Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway (French: Route Transcanadienne) is a transcontinental highway system within the country of Canada. The system traverses all ten provinces of Canada, and the main route travels 7,821 kilometres (4,860 mi) between Victoria, British Columbia, and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, making it one of the longest routes of its type in the world.

Construction of the main route started in 1950 due to the signing of the Trans-Canada Highway Act. This act allowed federal and provincial governments to begin building sections of the highway. The highway was opened by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1962; however, construction of the route was not completed until 1971. Since the opening of the main route, numerous other routes have been designated to the system, which connect to the main route at numerous points. The largest of these routes is the Yellowhead Highway from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia to Winnipeg, Manitoba, which runs north of the main route. The entire system, including all routes, totals a distance of approximately 12,800 kilometres (8,000 mi).