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Culture

Which City's Full Name Has 168 Letters?

Updated May 17, 2024
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Thailand's capital, Bangkok, is one of the world's most famous cities, home to more than 10 million residents and welcoming nearly 23 million visitors per year.

In Thai, the city on the banks of the Chao Phraya River is known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or more commonly Krung Thep, which translates as "city of gods." However, the city's full ceremonial name is much, much longer – it's a 168-letter phrase with Pali and Sanskrit root words: "Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit." The phrase means "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." It's the world's longest city name.

So where does the name Bangkok come from? No one is exactly sure, but it might derive from Bang, meaning "a village on a stream" and either Ko (island) or Makok (an olive-like tree native to the area). Whatever the etymology, it seems that the colloquial name was romanized and adopted by foreign visitors as "Bangkok," even though the city has had many other names over the years.

Quite a mouthful:

  • Bangkok's full ceremonial name is known by quite a few people in Thailand, but not because they were forced to memorize it in school. The Thai rock band Asanee–Wasan had a hit in 1989 with the song "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon," which has lyrics consisting entirely of the city's ceremonial name.

  • Among other contenders for the world's longest place name, a hill on New Zealand's North Island has a one-word name with 85 characters – Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu.

  • A village on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, goes by a 58-character name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It’s the longest official one-word place name in Europe.

  • Also known as Webster Lake, Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster, Massachusetts, is the longest one-word place name of any geographic feature in the United States. The name comes from Loup, an Algonquian language.

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