Top 5 Longest Place Names in the World

#1 – Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaeaturipuk-
akapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

With a whopping 105 letters, “Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateahaumaitawhitiurehaea-
turipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu” is officially the longest place name in the world. It is the Māori name for a hill in southern Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.

It’s shortened to “Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu” (57 letters) in the New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database, and often shortened even further to “Taumata”, for ease of conversation by the locals.

#2 – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a village on the island of Anglesey in Wales. It is the longest recognized place name in the United Kingdom (58 letters), and with a population of just over 3,000, it’s definitely a mouthful for the people. Imagine having to write that on the back of a postcard.

#3 – Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

With 45 letters to it’s name, Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is certainly a tongue twister. It’s a lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts and is recognized as the longest place name in the United States. It’s also known as “Webster Lake”… Much easier.

#4 Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik

Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik lake holds the record for the longest place name in Canada. The lake is situated in Manitoba and Nunavut. In total it contains 31 letters, not including “lake”. It literally means “where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks”.

#5 Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya

With a mere 26 letters, Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya Hill completes our list of the top 5 longest place names in the world. It’s a hill in South Australia and it’s officially the longest geographical place name in the country. According to general belief, the name means “where the devil urinates” in the regional Pitjantjatjara language.

Also… A notable mention should also go to “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit“, which is the official name of Bangkok.

It translates as “The great city of angels, the supreme unconquerable land of the great immortal divinity (Indra), the royal capital of nine noble gems, the pleasant city with plenty of grand royal palaces and divine paradises for the reincarnated deity.”

Unfortunately, it’s got spaces in it though, so it couldn’t be put on the list above. Still difficult to say though.

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Comments

drB0b March 16, 2010

The longest place-name in the world is “Krung Thep Mahanakhorn Amorn Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayyuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” which is the Thai name for the city known to foreigners as Bangkok.

Normally referred to in Thailand as Krungthep Mahanakorn the name means, in English, “The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, 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 Vishnukarm”

drB0b March 16, 2010

The Thai name for Bangkok doesn’t have spaces. Thai isn’t written in the Roman alphabet :)

กรุงเทพมหานครอมรรัตนโกสินทร์มหินทรายุทธยามหาดิลกภพนพรัตนราชธานีบุรีรมย์อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถานอมรพิมานอวตารสถิตสักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์

Aki March 16, 2010

In Finland there’s a swamp area known as Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä (35 letters): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%84teritsiputeritsipuolilautatsij%C3%A4nk%C3%A4

The name doesn’t mean anything, at least not in Finnish, but it may has some meaning in Sami language that people in Arctic Circle speak.

Owen Blacker March 24, 2010

Of course, there’s the original long-form name of LA, as well, which is 74 characters (including spaces): El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula — The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the Porciúncula River :o)

Gunnar Graudins April 29, 2010

Those recordists are not functional names.Even the currently famous volcano should be abbreviated. My Indian colleagues would not dare to use their full-length names istead of Patel or some such, like we did with LA or Joe

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