In One Of The Most Difficult Terrains, They Built A Monumental Road System
The Inca Empire is well renowned for possessing the biggest road system in pre-Columbian America, with thousands of kilometers of highways connecting a realm of over 2.6 million square kilometers which is one of the major achievements of the ancient Inca civilization.
The Inca emperors needed a way to connect diverse sections of their vast empire in order to administer it. As a result, they built an intricate road system that covered 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) and allowed access to nearly 3,000,000 square kilometers (1,200,000 square miles) of land. It is divided into two main routes: the western route, which follows the coast, and the eastern route, which follows the Andes highlands interior. The two main highways were connected by shorter roadways. The Inca road system was constructed across some of the world's most difficult terrain, ranging from coastal deserts to high plateaus, mountain ranges, and deep valleys. This, together with the fact that the roads are still in fine shape after centuries of use, attests to the Inca's outstanding engineering abilities. The Inca road system, which was the largest and most comprehensive transportation system in pre-Columbian America, is considered one of the greatest engineering feats in history. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
