Taumata Hill, NZ

The Site with the Longest Possible Domain Name

Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu – or simply Taumata Hill – holds the record for the world’s longest single-word place name, with a total of 85 characters. Since second-level domains can contain only up to 63 ASCII characters, this name had to be placed on a subdomain to fit completely. Sure, you could technically create a longer domain using an extended top-level domain (TLD), but let’s be honest – that wouldn’t suit a legendary hill in New Zealand quite the same way.

The Story Behind the World’s Longest Place Name

The name Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukaka­piki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­whenua­ki­tana­tahu was officially adopted in 1948 (after a 1941 decision). It is a Māori name derived from the legend of Tamatea, a famed Māori explorer and chief, and recounts his deeds. The meaning is roughly “the summit where Tamatea, the man with big knees, climber of mountains, land-swallower, who travelled about, played his flute to his beloved”. This hill lies near Pōrangahau in southern Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand with a height of 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level.