Hell, Middelfart, and Sexmoan?! These are the real names of towns and cities from all over the world, not just some amusing words. They may be absurd, but they aren’t accidents. The atlas has been thoroughly searched to unearth the most bizarre place names for your amusement because the world is actually full of amusing-sounding place names.
Hell, Norway
No, this is not Beelzebub’s residence; rather, it is a small town in Norway. Hell’s name, which English speakers immediately associate with religion, actually derives from the Norse word “hellir,” which means “overhang.”
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales
This Welsh town’s name is quite a mouthful at 58 letters long. In fact, according to the record books, it is the second-longest place name in the world. In Welsh, the tongue-twisting name actually describes the town’s exact location: “Saint Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave.”
Middelfart, Denmark
This town, which is in the centre of Denmark, has a long history that dates back to the 1200s. Obviously, its name will make modern audiences laugh, but the name actually derives from the old Danish words “maethal,” which means “middle,” and “far,” which means “way.”
Pee Pee Township, USA
This tiny area in central Ohio gets its name from the Pee Pee Creek that runs nearby; the creek itself gets its name from an early settler who carved the letters P.P. into a tree near its banks.
Silly Department, Burkina Faso
Despite its appearance as a Monty Python sketch location, Burkina Faso’s Silly Department is a real township. The fact that it has such a fantastic name is an added bonus.
Useless Harbour, Australia
This stunning Australian location, which is part of Shark Bay’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a name that is wholly unkind to it. During the early 1800s, French explorer Louis-Henri de Saulces de Freycinet discovered a charming natural bay that he initially thought was completely blocked by a sandbar and gave it its name.
