Longest Place Names In The World
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Now that your tongue is warmed up, you might be ready to tackle some of the more complex, consonant-rich, stupendously-lengthy place names presented below. This list covers everything from countries and cities to beaches and hills. The first entry may be surprising but is easy enough to pronounce. After that, best of luck to all non-native speakers.
Country: United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
The country with the longest name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This banner includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Both "United Kingdom" and "Great Britain" are familiar terms used interchangeably to refer to the region in a shortened manner. Depending on whether the "The" is included in the count, this country's name is either 45 or 48 letters long.
An honorable mention goes to the State of Libya, or in Arabic, Dawlat Libya. Prior 2011, the full arabic name (using the English alphabet) was al-Jamāhīriyyah al-‘Arabiyyah al-Lībiyyah ash-Sha‘biyyah al-Ishtirākiyyah al-‘Udmá, meaning "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya." Had they kept it, this would have easily dethroned the current champion.
City: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit (Bangkok)
The capital city of Thailand, Bangkok, has the longest name of any place in the world if referred to by its full ceremonial designation: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. At 169 letters, this has the Guinness World Record for the longest place name. It is also sometimes written with additional spacing (Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit) or can simply be referred to as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or even just Krung Thep for short.
The meaning of the full ceremonial name has minor variations depending on the source. Two common english translations are "City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest," or "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Intra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn."
Village: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
This mouthful of a name belongs to a village in Wales, on the island of Anglesey, in the country with the longest formal name in the world - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Try fitting all of that on a declaration form! If you cannot navigate the tongue twister that is this name, you can also substitute LlanfairPG, or LPG instead. The full, 58-letter name translates as "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave."
Town square: Onafhankelijkheidsplein
Another small place with a long, head-scratcher of a name is the town-square of Onafhankelijkheidsplein, meaning "Independence Square." This area, which is in the historic Center of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, is recognizable by the triumphant Presidential Palace of Suriname.
Farm: Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein
It is not often that a farm attracts the limelight, but with a name like Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein, people are bound to take notice. This 44-letter title was concocted using three distinct languages: German, Afrikaans, and Dutch. This mishmash translates roughly to "The spring where two buffaloes were killed with a single shot."
Lake: Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
This glorious lake with an aberrant name is located in Webster, Massachusetts (and is therefore also referred to as "Lake Webster" or "Webster Lake"). It is an Algonquin term used by the Indigenous Nipmuck people that is an additional riff on the name given to the lake prior to the arrival of European settlers. In English, it means something along the lines of "English knifemen and Nipmuck Indians at the boundary or neutral fishing place." For a brief moment the town deliberated whether or not to formally shorten the 45-letter name, but the community overwhelmingly supported leaving it as is.
Beach: Nunathloogagamiutbingoi Dunes
A sandy beach in Alaska? You bet. And if that does not already stand out as a fun fact, the name will surely help. Nunathloogagamiutbingoi Dunes can be found on Nunivak Island, off the coast of Southwestern Alaska. This may not be the spot for sunbathing (as it can be quite cool, even in the summer), but it is certainly a beautiful setting and a quirky, off-the-beaten-path adventure.
Hill:Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
This hill in New Zealand would probably make a great line in an eye exam. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, and its comically long sign, can be found on the Southeast Coast of the North Island. The 85-letter Māori designation for the 305-meter (1,001-foot) mound means "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who traveled about, played his nose flute to his loved one"
So, how many of these place names did you give an honest crack at pronouncing? You have to hand it to these locales. Despite the linguistic challenges, they take pride in preserving the lengthy and often traditional names of these special regions. Why mess with a good thing?
