Waystations with food and shelter

Inca Road System Quiz: The Qhapaq Nan Across the Andes

Runners, llama caravans and royal armies moved along a stone network that climbed the Andes and crossed deserts, and this Inca road system quiz explores the Qhapaq Nan. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on its length, Cusco as the hub, chasqui runners, tambo waystations, rope bridges like Q'eswachaka, quipus, the Inca Trail and UNESCO listing.

Start Inca Road System Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Name
What is the Inca road system called in Quechua?
Length
Roughly how long was the network?
Hub
Which city was the hub of the road system?
Countries
Across how many modern countries does UNESCO list the road?
Runners
Who carried messages along the roads?
Stops
What were tambos?
Bridge
Which rope bridge is still rebuilt each year by local communities?
Records
How did the Incas keep records along the roads?
Wheels
What did the Incas not use on these roads?
UNESCO
When did the Qhapaq Nan become a World Heritage Site?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the Inca road system called in Quechua?
Answer: Qhapaq Nan
It means the royal road.
Q2: Roughly how long was the network?
Answer: About 30,000 km or more
Estimates vary.
Q3: Which city was the hub of the road system?
Answer: Cusco
It was the Inca capital.
Q4: Across how many modern countries does UNESCO list the road?
Answer: Six
From Colombia to Argentina and Chile.
Q5: Who carried messages along the roads?
Answer: Chasquis
They ran in relays.
Q6: What were tambos?
Answer: Waystations with food and shelter
They stood at regular intervals.
Q7: Which rope bridge is still rebuilt each year by local communities?
Answer: Q'eswachaka
It is woven from grass.
Q8: How did the Incas keep records along the roads?
Answer: With knotted cords called quipus
Knots encoded numbers.
Q9: What did the Incas not use on these roads?
Answer: Wheeled vehicles
Steep terrain suited walking.
Q10: When did the Qhapaq Nan become a World Heritage Site?
Answer: 2014
It was a joint nomination.

Inca Road System Quiz – The Qhapaq Nan Across the Andes

The Qhapaq Nan, or royal road, was the Inca Empire's road network, stretching about 30,000 km or more across mountains, deserts and forests. Cusco, the Inca capital, was its hub.

Chasqui runners carried messages in relays, and tambos offered food and shelter at regular intervals. The Incas used no wheeled vehicles, relying on walkers and llama caravans. Records were kept with knotted cords called quipus.

Rope bridges crossed deep gorges; Q'eswachaka in Peru is still rebuilt each year from grass. In 2014 UNESCO listed the Qhapaq Nan as a World Heritage Site across six countries. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu follows part of it.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

What the road system was
How long it ran
Who used it
How it was built
How it is protected

Did You Know?

Some sections climb above 5,000 meters.
Stone steps cross steep slopes.
Roads helped the Incas control a vast empire.
Storehouses called qollqas held supplies.
Many communities still use stretches today.