When we use names, we rarely think about them as interesting concepts. However, names can be interesting for a number of reasons including meaning, origin, history, and in the case of this article, length. We often use names to identify individuals, places, objects, and concepts and in most cases, these names are usually short or at least moderately sized, and fairly easy to pronounce.
But there are names that will definitely require that you spend a decent amount of time practicing to get it right. This article discusses five of the world’s longest location names. See if you can even say the words without breaking or pausing between syllables.
Azpilicuetagaraycosaroyarenberecolarrea
Football fans, especially Chelsea Football Club fans will be excited by this name because of Cesar Azpilicueta, a professional soccer player. Azpilicuetagaraycosaroyarenberecolarrea is the fifth-longest location name in the world with 39 alphabetical letters, located in Azpilkueta, Navarre in Spain. It translates into “The low field of the high pen of Azpilkueta”. As you might have guessed from the name, the Chelsea football club captain, Cesar Azpilicueta who also plays for Spain, hails from the Basque province of Navarre. Navarre is a historic city and its capital is Pamplona which still has its 16th-century fortifications.
Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein
Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein has five more letters in its name than Azpilicuetagaraycosaroyarenberecolarrea and this 44-letter word is the identity of a farm located in the North-West province of South Africa. The fourth-longest location name is Afrikaans and it translates to “The spring where two buffaloes were cleanly killed with a single shot.” Whoever took down those buffaloes might not have anticipated their achievement being immortalized in such a manner.
Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg
The third-longest location consists of 44 letters and refers to a lake in Webster, Massachusetts, U.S., and is popularly called “Lake Chaubunagungamaug,” a shortened version of its otherwise totally confusing name. The name is of Nipmuck origin and translates into “Fishing Place at the Boundaries – Neutral Meeting Grounds.” It is officially the longest one-word name for a location in the U.S.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Located in Wales and consisting of 58 letters, this is the longest place name in Europe and the second-longest in the world. It translates into “Saint Mary’s Church in a hollow of white hazel near the swirling whirlpool of the church of Saint Tysilio with a red cave.” You will have a hard time pronouncing this name and are better off calling it “Llanfair PG” or “Llanfairpwll” like most people do.
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu
This Guinness World Record-certified 85-letter word shortened to “Taumata” takes the number one spot and is located in New Zealand. It is Maori and translates into “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who traveled about, played his nose flute to his loved one.”