Friday Funny: the longest city name in the world (clue: not Bangkok Thailand))

When I was growing up the Guinness Book of World Records always featured the longest place name in the world as some endless unpronounceable town in Wales, where the name ran so long they had to extend the railway station platform just so they could fit the full name on it.

Ok, so I made that last bit up.

But ... BUT ...

The longest city name in the world is actually the full name for Bangkok (aka known as Bangers, BKK,  even Bankok in social media circles), the bustling, mad-cap, edgy, fun, crazy, stylish capital city of Amazing Thailand.

Are you ready for this? Take a deep breath and repeat after me:

"KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT."

Thais actually learn this almost like a sing-a-long nursery rhyme at school to help them remember it, jing jing.

So what does it all mean? Well, roughly “The land of angels, the great city of immortality, various of devine gems, the great angelic land unconquerable, land of nine noble gems, the royal city, the pleasant capital, place of the grand royal palace, forever land of angels and reincarnated spirits, predestined and created by the highest Deva(s).”

This name has been in place since 1782, so shame on Guinness World Records for not knowing this and attributing it earlier.

But before you rish down to your travel agent to book your flight to KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT, you'll be relieved to know, Thais just call their capital by one word, Krungthep, which means City of Angels.

Of course, you can also simply request a flight to Bangkok. That works too.