The CIA World Factbook Edition 1991 Communications
Roadways In 35 editions of 36.
Roadways was published in 35 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2024. The 1991 edition carries it in 209 entries, in its Communications section, under the heading “Highways”. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 1991 edition
- 209
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2024
Published as “Roadways” (2006 to 2024) and “Highways” (1990 to 2005).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Roadways, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
No entries match. Try a shorter word.
Entries with Roadways in each edition
Select a bar to open that edition.
Africa
55 entriesAlgeria
80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth
Angola
73,828 km total; 8,577 km bituminous-surface treatment, 29,350 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth, remainder unimproved earth
Botswana
- 11,514 km total;
- 1,600 km paved;
- 1,700 km crushed stone or gravel, 5,177 km improved earth, 3,037 km unimproved earth
Burkina now Burkina Faso
- 16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved, 7,800 km unimproved (1985)
Burundi
5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved or unimproved earth
Cameroon
about 65,000 km total; includes 2,682 km bituminous, 30,000 km unimproved earth, 32,318 km gravel, earth, and improved earth
Central African Republic
22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved earth, 11,000 unimproved earth
Zaire now Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 146,500 km total;
- 2,550 km bituminous, 46,450 km gravel and improved earth;
- remainder unimproved earth
Congo now Republic of the Congo
- 12,000 km total;
- 560 km bituminous surface treated;
- 850 km gravel, laterite;
- 5,350 km improved earth;
- 5,240 km unimproved roads
Ivory Coast now Cote d'Ivoire
- 46,600 km total;
- 3,600 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surface;
- 32,000 km gravel, crushed stone, laterite, and improved earth;
- 11,000 km unimproved
Egypt
51,925 km total; 17,900 km paved, 2,500 km gravel, 13,500 km improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth
Swaziland now Eswatini
2,853 km total; 510 km paved, 1,230 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, and 1,113 km improved earth
Ethiopia
44,300 km total; 3,650 km bituminous, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved earth
Ghana
28,300 km total; 6,000 km concrete or bituminous surface, 22,300 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces
Guinea
30,100 km total; 1,145 km paved, 12,955 km gravel or laterite (of which barely 4,500 km are currently all-weather roads), 16,000 km unimproved earth (1987)
Lesotho
- 5,167 km total;
- 508 km paved;
- 1,585 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil;
- 946 km improved earth, 2,128 km unimproved earth
Liberia
- 10,087 km total;
- 603 km bituminous treated, 2,848 km all weather, 4,313 km dry weather;
- there are also 2,323 km of private, laterite-surfaced roads open to public use, owned by rubber and timber companies
Libya
32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
Madagascar
40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, 34,495 km improved and unimproved earth (est.)
Malawi
- 13,135 km total;
- 2,364 km paved;
- 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil;
- 10,520 km earth and improved earth
Mali
about 15,700 km total; 1,670 km bituminous, 3,670 km gravel and improved earth, 10,360 km unimproved earth
Mauritania
- 7,525 km total;
- 1,685 km paved;
- 1,040 km gravel, crushed stone, or otherwise improved;
- 4,800 km unimproved roads, trails, tracks
Morocco
59,198 km total; 27,740 km bituminous treated, 31,458 km gravel, crushed stone, improved earth, and unimproved earth
Mozambique
- 26,498 km total;
- 4,593 km paved;
- 829 km gravel, crushed stone, stabilized soil;
- 21,076 km unimproved earth
Niger
39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel and laterite, 3,470 km earthen, 23,000 km tracks
Nigeria
- 107,990 km total 30,019 km paved (mostly bituminous-surface treatment);
- 25,411 km laterite, gravel, crushed stone, improved earth;
- 52,560 km unimproved
Saint Helena now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
- 87 km bitumen-sealed roads, 20 km earth roads on Saint Helena;
- 80 km bitumen-sealed on Ascension;
- 2.7 km bitumen-sealed on Tristan da Cunha
Sao Tome and Principe
300 km (two-thirds are paved); roads on Principe are mostly unpaved and in need of repair
Sierra Leone
7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
Somalia
15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface, 2,880 km gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983)
Sudan
20,000 km total; 1,600 km bituminous treated, 3,700 km gravel, 2,301 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track
Tanzania
- total 81,900 km, 3,600 km paved;
- 5,600 km gravel or crushed stone;
- remainder improved and unimproved earth
Uganda
- 26,200 km total;
- 1,970 km paved;
- 5,849 km crushed stone, gravel, and laterite;
- remainder earth roads and tracks
Western Sahara
6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth roads and tracks
Zambia
- 36,370 km total;
- 6,500 km paved, 7,000 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil;
- 22,870 km improved and unimproved earth
Zimbabwe
- 85,237 km total;
- 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed stone, gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth;
- 7,250 km unimproved earth
Antarctic Region
1 entryArctic Region
2 entriesAsia
14 entriesAfghanistan
21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and tracks
British Indian Ocean Territory
short stretch of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia
China
about 980,000 km all types roads; 162,000 km paved roads, 617,200 km gravel/improved earth roads, 200,800 km unimproved natural earth roads and tracks
India
1,633,300 km total (1986); 515,300 km secondary and 1,118,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Japan
- 1,098,900 km total;
- 718,700 km paved, 380,200 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved;
- 3,900 km national expressways, 46,544 km national highways, 43,907 km principal local roads, 86,930 km prefectural roads, and 917,619 other (1987)
Korea, North now North Korea
- about 30,000 km (1989);
- 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface;
- 1.5% concrete or bituminous
Korea, South now South Korea
62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads
Nepal
- 7,080 km total (1990);
- 2,898 km paved, 1,660 km gravel or crushed stone;
- also 2,522 km of seasonally motorable tracks
Pakistan
101,315 km total (1987); 40,155 km paved, 23,000 km gravel, 29,000 km improved earth, and 9,160 km unimproved earth or sand tracks (1985)
Sri Lanka
- 75,263 km total (1988);
- 27,637 km paved (mostly bituminous treated), 32,887 km crushed stone or gravel, 14,739 km improved earth or unimproved earth;
- several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks (1988 est.)
Central America and the Caribbean
30 entriesBelize
2,710 km total; 500 km paved, 1,600 km gravel, 300 km improved earth, and 310 km unimproved earth
Dominican Republic
12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth, 600 km unimproved
El Salvador
10,000 km total; 1,500 km paved, 4,100 km gravel, 4,400 km improved and unimproved earth
Nicaragua
- 25,930 km total;
- 4,000 km paved, 2,170 km gravel or crushed stone, 5,425 km earth or graded earth, 14,335 km unimproved;
- Pan-American highway 368.5 km
Panama
8,530 km total; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- about 1,000 km total;
- 300 km paved;
- 400 km improved;
- 300 km unimproved
Trinidad and Tobago
8,000 km total; 4,000 km paved, 1,000 km improved earth, 3,000 km unimproved earth
Europe
33 entriesAustria
- 95,412 km total;
- 34,612 are the primary network (including 1,012 km of autobahn, 10,400 km of federal, and 23,200 km of provincial roads);
- of this number, 21,812 km are paved and 12,800 km are unpaved;
- in addition, there are 60,800 km of communal roads (mostly gravel, crushed stone, earth)
Belgium
- 103,396 km total;
- 1,317 km limited access, divided autoroute;
- 11,717 km national highway;
- 1,362 km provincial road;
- about 38,000 km paved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads
Bulgaria
- 36,908 km total;
- 33,535 km hard surface (including 242 km superhighways);
- 3,373 km earth roads (1987)
Denmark
- 66,482 km total;
- 64,551 km concrete, bitumen, or stone block;
- 1,931 km gravel, crushed stone, improved earth
Finland
- about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth);
- additional 30,000 km of private (state-subsidized) roads
France
- 1,551,400 km total;
- 33,400 km national highway;
- 347,000 km departmental highway;
- 421,000 km community roads;
- 750,000 km rural roads;
- 5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes;
- about 803,000 km paved
Greece
38,938 km total; 16,090 km paved, 13,676 km crushed stone and gravel, 5,632 km improved earth, 3,540 km unimproved earth
Hungary
- 130,014 km total;
- 29,715 km national highway system--26,834 km asphalt and bitumen, 142 km concrete, 51 km stone and road brick, 2,276 km macadam, 412 km unpaved;
- 58,495 km country roads (66% unpaved), and 41,804 km (est.) other roads (70% unpaved) (1988)
Italy
- 294,410 km total;
- autostrada 5,900 km, state highways 45,170 km, provincial highways 101,680 km, communal highways 141,660 km;
- 260,500 km concrete, bituminous, or stone block, 26,900 km gravel and crushed stone,7,010 km earth
Luxembourg
- 5,108 km total;
- 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km earth;
- about 80 km limited access divided highway
Malta
1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth
Netherlands
- 108,360 km total;
- 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km of limited access, divided highways);
- 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone
Norway
- 79,540 km total;
- 18,600 km concrete, bituminous, stone block;
- 19,980 km bituminous treated;
- 40,960 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth
Poland
- 299,887 km total;
- 130,000 km improved hard surface (concrete, asphalt, stone block);
- 24,000 km unimproved hard surface (crushed stone, gravel);
- 100,000 km earth;
- 45,887 km other urban roads (1985)
Portugal
- 73,661 km total;
- 61,599 km paved (bituminous, gravel, and crushed stone), including 140 km of limited-access divided highway;
- 7,962 km improved earth;
- 4,100 km unimproved earth (motorable tracks)
Romania
- 72,799 km total;
- 15,762 km concrete, asphalt, stone block;
- 20,208 km asphalt treated;
- 27,729 km gravel, crushed stone, and other paved surfaces;
- 9,100 km unpaved roads (1985)
Soviet Union
- 1,757,000 km total;
- 1,310,600 km hard-surfaced (asphalt, concrete, stone block, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone);
- 446,400 km earth (1989)
Spain
150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)
Switzerland
62,145 km total (all paved), of which 18,620 km are canton and 1,057 km are national highways (740 km autobahn); 42,468 km are communal roads
United Kingdom
- UK, 362,982 km total;
- Great Britain, 339,483 km paved (including 2,573 km limited-access divided highway);
- Northern Ireland, 23,499 km (22,907 paved, 592 km gravel)
Yugoslavia
- 122,062 km total;
- 73,527 km asphalt, concrete, stone block;
- 33,663 km macadam, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone;
- 14,872 km earth (1988)
Middle East
18 entriesBahrain
200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km natural surface tracks
Cyprus
- 10,780 km total;
- 5,170 km bituminous surface treated;
- 5,610 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth
Iran
- 140,072 km total;
- 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone;
- 49,440 km improved earth;
- 42,566 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces;
- 1,200 km (est.) rural road network
Turkey now Turkiye
- 49,615 km total;
- 26,915 km bituminous;
- 16,500 km gravel or crushed stone;
- 4,000 km improved earth;
- 2,200 km unimproved earth (1985)
North America
5 entriesMexico
210,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or cobblestone, 60,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction, 55,000 km unimproved earth roads
Oceania
25 entriesAustralia
837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth
Cook Islands
187 km total (1980); 35 km paved, 35 km gravel, 84 km improved earth, 33 km unimproved earth
Fiji
- 3,300 km total (1984)--390 km paved;
- 1,200 km bituminous-surface treatment;
- 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface;
- 420 unimproved earth
Marshall Islands
macadam and concrete roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks
Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia
39 km of paved macadam and concrete roads on major islands, otherwise 187 km stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads
Norfolk Island
80 km of roads, including 53 km of sealed roads; remainder are earth formed or coral surfaced
Pacific Islands, Trust Territory of the now Palau
25.7 km paved macadam and concrete roads, otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads (1986)
Papua New Guinea
19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized-soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth
Western Samoa now Samoa
- 2,042 km total;
- 375 km sealed;
- remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Solomon Islands
about 2,100 km total (1982); 30 km sealed, 290 km gravel, 980 km earth, 800 private logging and plantation roads of varied construction
Tonga
- 198 km sealed road (Tongatapu);
- 74 km (Vavau);
- 94 km unsealed roads usable only in dry weather
South America
14 entriesArgentina
208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
Chile
79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel, 35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
Ecuador
28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth
Falkland Islands now Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
510 km total; 30 km paved, 80 km gravel, and 400 km unimproved earth
Peru
56,645 km total; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth
Suriname
- 8,300 km total;
- 500 km paved;
- 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth;
- 2,400 km sand or clay
Venezuela
77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth
Southeast Asia
12 entriesBrunei
1,090 km total; 370 km paved (bituminous treated) and another 52 km under construction, 720 km gravel or unimproved
Burma now Burma (Myanmar)
27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth
Cambodia
- 13,351 km total;
- 2,622 km bituminous;
- 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth;
- 3,624 km unimproved earth;
- some roads in disrepair
Laos
- about 27,527 km total;
- 1,856 km bituminous or bituminous treated;
- 7,451 km gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth;
- 18,220 km unimproved earth and often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September
Philippines
- 156,000 km total (1984);
- 29,000 km paved;
- 77,000 km gravel, crushed-stone, or stabilized-soil surface;
- 50,000 km unimproved earth
Taiwan
20,041 km total; 17,095 km bituminous or concrete, 2,371 km crushed stone or gravel, 575 km graded earth
Vietnam
about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1991, “Roadways”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/roadways/1991.