Which Brazilian highway is the longest in the country?

Which Brazilian highway is the longest in the country? The answer is BR-116.

BR-116 stretches about 4,542 kilometres across Brazil, linking Fortaleza in Ceará with Jaguarão in Rio Grande do Sul near the Uruguayan border. It is the country’s longest highway and one of its most important north–south transport routes. The road passes through or near major centres such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.

Although BR-116 generally follows a north–south alignment, it does not simply trace Brazil’s coastline. Its route travels through the country’s interior and southeastern industrial belt, connecting agricultural regions, ports and large metropolitan areas. The highway is also the longest highway in Brazil to be completely paved.

BR-101 is a frequent wrong answer because it is another famous, very long Brazilian route that follows the Atlantic coast more closely. BR-116 also has locally famous names: the Curitiba–São Paulo section is the Régis Bittencourt Highway, while the São Paulo–Rio section is the President Dutra Highway.