The main road left from Xi'an, going either to the north or south of the Taklamakan desert, one of the most arid in the world, before crossing the Pamir Mountains.

主要的道路就是从西安出发，要么沿着塔克拉玛干沙漠（世界上最干旱地区之一）的北部行走，要么沿着塔克拉玛干沙漠的南部行走，然后再跨越帕米尔高原。

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The Silk Road starts with Chang’an(now Xi’an), travelling west to Wuwei, passing though Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang and it divides into north and south routes to avoid the Tibetan Plateau.

丝绸之路东起长安（现在的西安市），西至武威，途经河西走廊至敦煌，然后被分为北线了南线以此避开青藏高原。

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Shannon Schlothauer: "We love to joke that the road from North Dakota to South Dakota is the straightest road in the world."

Shannon Schlothauer： “我们喜欢开玩笑说，从南达科他州到北达科他州的路是世界上最笔直的路。”

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The capture of Pul-e-Khumri would cut the main north-south road through the centre of Afghanistan, leaving the remaining Taleban forces in the north stranded.

BBC: Afghan opposition push through north

Travelers on Bukidon's north-south road pass through Franco Fortich barangay for settlers (named after the governor's great-grandfather), the municipality of Manolo Fortich (named after his grandfather) and Don Carlos town (named after his father).

CNN: INSIDE STORY: PHILIPPINES

The road linking north to south was closed.

ECONOMIST: Hardly united