Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is translated into "Saint Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Saint Tysilio by the red cave". So apparently the village has two main churches.
Originally the village was called "simply" Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, sometimes abbreviated to Llanfair PG. But an anonymous local merchant (a cobbler or a tailor, sources differ) has extended the name in an effort to boost about having the longest place name of one word in the world.
2. What is the more common name for Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg?
Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg indeed is a lake in Massachusetts, near the border with Connecticut. Shorter names are Lake Chaubunagungamaug and Lake Webster, for the town of Webster lies on its shores.
Incidentally, the name Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggcahubunagungamaugg translates to something as "Fishing Place at the Boundaries".
3. Knowing that the word Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu indicates a hill in New Zealand, what is the language that gave us this marvellous word?
The different languages to choose out are spread over the whole world.
The autochthon inhabitants of New-Zealand are the Maori, and that's the name of their language too.
So Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is Maori. If you look it up, this is in fact a "short" official version of the name.
Non-official sources cite Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu.
The Maori name of the hill translates in English to "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. " The longest version includes some anatomical details best let out on this site. Tamatea is one of the heroes of Maori myth.
4. Where do you find the farm named Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein?
Some of you might think of Dutch, and in fact it is quite related. Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is the Afrikaans for "The spring where two buffaloes were killed with one single shot".
Afrikaans is one of the eleven official languages in South-Africa, so this country is the right location for this farm. If you would like to visit the farm, head for Pretoria and drive west about 200 km.
5. Near which wine region would you find Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson?
Saint-Remy is French for a Christian Saint who once was bishop in the city of Reims, one of the most populous cities in the Champagne region. So you discover that Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson is located in France, near the Champagne region. In fact, Reims is in the same Department as Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson.
6. Which capital city is officially known as Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit?
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit can be translated into English as "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 Vishnukarma".
The translation of this official capital city name should help you find the correct answer. Indeed: the god Indra is one of the Hindu deities, and the only of the listed cities having a large Hindu influence is Bangkok.
For those of you who wonder why the short version "Bangkok" doesn't resemble the ceremonial name: the name "Krung Thep" and so on is written in Pali and Sanskrit, two languages that are no longer spoken in Thailand. More over the original Bangkok was built on the west bank of the Chao Pradya River, where Krung Thep (I won't repeat the rest of this name) was constructed on the east bank of the same river, more or less across.
7. Many places with long names have only a few inhabitants", "This is very much the case with Przedmiescie Szczebrzeszynskie, which had only 386 inhabitants in 2008. The question is: in which country could you find Przedmiescie Szczebrzeszynskie?
Przedmiescie Szczebrzynsynskie is situated in Poland, near the border with the Ukraine and Slovakia. The "SZCZ" part is typical of Slavish languages, and would not be found in any place name in South-Korea, Mexico or Madagascar.
I've two remarks for our Polish friends playing this quiz. First of all, there are some diacritic marks I've left out in the name Przedmiescie Szczebrzeszynskie. Chances are that these diacritics would not be properly rendered on every screen. Secondly, I'm quite convinced that with the exact Polish pronunciation this place name has a melodious sound. Unfortunately, I'm not able to speak Polish in this harmonious way. I'm afraid I would hiss the "SZCZ" part in a way resembling the sound of furious cats.
8. What is the historical importance of the city of Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional?
Initially the city was named shortly "Dolores". September 16th, 1810 saw a remarkable act of the parish priest Father Hidalgo. He rang the church bells, waited until some hundreds of young men assembled, and then made a passionate speech for independence from Spain. This was indeed the start of the revolt against Spain, which would ultimately lead to independence - but only in 1821. Meanwhile Father Hidalgo and many other revolutionaries were already executed.
In honour of father Hidalgo, the city was renamed Dolores Hidalgo. After Mexico obtained independence, the words "Cuna de la Independencia Nacional" ("Cradle of the national independence") were added.
9. One of Italy's longest place names is Pino sulla Sponda del Lago Maggiore, counting thirty letters. Which other Italian place name has thirty letters?
Pino sulla Sponda del Lago Maggiore is a small village in the Italian region Lombardy, bordering Switzerland and with a great view on (as the name states) the Lago Maggiore (which would translate to "Great Lake". Yes, we Europeans have one too). In 2004 this village counted only 251 inhabitants.
10. In which federal state of Germany would you find Hellschen-Heringsand-Unterschaar?
Hellschen-Heringsand-Unterschaar is a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, near the North Sea. In 2010 it counted only 180 denizens.
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