PAN-AMERICAN HIGHWAY

network of highways connecting North America and South America. Originally conceived in 1923 as a single route, the road grew to include a great number of designated highways in participating countries. The Inter-American Highway, from Nuevo Laredo, Mex., to Panama City (3,350 miles [5,390 km]), is a part of it. The Mexican section was built and financed entirely by Mexico, while the sections through the smaller Central American countries were built with U.S. assistance. The whole system, extending from Alaska and Canada to Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, totals nearly 30,000 miles (48,000 km). In the late 20th century a portion about 240 miles (400 km) long, called the Darien Gap highway (located in Panama and Colombia), remained uncompleted.