Statistics
The United States has the largest network of roads of any country with 4,050,717 miles (6,518,997 km) as of 2009. The People's Republic of China is second with 3,583,715 kilometres (2,226,817 mi) of road (2007) See List of countries by road network size. The Republic of India has the third largest road system in the world with 3,383,344 kilometres (2,102,312 mi) (2002). When looking only at expressways the National Trunk Highway System (NTHS) in China has a total length of 45,000 kilometres (28,000 mi) at the end of 2006, and 60,300 km at the end of 2008, second only to the United States with 90,000 kilometres (56,000 mi) in 2005.
Many settlements are not reachable by road alone. Road vehicles must be carried by boat or ferry to islands, and some locations are intentionally car-free. Even on the mainland, some settlements have no roads connecting with the main continental network, due to natural obstacles like mountains or wetlands, remoteness, or general expense. Unpaved roads or lack of roads are more common in developing countries, though even large cities like Iquitos, Peru and Juneau, Alaska are disconnected.
Read more about this topic: Road
Famous quotes containing the word statistics:
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)