A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually either a road numbered by the state or province, falling below numbered national highways in the hierarchy (route numbers are used to aid navigation, and may or may not indicate ownership or maintenance); or a road maintained by the state or province, including both nationally numbered highways and un-numbered state highways. Depending on the state, state highway may be used for one meaning and state road or state route for the other.
In some countries such as New Zealand, the word "state" is used in its sense of a nation. By this meaning a state highway is a road maintained and numbered by the national government rather than local authorities.
Australia's State Route system covers urban and inter-regional routes that are not included in the National Route or the National Highway systems. These routes are marked with a blue shield. Sometimes a state route may be formed when a former national route is decommissioned.
Most states and territories have introduced an alphanumeric route numbering system, either completely or partially replacing the previous systems.
Brazil is another country that is divided into states and has state highways.
Canada is divided into provinces and territories, each of which maintains its own system of provincial or territorial highways. Canada's federal National Highway System is a dual federal–provincial system which includes the Trans-Canada Highway network, and which has no uniform designation across the country.
Italy's Strade Statali extend for some 18,000 km, overseen by the Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade (ANAS) founded in 1946, replacing the A.A.S.S. (Azienda Autonoma delle Strade Statali) of 1928.
State highways in India are numbered highways that are laid and maintained by state governments.