Longest place name in the world..must see..!!

Ankit Hinduja (Student) (1227 Points)

22 December 2012  

 

 

"Taumata whakatangihanga koauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu" is the Māori name for a hill, 305 metres (1,001 ft) high in New Zealand. It has gained a measure of fame as it is the longest place-name found in any English-speaking country.

The name on the sign that marks the hill is "Taumata whakatangihanga koauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu", which translates roughly as 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.

At 85 letters, it has been listed in the Guinness World Records as one of the longest place names in the world.

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.