In their new study, adventure tour operator Explore Worldwide has revealed the most interesting places around the world, based on how many times a destination is referenced as the primary location in Wikipedia articles.
With close to a million visits every month, Wikipedia is one of the world’s most popular online encyclopaedias. Articles on Wikipedia that detail an event or building in a specific place, for example, articles about ancient ruins, famous battlegrounds or important landmarks, are all tagged with a ‘primary location’, and Explore’s data experts analysed the primary location code for 1.2 million articles on Wikipedia for this mammoth study.
| Rank | Location | Country | OverallInterest Score |
| 1 | New York | United States | 5,431 |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom | 5,329 |
| 3 | Tokyo | Japan | 1,526 |
| 4 | Washington, D.C. | United States | 1,495 |
| 5 | Toronto | Canada | 1,372 |
| 6 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 1,348 |
| 7 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 1,332 |
| 8 | Taipei | Taiwan | 1,294 |
| 9 | Singapore | Singapore | 1,196 |
| 10 | Longyearbyen | Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 1,183 |
| 11 | Woodland | United States | 1,160 |
| 12 | Paris | France | 1,153 |
| 13 | Rome | Italy | 1,089 |
| 14 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1,079 |
| 15 | Chatham-Kent | Canada | 1,018 |
| 16 | Portland | United States | 984 |
| 17 | Plum Creek | United States | 931 |
| 18 | Bhamo | Myanmar | 910 |
| 19 | Nowthen | United States | 894 |
| 20 | Lindytown | United States | 879 |
An ‘Interest Weighting Score’ was applied to reduce English-language bias, with the final results showing that the most interesting places in the world, according to Wikipedia, are New York, London and Tokyo.
This epic Wikipedia study also revealed lesser-known, yet still hugely interesting, locations around the world, such as the world’s most northernmost settlement where it’s illegal to own a cat, and the birthplace of Hawaiian pizza.
The 20 Most Interesting Places in the World
New York
New York is a single neighbourhood that had an ‘Interest score’ higher than many full-size cities, and which certainly contributed to New York topping the rankings. Gramercy Park is a residential neighbourhood north of East Village, famous for its upscale brownstone apartment buildings, tree-lined streets, private park and affluent residents.
It’s associated with so many famous people who currently live or used to live there, including Julia Roberts, Rufus Wainwright, Karl Lagerfeld and Oscar Wilde – and was the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt. With such recognized residents, along with a well-documented origin story and an exclusive park (that only residents have keys to access and where photography is forbidden), Gramercy Park is the main location for nearly 2,700 Wikipedia articles!
London
London is marked as the primary location in over 6,200 Wikipedia articles. Whilst central London and the City of London are the areas with the densest concentration of article locations, Explore’s analysis shows there are also a significant number of articles that detail places and events in the Hammersmith and Kensington areas.
Tokyo
Tokyo takes the crown as the most interesting place in Asia, according to Wikipedia, and the third most interesting place in the world. With the world’s first robot hotel (with robotic receptionists), vending machines that sell virtually anything you want, the most Michelin stars held by a city and the world’s busiest intersection – the capital of Japan has come a long way since its origins as a small fishing village.
Washington DC
With a long history of events, people and landmarks, Washington DC comes in fourth in the world’s most interesting places league table, with a score of 1,495. Its importance in American politics (it hosts all three branches of the U.S. federal government) means that it is the primary location for over 2,200 Wikipedia articles.
Toronto
With an Interest Score of 1,372 and the primary location for over 1,500 Wikipedia articles, Toronto is well detailed as an international centre of business, finance, sport and culture. It has a diverse population (more than half of Toronto’s residents were born outside of Canada)and has many Wikipedia pages dedicated to its notable features, such as the tallest free-standing structure in the world, the CN Tower, as well as what many consider North America’s only authentic ‘castle’ – Casa Loma, as well as one of the longest streets in the world, Yonge Street.
Dhaka
With a population of over 10 million, Dhaka claims ‘megacity’ status, and it’s believed that the area has been inhabited since the first millennium. Wikipedia articles note its vast sprawling cityscape and the incredible amount of development and growth of the city in the last 50 years.
Hong Kong
Named as the primary location for over 1,100 articles on Wikipedia, this special administrative region of China evolved from a collection of small farming and fishing villages to become one of the world’s most important commercial ports and financial centres.
From an indoor snow and surf centre and the magic of Hong Kong Disneyland to the first Cupnoodles Museum and the old-school ‘ding ding’ public trams, Hong Kong provides an eclectic mix of modern and authentic ways to entertain yourself whilst in the city.
Taipei
Taipei lands in eight place among the world’s most interesting places, with an Interest Score of 1,294. The capital of Taiwan boasts much in the way of both modern architecture and historical buildings, as well as serene nature trails and hikes. Wikipedia details the many memorial halls and parks in the city, as well as the extensive selection of galleries, from the Taipei Fine Arts Museum to the National Palace Museum.
Singapore
The city of Singapore registers in ninth place with an Interest Score of 1,196. Wikipedia details the city’s ancient history through to its independence in 1965. There are plenty of articles on the island state’s politics and economy, as well as plenty of information about Singapore’s beautiful natural environment, such as The National Orchid Garden, Botanical Gardens and Cloud Forest.
Longyearbyen
The world’s northernmost settlement (with a population over 1,000), is based on the shore of Adventfjorden. After nearly being destroyed by the Kriegsmarine during WWII, mining operations have resumed but it’s more popular now with tourists and researchers. Longyearbyen has the lowest recorded average UV index for any current or previously inhabited place on Earth. Because of its remote location, it has some unique laws such as a ban on cats! This unique place is the main location in over 845 Wikipedia articles.
Special mentions
Chatham-Kent in Canada comes in #15: Although just a rural municipality in southwestern Ontario, this place is the main location in over 1,130 Wikipedia articles. Wikipedia articles mention it due to its African-Canadian Heritage, its claim as the birth place of Hawaiian pizza, its agri-business and chemical plants, its roots in the automotive sector, its hockey teams, and its popularity as a vacation spot thanks to its white sandy beaches, fishing and hiking trails.
Grytviken in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands at 22nd: Formerly a whaling station, Grytviken is just outside the top 20, but deserves an honourable mention.It’s tagged in over 500 Wikipedia articles, butGrytviken no longer has permanent residents.
It occasionally accommodates researchers, military personnel and admin staff, and is a popular destination for Antarctic adventurers as it’s the resting place of polar explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild. It is an Area of Special Tourist Interest – with its striking snow-covered mountains, green fields, and bright blue waters creating an incredible backdrop to old, wrecked whaling and sealing ships and abandoned industrial buildings.
Ben Ittensohn, the regional director for Australia and New Zealand at Explore Worldwide comments: “Immersing yourself in a place’s history – stepping into the actual buildings and seeing the grounds where historically significant events took place, is one of the most important parts of travel for us. So to inspire some cultural wanderlust, we’ve turned to the internet’s biggest encyclopaedia to reveal the places in the world that have the most Wikipedia pages associated with them.
“While the major global cities naturally take precedence, it’s been extraordinary to see smaller towns with unique histories and purposes, such as Longyearbyen and Grytviken rank so highly”.
In brief:
- New research from Explore Worldwide evaluates over 1.2 million Wikipedia articles to reveal the most ‘interesting’ place in the world
- After New York and London, Asian cities dominate the top ten, with Tokyo, Dhaka, and Hong Kong featuring highly in the global rankings
- More obscure locations such as Longyearbyen, Chatham-Kent and Lindytown also feature in the top twenty
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