title: Economy of Asia

text: Japan in particular managed to develop its economy due to a reformation in the 19th century. The reformation was comprehensive and is today known as the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese economy continued to grow well into the 20th century and its economic growth created various shortages of resources essential to economic growth. As a result, the Japanese expansion began with a great part of Korea and China annexed, thus allowing the Japanese to secure strategic resources.


title: Economy of Asia

text: At the same time, Southeast Asia was prospering due to trade and the introduction of various new technologies of that time. The volume of trade continued to increase with the opening of the Suez Canal in the 1860s. Manila had its Manila galleon where in products from the Philippine islands and China were traded with Spanish America and Europe from 1571 to 1815. The Spanish colony of the Philippines was the first Asian territory to trade with the Americas, from Manila to Acapulco. The route continued overland across present-day Mexico to Veracruz on the Atlantic coast, then to Havana and Seville, forming the first global trade route. Silk, porcelain, ivory, tobacco, coconut and maize were some of the goods exported from Asia to the Americas and Europe, through the Philippines.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Singapore, founded in 1819, rose to prominence as trade between the east and the west increased at an incredible rate. The British colony of Malaya, now part of Malaysia, was the world's largest producer of tin and rubber. The Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, on the other hand, was known for its spices production. Both the British and the Dutch created their own trading companies to manage their trade flow in Asia. The British created the British East India Company while the Dutch formed Dutch East India Company. Both companies maintained trade monopolies of their respective colonies.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In 1908, crude oil was first discovered in Persia, modern day Iran. Afterwards, many oil fields were discovered and it was learnt later that the Middle East possesses the world's largest oil stocks. This made the rulers of the Arab nations very rich though the socioeconomic development in that region lagged behind.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In the early 1930s, the world underwent a global economic depression, today known as the Great Depression. Asia was not spared, and suffered the same pain as Europe and the United States (except for the Soviet Union). The volume of trade decreased dramatically all around Asia and indeed the world. With falling demand, prices of various goods starting to fall and further impoverished locals and foreigners alike. In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria and subsequently the rest of China and south-east Asia in what eventually became the Asia-pacific leg of World War II.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Following World War II, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India, which account for half of the population of Asia, adopted socialist policies to promote their domestic economy. These policies limited the economic growth of the region. They are being abandoned in India and reformed in China. In contrast, the economies of Japan and the Four Asian Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong) were economic successes, and the only successful economies outside of the Western World. The success of these four economies led other Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand to follow suit in opening up their economies and setting up export-oriented manufacturing bases that boosted their growth throughout the 1980s and the 1990s.


title: Economy of Asia

text: One of the most pronounced Asian economic phenomenons during this time, the Japanese post-war economic miracle, greatly impacted the rest of the world. After World War II, under central guidance from the Japanese government, the entire economy was undergoing a remarkable restructuring. Close cooperation between the government, corporations and banks facilitated easy access to much-needed capital, and large conglomerates known as "keiretsu" spurred horizontal and vertical integration across all industries, keeping out foreign competition. These policies, in addition to an abandonment of military spending, worked phenomenally well. Japanese corporations as a result exported and still export massive amounts of high quality products from "the Land of the Rising Sun".


title: Economy of Asia

text: Another amazing economic success story is that of South Korea's, also referred to as the Miracle on the Han River. The country was left impoverished after the Korean War, and until the early 1970s was among the world's poorest countries (even poorer than North Korea). However, it was since able to recover with double digit annual growth rates. Many conglomerates, also known as chaebols, such as Samsung, LG Corp, Hyundai, Kia, SK Group, and more grew tremendously during this period. South Korea has now become the most wired country in the world.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Taiwan and Hong Kong experienced rapid growth up till the 1990s. Taiwan became, and still remains one of the main centers of consumer electronics R&D as well as manufacturing. However, unlike in Japan and South Korea, the bulk of Taiwan's economy is dependent on small to medium-sized businesses. Hong Kong, on the other hand, experienced rapid growth in the financial sector due to liberal market policies, with many financial institutions setting up their Asian headquarters in Hong Kong. Till today, Hong Kong has been ranked as the world's freest economy for many years running, and it remains one of the world's top 5 leading financial centers.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In Southeast Asia, economic development was fueled by the growth of the bamboo network. The bamboo network refers to a network of overseas Chinese businesses operating in the markets of Southeast Asia that share common family and cultural ties. The network expanded as Chinese refugees emigrated to Southeast Asia following the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949. Singapore in particular experienced very rapid economic growth after declaring independence in 1965, following a two-year federation with Malaysia. In addition to creating a conducive economic and political climate, the government developed the skills of its multi-racial workforce, and established export-oriented industries by encouraging foreign investors to set up regional operations in manufacturing. The government also played a prominent role in Singapore's growth as a major financial and business services centre. Singapore is today one of the richest countries in the world, both in terms of GNI per capita, and GDP (PPP) per capita.


title: Economy of Asia

text: This period was also marked by military conflict. Wars driven by the Cold War, notably in Vietnam and Afghanistan, wrecked the economies of these respective nations. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990–91, many Central Asian states were cut free and were forced to adapt to pressure for democratic and economic change. Also, several of the USSR's allies lost valuable aid and funding.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Chinese economy boomed under the economic measures undertaken by Deng Xiaoping, in the late 1970s, and continuing under Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao in the 1990s and 2000s. After the liberalization of the economy of India, growth in India and China increasingly shifted the center of gravity of the global economy towards Asia. By the late 2000s, China's economic growth rate exceeded 11% while India's growth rate increased to around 9%. One of the factors was the sheer size of the population in this region.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Meanwhile, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore emerged as the Four Asian Tigers with their GDPs growing well above 7% per year in the 1980s and the 1990s. Their economies were mainly driven by growing exports. The Philippines only began to open up its stagnated economy in the early 1990s. Vietnam's economy began to grow in 1995, shortly after the United States and Vietnam restored economic and political ties.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Throughout the 1990s, the manufacturing ability and cheap labor markets in Asian developing nations allowed companies to establish themselves in many of the industries previously dominated by companies from developed nations. By the dawn of the 21st century, Asia became the world's largest continental source of automobiles, machinery, audio equipment and other electronics.


title: Economy of Asia

text: At the end of 1997, Thailand was hit by currency speculators, and the value of the Baht along with its annual growth rate fell dramatically. Soon after, the 1997 Asian financial crisis spread to the ASEAN region, South Korea and other countries in Asia, resulting in great economic damage on the affected countries (but with Japan and China both largely escaping the crisis). In fact, some of the economies, most notably those of Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea actually contracted. By 1999, most countries had already recovered from the crisis. In 2001, almost all economies in both Europe and Asia were adversely affected by the September 11 attacks, with Indonesia and Japan was hardest. Both continents quickly recovered from the attacks in United States after more than a year.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In 2004, parts of Sumatra and South Asia were severely damaged by an earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. The tsunami wreaked havoc, causing massive damage in the infrastructure of the hit areas, particularly Indonesia, and displaced millions. For a short time, GDP contracted among nations such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka, despite massive inflow of foreign aid in the aftermath of the disaster.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The economy of Japan suffered its worst post-World War II economic stagnation set in the early 1990s (which coincided with the end of Cold War), which was triggered by the latter event of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. It, however, rebounded strongly in the early 2000s due to strong growth in exports, although unable to counteract China in 2005 after China gradually surpassed it as the largest economy in Asia.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The financial crisis of 2007–2008, triggered by the housing bubble in the United States, caused a significant decline in the GDP of the majority of the European economies. In contrast, most Asian economies experienced a temporary slowdown in their rates of economic growth, particularly Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and China, resuming their normal growth soon after.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Arab Spring and the ensuing civil unrests since 2011 had caused economic malaise in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, amongst the most adversely affected nations in the Middle East. At the same time, in the early 2010s, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait registered their highest GDP growths on record in the years that followed due to increased oil prices and further diversification of exports, as well as rising foreign exchange reserves.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In 2013, in a once-in-a-decade party leadership reshuffle in China (change of Hu-Wen Administration to Xi-Li Administration), the Chinese economy experienced a significant slowdown in the GDP growth, slowing down from the unprecedented decades of 9–10% annual growth to around 7–8%, which has significant effect in some developing economies, particularly in Southeast Asia and India.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Philippines, however, managed to grow at rates at par with China in the period 2012–2013, and became the world's fastest growing emerging market economy since 2014, overtaking Malaysia in 2017 as the third largest economy overall in Southeast Asia. It also recovered after getting hit by Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm on record to make landfall, in November 2013, which killed at least 5,200 and displacing millions more.


title: Economy of Asia

text: On September 29, 2013, China opened the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone. This free trade zone allows international trade to be conducted with fewer restrictions and lower customs duties. The zone is tax free for the first ten years to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) with a 'negative list' used to regulate in which fields foreign investments are prohibited. In 2018, India has overtaken Japan as the second largest economy in Asia and the third largest overall in the world, while China has overtaken the U.S. in terms of purchasing power parity or GDP (PPP) in the world, marking the first time in almost 2 centuries that any country outside the Americas and Europe has taken the top spot globally.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Asian economies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that started in the Hubei province of China, the country of origin of the virus and one of the worst-hit worldwide in terms of overall confirmed cases. China's economy experienced its first contraction in the post-Mao era as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iran is the worst-hit country in Asia in terms of mortality rate after China, raising concerns of an economic collapse following the U.S. expansion of sanctions against them during the Trump administration since 2019 and declining oil prices due to both the ongoing economic collapse in Venezuela and the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Japan was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic amidst its declining population and a stagnant economy since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, with the postponement of 2020 Summer Olympics that it is set to host. South Korea, Singapore, Qatar, the Philippines, Indonesia and India were also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, further raising fears of a recession across the continent after a streak of stock market losses in the region amidst nationwide lockdown in India and continued school and work closures in China, effectively quarantining more than 2 billion people (a quarter of the world's current human population).


title: Economy of Asia

text: Turkey was one of the few nations in the globe where activity continued to grow in 2020, while Central Asian nations withstood the crisis with less economic damage. The economic contractions in nations with strong tourism-focused economies and nations with stricter pandemic containment policies were both significantly more severe.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Asia's large economic disparities are a source of major continuing tension in the region. While global economic powers China, Japan, India, South Korea continue powering through, and Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have entered the path to long-term growth, regions right next to these countries are in severe need of assistance.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Given the enormous quantity of cheap labor in the region, particularly in China and India, where large workforces provide an economic advantage over other countries, the rising standard of living will eventually lead to a slow-down. Asia is also riddled with political problems that threaten not just the economies, but the general stability of the region and world. The nuclear neighbours, Pakistan and India, constantly pose a threat to each other, causing their governments to invest heavily in military spending.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Another potential global danger posed by the economy of Asia is the growing accumulation of foreign exchange reserves. The countries/regions with the largest foreign reserves are mostly in Asia – China (Mainland – $2,454 billion & Hong Kong – $245 billion, June 2010), Japan ($1,019 billion, June 2009), Russia ($456 billion, April 2010), India ($516 billion, July 2020), Taiwan ($372 billion, September 2010), South Korea ($286 billion, July 2010), and Singapore ($206 billion, July 2010). This increasingly means that the interchangeability of the Euro, USD, and GBP are heavily influenced by Asian central banks. Some economists in the western countries see this as a negative influence, prompting their respective governments to take action.


title: Economy of Asia

text: According to the World Bank, China surpassed the United States and the European Union to become the world's largest economy in terms of purchasing power by early 2015, followed by India. Both countries are expected to rank in the same positions between 2020 and 2040. Moreover, based on Hurun Report, for the first time in 2012 Asia surpassed North America in amount of billionaires. More than 40 percent or 608 billionaires came from Asia, where as North America had 440 billionaires and Europe with 324 billionaires.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Businesses anticipate that it will take an average of five months for revenues to return to pre-pandemic levels and two months for the workforce to do the same. It is anticipated that Central Asian nations will be more severely impacted. Only 4% of those businesses that were permanently closed anticipate to open again, with the impacted industries' levels of heterogeneity ranging from 3% in the lodging and food services sector to 27% in the retail trade sector.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Following a Third Plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 2013 China revealed plans for several sweeping social and economic reforms. The government would relax its one-child policy to allow single-child parents to have two kids. This reform was implemented as a response to the aging population of China and provide more labor. The government also reformed the hukou system, allowing the labor force to become more mobile.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The reforms will make financial loan systems more flexible encouraging increased economic involvement of private firms. Additionally, state-owned enterprises will be required to pay higher dividends to the government. The benefits of this will go to Social Security. Reform also allows farmers to own land for the first time ideally encouraging farmers to sell their land and move to cities which will boost consumerism and increase urban work force.


title: Economy of Asia

text: On April 10, 2014, China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and Securities and Futures Commission (CSRC) made a Joint Announcement about the approval for the establishment of mutual stock market access between Mainland China and Hong Kong. Under the ‘Connect Program’, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and Shanghai Stock Exchange will establish mutual order-routing connectivity and related technical infrastructure to enable investors to invest in Chinese equities market directly. On November 17, 2014, the program officially launched with the approvals from Beijing.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The 'Connect Program' is an initiative with significance to both Hong Kong and Mainland. It brings another opportunity for the growth of the Hong Kong securities market. More importantly, it provides, for the first time, a feasible, controllable and expandable channel to investors to invest in both Hong Kong and Mainland, in addition to current schemes including QDII, QFII, AND RDFII programs.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Local government's spending plays a critical role in China's fiscal system. Following the 1991 intergovernmental fiscal reform, the central government's share of total fiscal revenue increase from less than 30 percent to around 50 percent in 2012. Local governments are now responsible for infrastructure investment, service delivery and social spending, which together account for about 85 percent of the total expenditure. Without a rule to guide the distribution of intergovernmental expenditure responsibilities, significant levels of risk would be associated with the spending.


title: Economy of Asia

text: China's central administration will impose hard caps on local government borrowing in order to control financial risks from an explosive level. Statistics showed that total debt had reached $3 trillion by the middle of 2013, raising total government debt to 58 percent of GDP. Similar jump occurred in corporate debt as well, which pushed China's overall debt-GDP ratio up to 261% from 148% in 2008. IMF warned that rapid debt run-ups could lead to financial crisis.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The new rules are expected to be combined with broader fiscal reforms aimed at bringing local government tax revenue in line with expenditure. The central government will provide more guidance to local governments in terms of how to manage and invest wisely.


title: Economy of Asia

text: As of 2017, China has the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP at $11.8 trillion. It is the largest manufacturing economy in the world, and is the largest exporter of goods. China is also the world's largest producer and consumer of agricultural products. China is a leading producer of rice, and is a key producer of wheat, corn, tobacco, soybeans, and potatoes, among others. Though thee real estate industry in China has taken, China has had the largest real estate market in the world. China's service sector has doubled in size, accounting for 46% of China's total GDP. In 2011, the Chinese government instituted a five-year plan to prioritize the development of the service economy. The telecommunications sub-sector in China is one of the largest in the world, with over a billion mobile customers. Tencent, the developer of WeChat, is one of the dominating players in the telecommunication sector.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The economic liberalisation in India refers to the ongoing economic liberalisation, initiated in 1991, of the country's economic policies, with the goal of making the economy more market-oriented and expanding the role of private and foreign investment. Specific changes include a reduction in import tariffs, deregulation of markets, reduction of taxes, and greater foreign investment. Liberalisation has been credited by its proponents for the high economic growth recorded by the country in the 1990s and 2000s. The overall direction of liberalisation has since remained the same.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Though governments has yet to solve a variety of politically difficult issues, such as liberalising labour laws and reducing agricultural subsidies along with corruptions and fiscal deficits to sustain the growth.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The economy of India is the fifth-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). The country is classified as a newly industrialized country, one of the G-20 major economies, a member of BRICS and a developing economy with an average growth rate of approximately 7% over the last two decades. Maharashtra is the richest Indian state and has an annual GDP of US$430 billion, nearly equal to that of Pakistan or Portugal, and accounts for 12% of the Indian GDP followed by the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. India's economy became the world's fastest growing major economy from the last quarter of 2014, replacing the People's Republic of China.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The long-term growth prospective of the Indian economy is highly positive due to its young population, corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and increasing integration into the global economy. The Indian economy has the potential to become the world's 3rd-largest economy by the next decade, and one of the largest economies by mid-century. And the outlook for short-term growth is also good as according to the IMF, the Indian economy is the "bright spot" in the global landscape. India also topped the World Bank's growth outlook for 2015–16 for the first time with the economy having grown 7.3% in 2014–15 and expected to grow 7.5–8.3% in 2015–16.


title: Economy of Asia

text: India has the one of fastest growing service sectors in the world with annual growth rate of above 9% since 2001, which contributed to 57% of GDP in 2012–13. India has capitalized its economy based on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of IT services, BPO services, and software services with $174.7 billion worth of service exports in 2017–18. It is also the fastest-growing part of the economy. The IT industry continues to be the largest private sector employer in India. India is also the fourth largest start-up hub in the world with over 3,100 technology start-ups in 2014–15 The agricultural sector is the largest employer in India's economy but contributes to a declining share of its GDP (17% in 2013–14). India ranks second worldwide in farm output. The Industry sector has held a constant share of its economic contribution (26% of GDP in 2013–14). The Indian automotive industry is one of the largest in the world with an annual production of 21.48 million vehicles (mostly two wheelers and cars) in FY 2013–14. India has $600 billion worth of retail market in 2015 and one of world's fastest growing E-Commerce markets.


title: Economy of Asia

text: India's two major stock exchanges, Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India, had a market capitalization of US$1.71 trillion and US$1.68 trillion respectively as of Feb 2015, which ranks 11th & 12 largest in the world respectively according to the World Federation of Exchanges. India also home to world's third largest Billionaires pool with 97 billionaires in 2014 and fourth largest number of ultra-high-net-worth households that have more than 100 million dollars.


title: Economy of Asia

text: India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the G20, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the United Nations and the New Development BRICS Bank.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Successive Indian governments have been advised to continue liberalisation. Even though, in early years India grew at slower pace than China (however, since 2013 India has been growing faster than its northern counterpart in terms of percentage of GDP growth, although China's absolute growth still exceeds India by a large margin). The McKinsey Quarterly states that removing main obstacles "would free India's economy to grow at 10% a year".


title: Economy of Asia

text: There has been significant debate, however, around liberalisation as an inclusive economic growth strategy. Since 1992, income inequality has deepened in India with consumption among the poorest staying stable while the wealthiest generate consumption growth. As India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate became lowest in 2012–13 over a decade, growing merely at 5.1%, more criticism of India's economic reforms surfaced, as it apparently failed to address employment growth, nutritional values in terms of food intake in calories, and also exports growth – and thereby leading to a worsening level of current account deficit compared to the prior to the reform period. But then in FY 2013–14 the growth rebounded to 6.9% and then in 2014–15 it rose to 7.3% as a result of the reforms put by the New Government which led to the economy becoming healthy again and the current account deficit coming in control. Growth reached 7.5% in the Jan–Mar quarter of 2015 before slowing to 7.0% in Apr–Jun quarter


title: Economy of Asia

text: By 2050, India's economy is expected to overtake the US economy, putting it behind China in the world's largest economies. Like China, agriculture makes up a large part of the Indian economy. As the Indian economy has grown, agriculture's contribution to GDP has steadily declined, but it still makes up a large portion of the workforce and socio-economic development. India's industrial manufacturing GDP output was the 6th largest in the world in 2015, largely due to petroleum products and chemicals. India's pharmaceutical industry has also grown at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5% over the last 11 years, and is one of India's fastest-growing sub-sectors today. However, the engineering industry in India is still the largest sub-sector by GDP.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Perhaps the most exciting development in India is its incredibly fast-growing information technology and business process outsourcing sub-sector. Cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad rival the United States's Silicon Valley in innovation and technological advancement as more and more skilled, tech-savvy students and young professionals are entering the entrepreneurial world.


title: Economy of Asia

text: India's telecommunication network is the second largest in the world by number of telephone users (both fixed and mobile phone) with 1.183 billion subscribers as on 31 May 2019. It has one of the lowest call tariffs in the world enabled by mega telecom operators and hyper-competition among them. As on 31 July 2018, India has the world's second-largest Internet user-base with 460.24 million broadband internet subscribers in the country.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Abenomics was a policy named after, and implemented by the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Following the global economic recession, the Prime Minister hoped to boost Japanese economy with "three arrows": massive fiscal stimulus, more aggressive monetary easing and structural reforms to make Japan more competitive. The stimulus package was 20.2 trillion yen ($210 billion) and the government also aimed to create 600,000 jobs in two years. In addition, this stimulus package aimed to ensure public safety with reconstruction efforts, creating a base for future business growth, and revitalizing regions by promoting tourism, revitalizing public transport, and improving infrastructure.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Bank of Japan also aimed to raise inflation to 2% in part by buying up short-term government debts. Critics point out that hyperinflation and an unbalanced GDP/debt ration could be negative results of Abenomics. Furthermore, currency changes could aggravate international relations, especially those between China and Japan.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political, economic, security, military, educational and socio-cultural organization of countries located in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1967, its aim is to foster cooperation and mutual assistance among members. The countries meet annually every November in summits. The organisation serves as a central platform for cooperation and unity in Asia, its affiliates created several trade blocs in the region, including Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest trade bloc.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The current member countries of ASEAN are Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Indonesia. East Timor and Papua New Guinea are given observer status.


title: Economy of Asia

text: In 2005, ASEAN was instrumental in establishing the East Asia Summit (involving all ASEAN members plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand) which some have proposed may become in the future a trade bloc, the arrangements for which are far from certain and not yet clear.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Asian Currency Unit (ACU) is a proposed currency unit for the ASEAN "10+3" economic circle. (ASEAN, the mainland of the People's Republic of China, India, Japan, and South Korea).


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security organisation, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China . Its members include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan . The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter, formally establishing the organisation, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003. Known as the "Alliance of Asia", it is the world's forefront regional organisation in economic power and political influence, one of the world's strongest military alliances, and the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population. At present, the SCO is one of the world's most powerful and influential organisations.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand). It is the world's largest trading bloc, covering nearly half of the global economy.


title: Economy of Asia

text: RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia. The free trade agreement is scheduled and expected to be signed in November 2020 during the ASEAN Summit and Related Summit in Vietnam. RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed trade agreement which includes several Asian and American nations but excludes China and India.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), formerly called the Bangkok Agreement, is the only trade agreement bringing together China and India, in addition to Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea, among others. The Secretariat of the agreement is provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). While the agreement covers only a limited number of products, members agreed in 2009 to implement a Trade Facilitation Framework Agreement aimed at streamlining trade procedures between members.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a group of Pacific Rim countries who meet with the purpose of improving economic and political ties. Although the initial intention was to create a free trade area covering all membership (which includes China, the United States and Australia, among others) this has failed to materialize. In 2014, APEC members committed to taking a concrete step towards greater regional economic integration by endorsing a roadmap for the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) to translate this vision into a reality. As a first step, APEC is implementing a strategic study on issues related to the realization of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. The study will provide an analysis of potential economic and social benefits and costs, analyze the various pathways towards a Free Trade Area and identify challenges economies may face in realizing this goal.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union founded in 1981. The current member states of GCC are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) is an economic agreement between the People's Republic of China, the Hong Kong SAR government (signed on 29 June 2003), and the Macau SAR government (signed on 18 October 2003), in order to promote trade and investment facilitation.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The main aims of CEPA are to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barrier on substantially all the trade in goods between the three, and achieve liberalization of trade in services through reduction or elimination of substantially all discriminatory measures.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Arab League is an association of Arab countries in Africa and Asia. The Arab League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed to promote the interests of its member states.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a confederation consisting of 12 of the 15 states of the former Soviet Union, both Asian and European (the exceptions being the three Baltic states). Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely symbolic organization and possesses coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking and security. The most significant issue for the CIS is the establishment of a full-fledged free trade zone / economic union between the member states, to be launched in 2005. It has also promoted cooperation on democratisation and cross-border crime prevention.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an association of eight countries of South Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and, Sri Lanka. These countries comprise an area of 5,130,746 km and a fifth of the world population.


title: Economy of Asia

text: SAARC encourages cooperation in agriculture, rural development, science and technology, culture, health, population control, narcotics control and anti-terrorism.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Also, a FTA called South Asia Free Trade Agreement was reached at the 12th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit. It created a framework for the creation of a free trade zone covering 1.6 billion people of member states.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Asia is by a considerable margin the largest continent in the world, and is rich in natural resources. The vast expanse of the former Soviet Union, particularly that of Russia, contains a huge variety of metals, such as gold, iron, lead, titanium, uranium, and zinc. These metals are mined, but inefficiently due to the control of a few state-sponsored giants that make participation difficult for many international mining companies. Nevertheless, profits are high due to a commodity price boom in 2003/2004 caused largely by increased demand in China. Oil is Southwest Asia's most important natural resource. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait are rich in oil reserves and have benefited from recent oil price escalations.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Asia is home to some four billion people, and thus has a well established tradition in agriculture. High productivity in agriculture, especially of rice, allows high population density of many countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, southern China, Cambodia, India, and Vietnam. Agriculture constitutes a high portion of land usage in warm and humid areas of Asia.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Many hillsides are farmed in a "terrace" method to boost arable land. The main agricultural products in Asia include rice and wheat. Opium is one of major cash crops in Central and Southeast Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, though its production is prohibited everywhere. Forestry is extensive throughout Asia, with many of the items of furniture sold in the developed nations made out of Asian timber. More than half of the forested land in Asia is in China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. China is considered a top exporter of wood products like paper and wood furniture while tropical timbers are a top export in Malaysia and Indonesia. Fishing is a major source of food, particularly in Japan and China. In Japan larger, high-quality fish are common while in China, smaller fish are being consumed at a higher rate. As the middle-class population in Southeast Asia expands, there is an increase of more expensive meats and foods becoming a part of the traditional diet.


title: Economy of Asia

text: The manufacturing sector in Asia has traditionally been strongest in the East Asia region—particularly in China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. The industry varies from manufacturing cheap low value goods such as toys to high-tech value added goods such as computers, CD players, games consoles, mobile phones and cars. Major Asian manufacturing companies are mostly based in either Japan or South Korea. They include Sony, Toyota, Toshiba, and Honda from Japan, and Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and Kia from South Korea.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Many developed-nation firms from Europe, North America, Japan and South Korea have significant operations in developing Asia to take advantage of the abundant supply of cheap labor. One of the major employers in manufacturing in Asia is the textile industry. Much of the world's supply of clothing and footwear now originates in Southeast Asia and South Asia, particularly in Vietnam, China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Asia's top ten important financial centers are located in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai, Shenzhen, Osaka, Seoul and Mumbai. India has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the economic boom. The country has emerged as one of the world's largest exporters of software and other information technology related services. World class Indian software giants such as Infosys, HCL, Mphasis, Mindtree, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Wipro, Rolta, Mahindra Satyam and Tata Consultancy Services have emerged as the world's most sought after service providers.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Call centers are also becoming major employers in the Philippines due to the availability of many English speakers, and being a former American colony familiar with the American culture. Huge corporations from English speaking countries like USA, Canada, Australia and even UK invest in the Philippines because they pay for the employees and companys' miscellaneous costs are cheaper in the Philippines. According to CNBC International news last 2014, Philippines became the BPO Capital with an estimated 15.5 billion US dollars of revenue creating more than 900,000 jobs for Filipinos.


title: Economy of Asia

text: On the other hand, there are also potential huge holes for BPO business. The increase of numbers of international banks major huge corporations are trying to cut their annual company expense by changing BPO to AI (Artificial Intelligence). If the Philippine government will not think new competitive ideas to maintain the BPO business in the country, the country will lose a billion dollars of revenue by the next 10 years (according to ABS-CBN business news channel).


title: Economy of Asia

text: The rise of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has seen the rise of India and China as the other financial centers. Experts believe that the current center of financial activity is moving toward "Chindia" – a name used for jointly referring to China and India – with Shanghai and Mumbai becoming major financial hubs in their own right.


title: Economy of Asia

text: Other growing technological and financial hubs include Dhaka (Bangladesh), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Karachi (Pakistan), Chennai (India), New Delhi (India), Pune (India), Bangalore (India), Hyderabad (India), Shenzhen (China), Kolkata (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Lahore (Pakistan), Metro Manila (Philippines), Cebu (Philippines), Bangkok (Thailand) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: The prime minister of Hungary () is the head of government of Hungary. The prime minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The current holder of the office is Viktor Orbán, leader of the Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance, who has served since 29 May 2010.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: According to the Hungarian Constitution, the prime minister is nominated by the president of Hungary and formally elected by the National Assembly. Constitutionally, the president is required to nominate the leader of the political party who wins a majority of seats in the National Assembly as prime minister. If there is no party with a majority, the president holds an audience with the leaders of all parties represented in the assembly and nominates the person who is most likely to command a majority in the assembly, who is then formally elected by a simple majority of the assembly. In practice, when this situation occurs, the prime minister is the leader of the party winning a plurality of votes in the election, or the leader of the senior partner in the governing coalition.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: The title of Hungary's head of government in Hungarian is "miniszterelnök". Literally translated, this means "minister-president". However, since "prime minister" or "premier" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, the title is translated as "prime minister" by most English sources.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: The palatine (, later ', , , later: ', ) was the highest dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary after the king (a kind of powerful Prime Minister and supreme judge) from the kingdom's rise up to 1848/1918.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: Initially, he was in fact the representative of the king, later the vice-regent (viceroy). In the early centuries of the kingdom, he was appointed by the king, later elected by the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Habsburgs solidified their hold of Hungary, the dignity became an appointed position once again. Finally, it became hereditary in a cadet (junior) branch of the Habsburg dynasty after King Francis appointed his brother Joseph.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 the revolutionaries wanted the creation of a Hungarian cabinet which would be independent from the Austrian Empire and the Buda Chancellery (which was office of the imperial governor-general). One of the 12 points said: "2. A responsible government in Buda-Pest."


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: Ferdinand V appointed Count Lajos Batthyány for the position of prime minister of Hungary on 17 March 1848. The government was called "ministry", differently from the current acceptation. The ministries were called "departments". The position was vacant after the defeat of the freedom fight.


title: Prime Minister of Hungary

text: As of 2022, five former prime ministers of Hungary are alive. Viktor Orbán, who served as prime minister from 1998 to 2002, is currently serving and thus is not included on this list.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The trail was created and used by Native Americans for centuries, and was later used by early European and American explorers, traders, and emigrants in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. European Americans founded inns, also known as "stands", along the Trace to serve food and lodging to travelers. As travel shifted to steamboats on the Mississippi and other rivers, most of these stands closed.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Today, the path is commemorated by the Natchez Trace Parkway, which follows the approximate path of the Trace, as well as the related Natchez Trace Trail. Parts of the original trail are still accessible, and some segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Largely following a geologic ridge line, prehistoric animals followed the dry ground of the Trace to distant grazing lands, the salt licks of today's Middle Tennessee, and to the Mississippi River. Native Americans used many early footpaths created by the foraging of bison, deer, and other large game that could break paths through the dense undergrowth. In the case of the Trace, bison traveled north to find salt licks in the Nashville area.


title: Natchez Trace

text: After Native Americans began to settle the land, they blazed the trail and improved it further, until it became a relatively well-established path. Numerous prehistoric indigenous settlements in Mississippi were established along the Natchez Trace. Among them were the 2,000-year-old Pharr Mounds of the Middle Woodland period, located near present-day Tupelo, Mississippi.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The first recorded European explorer to travel the Trace in its entirety was an unnamed Frenchman in 1742, who wrote of the trail and its "miserable conditions". Early European explorers depended on the assistance of Native American guides to go through this territory — specifically, the Choctaw and Chickasaw who occupied the region. These tribes and earlier prehistoric peoples, collectively known as the Mississippian culture, had long used the Trace for trade.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Even before the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, President Thomas Jefferson wanted to connect the distant Mississippi frontier to other settled areas of the United States. To foster communication with what was then called the Southwest, he directed construction of a postal road to be built between Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road (the southern branch of the road ended at Nashville) and the Mississippi River.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The U.S. signed treaties with the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes to maintain peace, as European Americans entered the area in greater numbers. In 1801 the United States Army began trail blazing along the Trace, performing major work to prepare it as a thoroughfare. The work was first done by soldiers reassigned from Tennessee and later by civilian contractors. To emphasize American sovereignty in the area, Jefferson called it the "Columbian Highway." The people who used it, however, dubbed the road as "The Devil's Backbone" due to its remoteness, rough conditions, and the frequently encountered highwaymen found along the new road.


title: Natchez Trace

text: By 1809, the trail was fully navigable by wagon, with the northward journey taking two to three weeks. Critical to the success of the Trace as a trade route was the development of inns and trading posts, referred to at the time as "stands."


title: Natchez Trace

text: Many early United States settlements in Tennessee and Mississippi were created along the Natchez Trace. Some of the most prominent were Washington, Mississippi (the old capital of Mississippi); "Old" Greenville, Mississippi (where Andrew Jackson conducted domestic slave trade); and Port Gibson, Mississippi. The Natchez Trace was used during the War of 1812 and the ensuing Creek War, as soldiers under Major General Andrew Jackson's command traveled southward to subdue the Red Sticks and to defend the country against invasion by the British.


title: Natchez Trace

text: By 1817, the continued development of Memphis (with its access to the Mississippi River), and Jackson's Military Road (heading south from Nashville) formed more direct and faster routes to New Orleans. Trade shifted to either of these routes along the east or west of the area, away from the Trace. As author William C. Davis wrote in his book "A Way Through the Wilderness" (1995), the Trace was "a victim of its own success" by encouraging development in the frontier area.


title: Natchez Trace

text: With the rise of steamboat culture on the Mississippi River after invention of the steam engine, the Trace lost its importance as a national road, as goods could be moved more quickly, more cheaply, and in greater quantity on the river. Before the invention of steam power, the Mississippi River's south-flowing current was so strong that northbound return journeys generally had to be made over land.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Although many authors have written that the Trace disappeared back into the woods, much of it continued to be used by people living in its vicinity. With large sections of the Trace in Tennessee converted to county roads for operation, sections of it continue to be used today.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Though the Natchez Trace was used as a major United States route only for a brief span, it served an essential function for years. The Trace was the only reliable land link between the eastern states and the trading ports of Mississippi and Louisiana. All sorts of people traveled down the Trace: itinerant preachers, highwaymen, traders, and peddlers among them.


title: Natchez Trace

text: As part of the "Great Awakening" movement that swept the country in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the "spiritual development" along the Trace started from the Natchez end and moved northward. Several Methodist preachers began working a circuit along the Trace as early as 1800. By 1812 they claimed a membership of 1,067 Caucasians and 267 African Americans. The Methodists were soon joined in Natchez by other Protestant denominations, including Baptist missionaries and Presbyterians.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The latter accompanied the migration of Scots-Irish and Scots into the frontier areas. Presbyterians and their frontier offshoot, the Cumberland Presbyterians, were the most active of the three denominations in this country area. They claimed converts among Native Americans. The Presbyterians started working from the south; the Cumberland Presbyterians worked from the north, as they had migrated into Tennessee from Kentucky.


title: Natchez Trace

text: As with much of the unsettled frontier, banditry regularly occurred along the Trace. Much of it centered around the river landing Natchez Under-The-Hill, as compared with the rest of the town atop the river bluff. Under-the-Hill, where barges and keelboats put in with goods from northern ports, was a hotbed of gamblers, prostitutes, and drunken crew from the boats. Many of the rowdies, referred to as "Kaintucks," were rough Kentucky frontiersmen who operated flatboats down the river. They delivered goods to Natchez in exchange for cash, and then sought gambling contests in Natchez Under-the-Hill. They walked or rode horseback the 450 miles back up the Trace to Nashville. In 1810 an estimated 10,000 "Kaintucks" used the Trace annually to return to the north for the start of another river journey.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Other dangers lurked on the Trace in the areas outside city boundaries. Highwaymen (such as John Murrell and Samuel Mason) terrorized travelers along the road. They operated large gangs of organized brigands in one of the first examples of land-based organized crime in the United States.


title: Natchez Trace

text: The inns or stands as they were called along the Natchez Trace, provided lodging for travelers from the 1790s to the 1840s. These stands furnished food and accommodations, and contributed to the spread of news, information and new ideas. The food was very basic: corn in the form of hominy was a staple, and in addition bacon, biscuits, coffee with sugar, and whiskey were served. Lodging was normally on the floor; beds were available only to a few due to many travelers and cramped conditions. Some travelers choose to sleep outdoors or on the porches.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition fame, died while traveling on the Trace. Then serving as appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory, he was on his way to Washington, D.C., from his base in St. Louis, Missouri. Lewis stopped at Grinder's Stand (near current-day Hohenwald, Tennessee), for overnight shelter in October 1809. He was distraught over many issues, possibly affected by his use of opium. He was believed by many to have committed suicide there with a gun.


title: Natchez Trace

text: Some uncertainty persists as to whether it was suicide. His mother believed he had been murdered, and rumors circulated about possible killers. Thomas Jefferson and Lewis's former partner, William Clark, accepted the report of suicide. Lewis was buried near the inn along the Trace. In 1848, a Tennessee state commission erected a monument at the site.


title: Natchez Trace

text: On the bicentennial of Lewis's death (2009), the first national public memorial service honoring his life was held; it was also the last event of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial.


title: Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction

text: Speed limits in the United States vary depending on jurisdiction. Rural freeway speed limits of are common in the Western United States, while such highways are typically posted at in the Eastern United States. States may also set separate speed limits for trucks and night travel along with minimum speed limits. The highest speed limit in the country is , which is posted on a single stretch of tollway in exurban areas outside Austin, Texas. The lowest maximum speed limit in the country is in American Samoa.


text: In Alabama, it is illegal to drive at a speed that is not "reasonable and prudent" for the current conditions and hazards. Drivers must also not drive so slowly that they impede the flow of traffic. If the speed limit is not otherwise posted, it is:


text: The Minnesota Drive Expressway features a speed limit, as does the Richardson Highway between Fairbanks and North Pole.


text: Since the mid-1990s, Alaska's major highways have gradually been upgraded from 55 mph to 60 or 65 mph. However, several continue to carry the default speed limit, including:


text: The maximum speed limit in American Samoa is , with in residential areas. The 30 miles per hour speed limit is the lowest maximum speed limit of any state or permanently inhabited territory. Although 30 mph is the maximum speed limit, in most areas is the maximum speed limit.


text: The default speed limit outside of "business or residential" districts in Arizona is ; within those districts the default speed limit is . The default school zone speed limit is , while some may be . Exceeding these limits only in the best of driving conditions is considered "prima facie" evidence of speeding. Altered speed limits are not "prima facie".


text: The maximum speed limit on Interstate Highways is . This limit may be applied outside of "urbanized areas", where speeds of over on any highway (regardless of the posted speed limit) is considered a criminal (rather than civil) offense. However, Interstate 10 near the California border is reduced to . Some portions of Interstate 15 have the same regulations due to sharp curves. There is an exception of urban highway in Casa Grande, with a speed limit of , while other urban highways are capped at . Within "business or residential" districts, exceeding the speed limit by more than is considered criminal. Within "urbanized areas", speed limit citations are given for "waste of a finite resource". This exception only applies within a threshold. As long as the speed does not exceed , the infraction is not recorded as a traffic violation for the purposes of a point system.


text: Non-passenger vehicles in excess of , or "vehicles drawing a pole trailer" weighing more than may not exceed unless signs are posted that allow such a speed. Yet this does not differ from the default speed limit, and has the practical effect of requiring extra consideration for posting a standard speed limit sign in excess of . A non-numeric minimum speed limit is incorporated with the basic speed rule in Arizona, which also prohibits speeds higher than would be "reasonable and prudent".


text: Night speed limit signs are posted on some roads within Tucson city limits that do not have street lights. Examples: Fort Lowell Road from Oracle Road to Country Club Road, 22nd Street from Interstate 10 to Cherry Avenue.


text: Urban districts by default are posted at . Outside of the municipal limits, two-lane state and federal highways have a speed limit of unless otherwise posted, and 2 lane county roads have a speed limit of unless otherwise posted. In June 2015, the Arkansas Highway Commission authorized the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) to raise the speed limit on undivided 4 and 5 lane roads from , and divided 4 lane roads from ; these changes affect of Arkansas highways. Furthermore, AHTD has established freeway default speed limits. Along rural freeways the limit is while suburban freeways are posted at . School zone speed limits apply only when children are present, or when a lighted beacon is on if one is provided and such speed limits are set at unless otherwise posted. It is fairly common however that schools serving only higher grade levels will not have a school speed limit in rural areas or where such school sits more than off of the highway or street.


text: On March 16, 2017, the Arkansas House introduced a bill that would allow the state highway commission to increase speed limits up to in rural interstate freeways, upon completion of a "traffic and engineering investigation" and sets rural non-divided highway speed limits to . This bill became law on April 7, 2017, however no highways were immediately given a 75 mph limit.


text: On April 8, 2019, Act 784 was approved which raises the speed limit to 75 mph / 70 mph for trucks weighing more than on all rural freeways effective July 1, 2020. The new law strikes the requirement for the Highway Commission to first conduct a traffic study before raising the limit; instead a study will be necessary for the Highway Commission to justify lowering the speed limit.


text: As of August 5, 2020, new signs are up indicating the speed limit increase from 70 to 75 mph (70 mph for trucks) on I-40 west of Little Rock to the Oklahoma border.


text: California's "Basic Speed Law", part of the California Vehicle Code, defines the maximum speed at which a car may travel as a "reasonable and prudent" speed, given road conditions. The reasonable speed may be lower than the posted speed limit in conditions such as fog, heavy rain, ice, snow, gravel, sharp corners, blinding glare, darkness, crossing traffic, or when there is an obstructed view of orthogonal traffic—such as by road curvature, parked cars, vegetation, or snow banks—thus limiting the Assured Clear Distance Ahead (ACDA). Basic speed laws are statutized reinforcements of the centuries-old common law negligence doctrine as specifically applied to vehicular speed. California Vehicle Code section 22350 is typical; it states that "No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable ... and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property".


text: Speed limits in California are mandated by statute to be set: (1) at or below the 85th percentile operating speed;


text: as determined by a traffic and engineering survey—this is the speed that no more than 15% of traffic exceeds; or (2) the prima facie limits mandated when certain criteria are met as described in the vehicle code. These criteria include school zone, alleyway, and residential area.


text: If the 85th percentile operating speed as measured by a Traffic and Engineering Survey exceeds the design speed, compulsory legal protection is given to that speed—even if it is unsafe with regard to certain technical aspects such as sight distance. This speed creep may continue until the 85th percentile operating speed is comparable to speed psychologically perceived as uncomfortably hazardous.


text: The theory behind California's 85th percentile statute is that, as a policy, most of the electorate should be seen as lawful, and limits must be practical to enforce. However, there are some circumstances where motorists do not tend to process all the risks involved, and as a mass choose a poor 85th percentile speed. This rule in substance is a process for voting the speed limit by driving; and in contrast to delegating the speed limit to an engineering expert.


text: The numerical limit set by Caltrans engineers for speed limit signs, generally found on all non-controlled-access routes, is considered a presumptive maximum "reasonable and prudent" speed.


text: Many speed limit signs are identified as "maximum speed", usually when the limit is or more. When the National Maximum Speed Law was enacted, California was forced to create a new legal signage category, "Maximum Speed", to indicate to drivers that the Basic Speed Law did not apply for speeds over the federally mandated speed cap; rather, it would be a violation to exceed the fixed maximum speed indicated on the sign, regardless of whether the driver's speed could be considered "reasonable and prudent".


text: A driver can receive a traffic citation for violating the Basic Speed Law even if their speed is below the "maximum speed limit" if road, weather, or traffic conditions make that speed unsafe. However, because the Basic Speed Law establishes "prima facie" limits, not absolute ones, they can also defend against a citation for speeding "by competent evidence that the speed in excess of said limits did not constitute a violation of the basic speed law at the time, place and under the conditions then existing", per section 22351(b) of the California Vehicle Code. Thus, a driver who operates over the speed limit, but less than the usual maximum speed ( for two-lane undivided highways, isn't necessarily violating California's speed laws where the driver's speed was otherwise safe under the circumstances.


text: Rural freeways, such as parts of I-5, I-8, I-10, I-15, I-40, I-205, I-215, I-505, I-580, US 101 and SR 99, have speed limits. The highest speed limit on I-80 is because it passes almost exclusively through urban and mountainous areas. However, the speed limit on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and in San Francisco is only . In downtown Los Angeles, the maximum speed limit is . This includes the entire length of the Pasadena Freeway between Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles, and portions of the Hollywood, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, and Harbor Freeways. The default limit on two-lane roads is . Some two-lane roads can be for some locations in California. However, Caltrans or a local agency can post a speed of up to after an engineering study.


text: In California, the maximum speed in school zones is , but may only be in effect when children are present within that school zone.


text: The maximum speed limit in Colorado is on rural Interstate highways and the toll road portion of SH 470 (E-470), although Interstate 70 in the Rocky Mountains has a limit because of steep grades and curves and a limit at the east and west ends of the Eisenhower Tunnel. The maximum speed limit on other rural highways is .


text: On certain stretches of rural highways, notably US 160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs and US 550 between Durango and Silverton, nighttime speed limits are in effect during peak migratory periods for area wildlife. Speeding fines are doubled when nighttime speed limits are in effect.


text: Speed limits in Connecticut are normally on rural freeways; up to on rural divided and up to on rural undivided highways. In urban areas speed limits vary from on residential streets and central business districts, on arterial roadways, and from on urban freeways. Limited-access divided highways have a minimum speed of , but this is not always posted, and is rarely enforced. Connecticut was among the last states to raise its maximum speed limit from originally established by the National Maximum Speed Law in 1974. The statewide maximum speed limit was increased from to on October 1, 1998, making Connecticut the last state in the continental United States to raise its speed limit above .


text: Speed limits for all roads within Connecticut—including local streets—are established by the State Traffic Commission, an agency composed of members of the Department of Motor Vehicles (CTDMV), the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), and the Department of Transportation (CONNDOT).


text: The State Traffic Commission typically sets speed limits following engineering studies performed by CONNDOT. Data used in setting speed limits includes traffic volume vs. roadway capacity, design speed, road geometry, the spacing of intersections and/or interchanges, the number of driveways and curb cuts, and accident rates.


text: Municipalities are normally required to seek approval from the State Traffic Commission for changes to the posted speed limits on locally owned streets after appropriate engineering studies are performed.


text: Speeding fines are doubled in school zones when children are present, and construction areas when workers are present.


text: Prior to enactment of the National Speed Limit Law in 1974, Connecticut permitted a maximum speed limit of on rural freeways.


text: On March 26, 2018, contractors started installing new speed limit signs on I-84 between the Waterbury/Cheshire line and the interchange with CT Route 9, increasing the speed limit to . This action follows a DOT study showing the 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic on this segment averaged .


text: In Delaware, four roads carry a speed limit: Interstate 95 from the Maryland line to the southern junction with I-495, Interstate 495, US 301, and Delaware Route 1 between the Puncheon Run Connector in Dover and US 13 in Tybouts Corner. Delaware Route 1 between Trap Shooters Road and the Puncheon Run Connector in Dover and between US 13 and the I-95 and Delaware Route 7 interchange, along with the Puncheon Run Connector, have a speed limit of . The remainder of I-95 between the southern junction with I-495 and the Pennsylvania line is while the freeway portion of Delaware Route 141 and Interstate 295 are . Prior to the National Maximum Speed Law that went into effect nationwide, I-95 used to have a speed limit except around Wilmington. In May 2015, the state of Delaware increased the speed limit on Interstate 95 from between the Maryland state line and the I-495 interchange. In January 2017, the speed limit on Delaware Route 1 between Trap Shooters Road and the Puncheon Run Connector in Dover was increased from while the speed limit on the Puncheon Run Connector was increased from .


text: All rural two-lane state-owned roads have speed limits, while all urban speed limits, regardless of location, are held at for two-lane roads and up to for four-lane roads. Four lane highways such as US 13, US 113, portions of US 40 near Bear and Glasgow, and the at-grade portions of DE 1 are normally .


text: Interstate 495, which forms a bypass around Wilmington, features variable speed limit signs for environmental purposes. These signs typically display a speed limit, but this limit changes to on days when air quality is a concern. The limit is also lowered during construction, weather conditions, and when accidents occur.


text: All neighborhoods and subdivisions in Delaware have a maximum speed limit of as set by state law. Frequent advertising campaigns on in-state radio stations remind residents of this (as of January 2013).


text: The District of Columbia has a maximum speed limit of , although speed limits as low as can be posted, such as on the Eisenhower Freeway. There are no rural roads in the District of Columbia.


text: Florida has a maximum speed limit of , found on freeways, including rural Interstate Highways, some urban freeways including I-4 in Lakeland, I-75 in Tampa and Miami (where I-75 ends), I-95 near Daytona Beach and from Military Trail to Florida State Route 706 in Palm Beach County, portions of the Orlando area toll roads such as SR 417 and SR 429, Florida's Turnpike through Port St Lucie and Orlando, I-10 close to Tallahassee, and most other rural limited access toll roads such as the Suncoast Parkway and the Beachline Expressway and rural portions of Florida's Turnpike. It can also be found on a portion of US 301 known as the Starke Bypass. is typical on rural 4-lane highways (such as US 19 north of St. Petersburg, among other US Highways) as well as most other urban freeways and tollways. Rural two-lane roads typically have a speed limit of (the default limit for such roads), although FDOT is permitted to post on appropriately-suited highways. This is typically done on very rural state roads (such as SR 471) and US Highways (such as US 98 along most of the state's panhandle).


text: Florida typically does not post night speed limits, but there are a few exceptions. For the most part, these night time reduced speeds are located in wildlife preserves for such endangered species as the Florida panther and the key deer. Most of the Tamiami Trail through the Big Cypress National Preserve has a night speed limit. On some stretches of road where the speed limit is reduced at night, the daytime speed limit sign is non-reflective, such that at night, only the night limit is visible.


text: Florida's minimum speed limit on Interstate Highways is in 70 mph zones. In 55 mph, and 65 mph urban interstate zones, the minimum is . At one time, these minimum speeds required signage, but these limits have since been codified in state law; signs indicating these minimum speeds still exist, but now simply serve as a reminder. Urban freeways with speed limits of 50 mph typically do not have minimum speed limits, such as on I-375 in St. Petersburg. Additionally, the new Gandy Freeway in St Petersburg has a speed limit as low as .


text: Florida also does not impose lower truck speed limits. As such, all traffic is permitted to travel at the same speed.


text: School zones in Florida usually have limits. Most have flashing yellow lights activated during the times they are in effect as well as accompanying signs that post the times these reduced speed limits are effective. All are strictly enforced and carry an increased penalty for violations.


text: Rural Interstate Highways are posted at . Until 2014, sections of Interstates passing through a municipality or metropolitan area with a population over fifty thousand were capped at . However, a new law has permitted urban interstates to now be posted as high as 70 mph, and some have already reflected this change, such as I-95 through Brunswick, I-85 in Gwinnett County, I-75 in Macon, Valdosta, and Tifton, and I-185 in Columbus . Urban interstates in the Peach State are at 65 mph. Such as I-285 and SR 400 in the Atlanta area was recently increased from to (with Variable speed limits on the north portion). I-95 through suburban Savannah between exits 102 and 99, I-16, from the interchange with I-75 in central Macon eastbound past Exit 2, and east of exit 157, with the interchange for I-95, is also at 65 mph. The Downtown Connector and portions of I-20 in Atlanta are posted at . Most non-interstate freeways such as the Athens perimeter highway, are posted at 55 mph.


text: Four lane arterials and expressways can be posted as high as . However, Dillon's Rule enables counties outside municipalities to keep four-lane GRIP corridors at . However, in recent years, US 1 between Augusta and Wrens raised the speed limit to 65 mph. Other rural four-lane highways with a 65 mph include portions of SR 540 west of Sandersville, US 441 between Milledgeville and north of Dublin, US 25 between Augusta and Statesboro, SR 88 between Sandersville, and Wrens, SR 16 between Griffin and I-75, much of US 341 between Brunswick and I-75, and much of US 82 in South Georgia.


text: Two lane state roads by default are posted at . County maintained roads will rarely have speed limits above in middle & south Georgia, in north Georgia. Both in the Atlanta area, Ronald Reagan Parkway is posted at as a county maintained freeway and Sugarloaf Parkway is posted at along its new eastern freeway portion.


text: All roadways maintained by GDOT that are subject to speed limit reductions are given advanced notice with signage that says "SPEED ZONE AHEAD". Furthermore, GDOT has a policy of doing increments but never higher than 10 mph.


text: Georgia is one of few states with anti-speed trap laws passed in the late 1990s. Speed violations less than over the speed limit will have no points assessed. Fines are not assessed for motorists going less than over the speed limit. In 2009, Georgia introduced the "Super Speeder" law, which adds an additional speeding fine (above base fine and court costs) of $200 for motorists convicted of traveling or more over the posted speed limit.


text: The maximum speed limit in Guam is , with in rural areas and in residential areas. On most major roads, is the maximum speed limit.


text: Hawaii was the last state to raise its maximum speed limit after the National Maximum Speed Law was repealed in 1995, and still has the lowest maximum speed limit of any state. In 2002, following public outcry after a controversial experiment with speed enforcement using traffic enforcement cameras, the state Department of Transportation raised the speed limit to on Interstate H-1 between Kapolei and Waipahu, and Interstate H-3 between the Tetsuo Harano Tunnels and the junction with H-1. All other freeways, including Interstate H-2, have a maximum speed limit of , with the limit dropping to in central Honolulu. Other highways generally have speed limits of and in many cases much less. On July 6, 2016, Governor David Ige signed a bill to allow the speed limit on Saddle Road to increase from (the limit was increased in the week of February 5, 2017).


text: Hawaii has a minimum speed along much of Interstate H-1 of only below the speed limit. The minimum speed is usually when the speed limit is , and when the speed limit is .


text: The speed limit on a freeway in Idaho is generally in rural areas and in urban areas. Trucks are limited to . Generally single-lane rural roads have limits, and multi-lane rural roads have limits. Roads with traffic lights are posted at or below. The school zone speed limit in Idaho is .


text: Idaho senator Bart Davis brought SB 1284a to the House of Representatives for discussion in early 2014. The bill passed the Senate on February 25 and was signed into law by Governor Butch Otter on March 18, 2014, which was set to raise the speed limit on rural interstates to on July 1, 2014, the same date Wyoming raised its speed limit. Days before the law was to go into effect, however, it was put on hold in order to allow a more thorough review of the effects of a raised speed limit. A vote on July 14, 2014, approved the increase on limited sections of interstates in the southern portions of Idaho. Studies began for other areas later of that summer.


text: The bill also would raise truck and two-lane highway speed limits to . As of July 24, 2014, the new signs are up on rural Idaho Interstates.


text: On March 22, 2017, the speed limit on a four-lane, divided stretch of US 20 between Idaho Falls and Ashton was raised from to .


text: Prior to the national reduction in January 1974 to , Idaho's speed limit was for interstates and on other highways.


text: Interstate Highways in Illinois are usually posted with both minimum and maximum speed limits, except in some urban areas, particularly Chicago. The standard speed limit is 70 mph for rural freeways, a 45 mph minimum speed limit, 65 mph for other 4 lane divided highways, and 55 mph for all other highways. Urban freeway/interstate speed limits can range from as low as 45 mph in downtown Chicago, where all the major interstates merge, to as high as 70 mph in the outer portions of the Chicago and East St. Louis metro areas, and in some smaller cities. All the expressways leading directly out of downtown Chicago, which are The Dan Ryan Expressway, The Stevenson Expressway, The Eisenhower Expressway, and The Kennedy Expressway, have a 55 mph speed limit. Other expressways that branch off of the main ones leaving downtown, such as The Edens Expressway and The Bishop Ford Expressway, also carry a 55 mph limit. The Chicago Skyway does carry a 55 mph limit, but the tolled portion is signed at 45 mph. Lake Shore Drive carries a 40 mph speed limit from its northern terminus to E 31st Street, and from there to the end of the expressway, the speed limit is 45 mph. Some interstates in small cities (e.g. I-55/74 through Bloomington-Normal, I-39/90 through the Rockford area, I-57 through Champaign-Urbana) do not have reduced speed limits, and stretches of I-90 and I-355 in the Chicago suburbs are also signed at 70 mph. Most freeways and interstates in Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties, and some interstates and freeways in Will County maintain a 55-60 mph speed limit. Due to the high population density, the only freeways in Cook County that exceed a speed limit of 60 mph are I-57 at the southern edge of the county, part of I-80 between Central Ave and Harlem Ave, I-90 west of Mt. Prospect Rd., and the southern segment of I-355, which passes through Cook County briefly before crossing into Will County to both the north and south. As of January 2010, a reduced speed limit posted in a construction zone must be obeyed 24 hours a day, regardless of whether workers are present.


text: As of March 27, 2018, the speed limit on I-90 from Randall Rd. in Elgin to Mt. Prospect Rd. in Des Plaines has been increased to 70 mph, and from Mt. Prospect Rd. to the beginning of the Kennedy Expressway, it has been increased to 60 mph. I-290 is posted at 60 mph for a few miles near Schaumburg, from IL-72 down to shortly before the I-355 exit.


text: In Indiana speed limits on Interstate Highways are usually for cars and for trucks with a gross vehicular weight (GVW) of or greater. In urban areas, it is generally , except stretches of Interstate 70 in Indianapolis where it is . In suburban areas, it is for cars and for trucks. On Interstate 469 in Fort Wayne (Indiana's 2nd largest city) the speed limit is still set at 70 mph. The Indiana Toll Road also carries a minimum speed limit of as part of its internal toll road regulations.


text: Most non-Interstate Highways are , but some rural four-lane divided highways are set at . These limits often decrease to approaching urban areas, and within cities a speed limit of is not uncommon, though larger arterial roads within cities may reach as high as .


text: On February 6, 2012, the Indiana Toll Road was raised from the Illinois state line to mile marker 20 to after a major highway reconstruction project.


text: In Iowa, the majority of highways have a speed limit. Rural Interstate Highways carry a limit and a minimum. Urban Interstate limits generally range from , but may be lower in areas. The Interstate 74 Bridge from Bettendorf to Moline, Illinois, for instance, has a limit because the bridge is narrow and has no shoulders. Four-lane roads may have a limit. If the road is built to freeway standards, such as US 20 between I-35 and Dubuque, it may have a minimum speed limit, but otherwise four-lane roads carry no minimum limit so slow-moving farm vehicles may use the roadway.


text: After the National Maximum Speed Limit was repealed, Kansas raised its general interstate speed limit to ; a study found "no statistically significant increases in crash, fatal crash and fatality rates were noted during the after period on either rural or urban interstate highway networks. On the other hand, statistically significant increases in crash, fatal crash and fatality rates were observed on the 2-lane rural highway network.". In 2011 Governor Sam Brownback signed legislation raising Kansas' top speed limit to on rural Interstates and limited access portions of U.S. Routes, effective July 1, 2011. The Kansas Department of Transportation announced on June 21, 2011, that 807 miles of roadway, comprising the rural areas of I-70, I-35, I-135, the Kansas Turnpike and the freeway-improved sections of US-69 and US-81, will be raised to 75 mph. Other four-lane, non-limited access divided highways have a speed limit of 70 mph, with 65 mph on two-lane undivided roads, and 55 mph on township roads. Prior to the National Maximum Speed Limit, the speed limit on the Kansas Turnpike used to be , but was reduced to 75 mph on August 17, 1970. The minimum speed limit on Kansas Interstates is 40 mph.


text: Kentucky generally has a 70 mph speed limit on rural freeways as of 2007. The speed limit is reduced to 55 on multi-lane highways in some urban areas (I-71/75 south of Cincinnati, I-64, I-65, I-71 and I-264 in Louisville, and KY 4 in Lexington. There are two 50 mph areas in Louisville. One approaching the Sherman Minton Bridge crossing the Ohio River into Indiana on I-64, and one approaching the Kennedy Bridge on I-65 towards Indiana. The Transportation Cabinet is now authorized to raise any multilane, divided rural highway up to 65 MPH based on speed and design studies. Anyone may request an increase by contacting their local Transportation Cabinet office and specifying the roadway to be raised. Two-lane, undivided highways are limited to 55 mph. Points are not assessed for speeds less than 10 mph over the speed limit only on limited access highways, or for tickets received by Kentucky licensed drivers out of state.


text: Louisiana's highest speed limit is 75 mph, found on 154 miles of Interstate 49 in Saint Landry, Avoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides, Natchitoches, DeSoto and Caddo parishes. The Caddo Parish 75 zone is split into two portions, from the DeSoto-Caddo Parish line to Louisiana Highway 526, and from Louisiana Highway 1 to the Arkansas state line. The 75 zone was established by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development in 2011 after a 2010 bill authorized the DOTD to implement 75 zones where proven to be safe.


text: A speed limit of 60 mph is posted on I-10 in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and from LaPlace to New Orleans, I-12 in Baton Rouge, I-20 in Shreveport and Monroe, I-49 in Alexandria and Shreveport, I-220 in Shreveport, US 71 and US 167 in Kingsville, LA 3132, and I-110, I-210, I-510, I-610, and I-910 (note: part of I-10 in Baton Rouge was raised to 70 mph, and part of I-12 in Baton Rouge was also raised to 65 mph).


text: In August 2003, Governor Mike Foster announced speed and lane restrictions on trucks on the stretch of I-10 known as the Atchafalaya Swamp Freeway. The restrictions lower the truck speed limit to 55 mph and restrict them to the right lane for the entire length of the elevated freeway.


text: Divided highways in rural areas have a 65 mph speed limits. Louisiana law R.S. 32:61(B) & 32:62(A) states;65 mph on other multi-lane divided highways which have partial or no control of access.


text: Louisiana operates under the reasonable and prudent basic law;No person shall drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and potential hazards then existing, having due regard for the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and the condition of the weather. R.S. 32:64(A)


text: A person, who is operating a motor vehicle on a multilane highway at less than the normal speed of traffic, shall drive in the right-hand lane then available for traffic. R.S. 32:71(B)(1)


text: Maine carries the highest speed limit on the East Coast, with Interstate 95 carrying a limit between Old Town and Houlton. Sections of I-95 south of Old Town as well as half of I-295 carry limits, except for brief zones in more populated areas. The Saco stub I-195 is , and I-395 is in Bangor and in Brewer.


text: In Maine, school buses may not exceed on roads with higher speed limits while transporting students. At other times, the limit is , unless on an Interstate highway, in which case the posted limit applies.


text: Fines for speeding are at least $50 by law. Exceeding the speed limit by or more is considered a criminal offense.


text: The speed limit on Maryland's Interstate Highways are posted by default at 65 mph although 70 mph limits can be posted after a traffic and engineering study. Effective October 1, 2015, the speed limit on I-68 is 70 mph except for a seven-mile section around Cumberland. Effective April 4, 2016, the speed limit on I-70 has been increased to 70 mph from the Pennsylvania state line to MD 180 in Frederick County and from MD 144 in Frederick County to US 29 in Howard County. Maryland's urban freeways normally have speed limits of 55 mph (like I-495) or 60 mph, although some stretches are signed for 65 mph travel such as portions of I-95 and I-97 in and around the Baltimore suburbs, I-70 around Frederick, and I-81 around Hagerstown. I-70 around Hagerstown is posted at 70 mph. More restrictive limits are found on I-83 south of North Avenue when approaching downtown Baltimore and on I-68 through Cumberland, both sections being marked at 40 mph.


text: Four lane non-interstates and non-freeways are posted at 55 mph. This includes the expressway grade roadways like US 50 and US 301 east of the Bay Bridge, US 15 north of Frederick to the Pennsylvania state line, MD 404 around Denton and US 29 between I-495 and I-70. US 340 from Brunswick to I-70 in Frederick however is posted as 65 mph.


text: Normally, speed limit drops are in 5 mph to 10 mph increments. However, one speed zone drops from 55 to 25 mph along US 301 southbound at the Nice Bridge for the toll plaza.


text: Two lane roads are generally posted at 50 mph but there are a handful of routes posted at 55 mph. It is more common to see 55 mph on the Eastern Shore and in Frederick and Carroll counties than the Baltimore-Washington corridor and Western Maryland. Two lane routes that have a speed limit of 55 mph enforce mandatory headlight use.


text: State highways and other arterials are often posted at in urban areas and in rural areas. A select number of undivided roads are posted at . Divided highways are usually posted at in rural areas as well as business districts. Interstate highways and some non-Interstate freeways in suburban and rural areas are posted at , but many non-Interstate highways are posted at , such as the freeway portions of US 3, US 6, Route 2, and Route 128, or , such as Massachusetts Route 3 South of Boston. Urban freeways are often posted at and occasionally lower, but some rural freeways that pass through urban areas maintain their speed limit, such as the Massachusetts Turnpike through the Springfield and Worcester areas.


text: A "thickly settled district" is an area where building structures such as residential and commercial are less than apart for a distance of or more. This can be subjective since a large part of eastern Massachusetts is built up with many different jurisdictions and different speed limits assigned.


text: The maximum speed limit in Michigan is . Michigan uses a formula based on the number of driveways and streets, or on the 85th percentile of free-flowing traffic, and if none those methods are used a default applies. In rural areas, speed limits are as follows:


text: Freeways in Michigan are usually signed with both minimum and maximum speeds. By default, the freeway speed limit is , with a minimum speed of for all vehicles, despite a truck speed limit of —effectively permitting trucks only a range of legal speeds. The Mackinac Bridge has a speed limit of for passenger vehicles and for trucks, but can be as low as during high winds. The Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan State Police may raise the speed limit to after it is deemed safe to do so. MDOT and the MSP announced on April 26, 2017, that the speed limit was increased to 75 mph on several Michigan freeways, including I-75 from Bay City to Sault Ste. Marie (excluding the Mackinac Bridge), I-69 from Business Loop 69 in Clinton County to I-94 in St. Clair County (excluding the section in and around Flint, which remains at ), US 127 from I-69 in Clinton County to I-75 in Crawford County (excluding the 15-mile stretch between St. Johns and Ithaca, which is not freeway standard), and US 131 from M-57 in Kent County to the end of the freeway north of Manton. These increases commenced on May 1, 2017, and were completed by May 15, 2017. Speed limits in freeway work zones are statutorily limited to 24 hours per day. If workers are present (and not behind a barrier wall), drivers must slow to for the workers' safety.


text: Michigan's speed limits on urban Interstates are typically higher than its adjacent states. For example, in the Detroit metro area, I-75 southbound enters Detroit at M-102 (8 Mile Road, exit 59) and maintains a limit all the way until the interchange with I-94 (exit 53), where the speed limit drops to . Other freeways in Detroit such as I-94 and I-96 also have speed limits in and around the city's downtown area, but rise to relatively soon after leaving the downtown area. In Downtown Grand Rapids, I-196 has a speed limit of , the only other urban Interstate Highway to have a reduced speed limit. US 131 in Grand Rapids is one of the only non-Interstate urban freeways in Michigan with a speed limit, which was raised from in 2013. Furthermore, speed limits in smaller cities, including Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Flint, Kalamazoo, Lansing (the state capital), and Saginaw remain at .


text: The default speed on all other highways, whether two or four lanes, is . However, Michigan permits speed limits of up to after a safety study concludes the higher limit is safe to implement. Until 2016, this provision only applied to four-lane divided non-limited access highways. A stretch of US 127 between St. Johns and Ithaca was posted at , as a compromise to allow a freer flow of traffic due to insufficient funds to improve the section to freeway standards. The speed limit on US 2 between Rapid River and Gladstone in the Upper Peninsula was also raised to . In 2017 speed limits began increasing to 65 mph on several select two-lane roads in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan, including US 2 from St. Ignace to Rapid River and M-28 from I-75 to Munising.


text: Urban speeds are set, by default, to . As of August 2019 cities have been allowed to set speed limits on city-owned streets without the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) conducting a speed study, though the law does require the city to conduct its own, independent engineering review. Cities may also adopt a speed limit of on a residential road without any form of study needed. To date, Minneapolis and Saint Paul have both adopted a citywide speed limit unless otherwise posted, though most major city streets are posted at .


text: A speed limit is only allowed on Minnesota's Interstates outside of urban areas. A speed limit of is typically used in urban areas where a higher speed limit might be used, but traffic congestion or other reasons require a lower speed limit. Examples include I-94, I-35W and I-35E in and around Minneapolis, Moorhead and Saint Paul. I-35E goes down to a speed limit of in some areas of Saint Paul. A speed limit of is typically used in suburban areas such as I-494 and I-694 loops in the Twin Cities metro area.


text: Non-Interstate divided highways (both freeways and expressways) have speed limits of in rural areas and up to in urban or suburban areas (Note: some non-Interstate divided highways have gotten speed limit increases in November 2017 such as US 169 in the Twin Cities metro area). Rural two lane state and US Highways in Minnesota have default speed limits of although many speed limits are in place after a traffic and engineering study from 2014 to 2019.


text: A speed limit of 70 mph is only allowed on Mississippi's rural freeways; only the Interstates (except I-110), US 78, Mississippi Highway 304 (MS 304), and a portion of US 82 have speed limits of 70 mph, with these lengths making up approximately 86% of the state's freeway mileage.


text: A speed limit of 65 mph is typically used on the state's four-lane divided highways, which include parts of the following roadways:


text: A speed limit of 60 mph is typically used in urban areas where a higher speed limit might be used, but traffic or geometric conditions constitute a lower speed limit, including the following areas:


text: House Bill 3, passed during the 2008 First Extraordinary Session of the state legislature, permits speed limits up to on toll roads in the state; however, , no such road has been constructed.


text: Mississippi has a minimum speed of 30 mph on four-lane U.S. Highways when no hazard exists. Strangely, there is no law for the minimum speed of the state's growing number of four-lane state highways. The minimum is 40 mph on Interstate Highways and on four-lane U.S. Highways that have a 70 mph speed limit. In 2004, Mississippi posted minimum speed limits (40 mph) on all rural Interstates, but this minimum speed limit was already state law before then.


text: Freeways are defined as: "a limited access divided highway of at least ten miles in length with four or more lanes which is not part of the federal interstate system of highways which does not have any crossovers or accesses from streets, roads or other highways at the same grade level as such divided highway within such ten miles of divided highway."


text: Expressways are defined as: "a divided highway of at least ten miles in length with four or more lanes which is not part of the federal interstate system of highways which has crossovers or accesses from streets, roads or other highways at the same grade level as such divided highway."


text: Urban Areas are defined as: "an area of fifty thousand population at a density at or greater than one thousand persons per square mile".


text: The highways and transportation commission may raise or lower the speed limit on these highways, but no speed limit may be set above 70 mph on a numbered highway and 60 mph on a lettered highway.


text: Missouri concluded a two-year experiment with variable speed limits along I-270 around St. Louis. Digital signs had been erected along the freeway as well as additional signs alerting drivers about the use of variable speed limits. The limits will vary between 40 and 60 miles per hour, depending on traffic conditions, and could change by up to 5 mph every 5 minutes. These speed limits, as of January 2012, are now posted as "Advisory Speed Limits".


text: During the closure and major rebuild of I-64 in St. Louis, an additional lane was added to I-44 and I-70, and the speed limit was thus reduced to 55 mph on those roads within the St. Louis County and City. The I-64 construction has been completed, and the extra lanes were removed in 2010. In October 2010, the speed limit was restored to 60 mph on both I-44 and I-70.


text: Most two-lane roads with shoulders have a 60 mph speed limit in Missouri. Two-lane roads without shoulders are usually, but not always, limited to 55 mph. Some improved two-lane highways have a 65 mph speed limit in rural areas, such as:


text: Most rural expressways have a 65 mph speed limit, however some have an upgraded speed limit of 70 mph


text: Most Missouri lettered highways are 55 mph, and in densely populated areas they can be less. There are several that have a speed limit of 60 mph, including the following:


text: In the urban areas of: St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, St. Joseph, and Springfield, the speed limit typically drops to 60 mph on Interstates and freeways. In addition, on I-44 in Rolla the speed limit is reduced to 60 mph from just west of Exit 184 to Exit 186 because of a substandard design.