The 7 Longest Place Names in the World

Do you have a tongue twister for me? How about trying to pronounce the name of the longest place name in the world? It’s Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit, and it is located in Bangkok, Thailand. With 168 letters, it’s a mouthful to say, but it’s not the only long place name in the world. Here are seven of the longest place names in the world, from New Zealand to Finland to India.

1. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, New Zealand. This is one of the longest place names in the world, with 85 letters. It is a hill in the North Island, and its name means “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one” in Māori.
2. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales. This is also one of the longest place names in the world and the longest in Europe, with 58 letters. It is a village on the island of Anglesey, and its name means “The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio of the Red cave” in Welsh.
3. Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, Massachusetts. This is the longest place name in the United States, with 45 letters. It is a lake in Webster, and its name means “Fishing place at the boundaries — neutral meeting grounds” in Nipmuc.
4. Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein, South Africa. This is the longest place name in Africa, with 44 letters. It is a farm in the North West province, and its name means “Two buffaloes with one shot dead spring” in Afrikaans.
5. Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä, Finland. This is the second longest in Europe, with 35 letters. It is a big region in Lapland, and its name has no clear meaning, but it may be a nonsense word or a joke.
6. Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik, Canada. This is the second longest in North America, with 31 letters. It is a lake in Manitoba, meaning “Where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks” in Cree.
7. Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta, India. This is the longest place name in Asia, with 28 letters. It is a village in Andhra Pradesh, and its name means “Venkatanarasimharaju’s city” in Telugu.

We hope you enjoyed learning about the 7 longest place names in the world! Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below. And if you have any interesting cultural practices, we would love to hear about those, too.

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