aires in Argentina, with various branches then available to continue the journey.
And, as proven with the Darién Gap, the road covers so many miles that there are naturally some areas that make for better road-tripping than others.