Drew Barton Jr., age 15, of Montgomery, Ala., for his question:

HOW LONG IS THE TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY?

The Trans Canada Highway stretches about 5,000 miles, linking all 10 of Canada's provinces. It stretches from St.John's, Newfoundland, on the Atlantic coast, to Victoria, British Columbia, on the Pacific coast.

The two lane highway, which was begun in 1950, cost more than $1 billion and 12 years to build. It officially opened in 1962 and is toll free.

The all weather road has made many areas, especially in western Canada, easier to reach and opened them to new economic development. It has also attracted larger numbers of tourists to Canada's national parks.

The route goes through Glacier, Mount Revelstoke and Yoho national parks in British Columbia; Banff in Alberta; and Terra Nova in Newfoundland.

The Trans Canada Highway goes through such important cities as Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Charlottetown and Sydney.