The highways that connect one state with other is called national highways. For example, National Highway No.8 (NH 8) connects Gujarat with Mumbai. Highways are extremely important for economic development of the nation. They are also a very safe means of transport. It is the central government who builds and takes care of the national highways.
National highways inter-connect state capitals, large industrial and commercial cities and major ports. These roads also connect India with neighboring countries like Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and China.
National Highway No.7 is the longest highway of the country. It extends from Varanasi in, Uttar Pradesh to Kanniyakumari iri Tamil Nadu. The Golden Quadrilateral is a national highways network which connects all the four metro cities of India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. National Highways No. 27, 41, 47, 141, 147, etc. pass through Gujarat.
These numbers were changed by the Government of India in 2011. The length of national highways in the union territories namely Chandigarh, Puducherry and Delhi and state of Goa is more as compared to their population.
Next comes the states of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, etc. The total length of national highways is less in states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat where there is more population.
