Its often said that Wales has the longest place name in the world. That is wrong. Wales may have the longest place name in Wales (duh) but not the world (it may also have the most pronounceable name though). The longest place name in the world is a native Maori name in New Zealand.

While America may not have the longest name in the world, the United States does have a number of weirdly named towns that one can visit. One of the towns in the United States is a town called "Earth" in Texas - ever thought of going to Earth?

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu

No. That wasn't pressing random keys on the keyboard, that is an actual name in New Zealand.

Located in Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's North island one will find the longest place name in the world - a whopping 85 characters. Its the name of an unassuming hill called "Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu" (normally spelled without spaces).

In English, it translates to something like:

"the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as 'landeater’, played his flute to his loved one."

Other versions of the name (including longer ones) are sometimes used. Various government departments use a 28 and 57-character version of the name. The longest version is 105 characters and goes like "Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu".

  • Length: 28, 57, 85, and 105 Character Versions - The 85 Character One is The Standard One Often Quoted

Understandably, locals don't rattle that off everything they mention the hill, instead they just call it Taumata Hill.

  • Longest: It Is The Longest Name In The World According To The Guinness World Book Of Records

The hill has a story. Tamatea was a famous native Maori chief and warrior. He was traveling through at one point but he had to fight through another tribe and in the fight, his brother was slain.

The loss of his brother was painful for Tamatea and stayed at the battle site for some days afterward. Every morning he would sit on the hill playing a lament on his flute.

  • Koauau: The Maori Flute That Tamatea Played in Lamentation

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One can drive close to the hill today where one can find a sign displaying the full name on Wimbledon Road that runs past the hill. According to New Zealand.com, the actual hill is on private property, so one will need permission to walk on the hill.

  • Private Land: The Hill Is On Private Land
  • Elevation: 305 Meters or 1,001 Feet

It is officially the longest name in the world according to the Guinness World Records.

Related: As It Turns Out, Hell Is A Place On Earth (& It Does Freeze Over)

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

This impossibly unpronounceable name is the longest name in the United Kingdom. It even has a dedicated website - www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk.

Other shorter forms of the name are "Llanfairpwllgwyngyll" or "Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll."

While Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch may not be the longest name in the world, it is likely to be much more difficult for native English speakers to pronounce than the Maori name Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu.

That is because Maori (like Hawaiian) relies more on vowels and is typically fairly easy for English speakers to enunciate. But Welsh famously has many unfamiliar consonant sounds that are very difficult for people to speak. "LL" in Welsh is a very tricky sound to get right - one can find educational videos on YouTube for how to make this sound.

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Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch is a large village and a local government community on the island of Anglesey in Wales. This is a very Welsh-speaking part of Wales with around 71% of the 3,107 inhabitants of the settlement reporting to be able to speak Welsh.

  • Length: 58 Characters with 18 Syllables
  • Second Longest: It is The Second Longest One Word Place Name In The World

Hear Welsh name on Wikimedia and the short 57-character version of the Maori name on Web Archive.

Related: Things Could Get Awkward In Towns With Names Like These

Other Long Names Around The World

Some of the other impossibly long names in the world include:

  • Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg: (45 letters) A Lake Located In Massachusetts In the Nipmuc Language. Believed toBe The Longest Official Name In the United States
  • Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein: (44 letters) The Longest Name in Africa and Is a Farm in South Africa In the Afrikaans Language
  • Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä: (35 letters) Located In Lapland, Finland. the Longest Name In The European Union (After Brexit)
  • Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik: (31 letters) A Lake in Manitoba, Canada. A Cree Word for "where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks"
  • Andorijidoridaraemihansumbau: (28 letters) A Street in South Korea That Translates As "a road so rocky and rough that even squirrels can't breathe enough."
  • Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta: (28 letters) A Village in India and the Longest Name In India
  • Bovenendvankeelafsnysleegte: (27 letters) Another Afrikaans Named Farm in South Africa
  • Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya: (26 letters) A Hill In South Australia Translating as "Where the devil urinates"

Next: 25 Strange Places Around The World That Are Straight Out Of The X-Files