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We are building a travel app that will have categories of places like

  1. Wild Life
  2. Rivers
  3. Beaches
  4. Hill Stations

I also want to have categories describing the following:

  1. Historic Places / Archeological Places
  2. Churches/Temples/Mosques

What are the suitable single-word substitutions for these?

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You might use "places of worship" for category 2. Category 1 is two distinct types of places. An archeological dig is often just a hole in the ground or a place like Olduvai Gorge, but historic(al) sites are usually buildings and battlefields and other places where important events occurred. – Bill Franke Jan 8 at 6:47
@BillFranke for Category 2 - can you suggest a single word. – Harsha M V Jan 8 at 6:51
3  
Not a single word, but religious sites is only 2 words. – Jim Jan 8 at 6:56
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There are few nonsectarian possibilities: tabernacles and temples are the only two I can find. – Bill Franke Jan 8 at 7:17
For your first three items, Ecotourism Sites might work, depending on how natural and undisturbed the places are. But Hill Station wouldn't fit there. If you're directing people to see the architecture of churches/temples/mosques, "Religious Buildings" might work; if you're sending them there for services, then "Houses of Worship" would be better. – JLG Jan 8 at 13:06
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1 Answer

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CED suggests that holy places such as temples and churches can be referred to as sanctuaries.

To describe places of historical significance, perhaps you can use the word monuments.

monument

an obelisk, statue, building, etc, erected in commemoration of a person or event or in celebration of something

a notable building or site, esp one preserved as public property

a tomb or tombstone

A little suggestion for your app that you may find useful:

you can create a special section called the UNESCO World Heritage Sites where you can have places that are listed by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as of special cultural or physical significance.

Here is a link to the list.

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Both the words seem to be apt....but I think Sanctuaries is a bit uncommon usage in this context, so users may not understand its use just by its name. – Mohit Jan 8 at 8:41
@Mohit Yeah.. That's why I suggested holy places too :) But holy places may sound weird to the users. – user19341 Jan 8 at 9:52
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Terry Pratchett had a Council of Churches, Temples, Sacred Groves and Big Ominous Rocks... – TimLymington Jan 8 at 12:34

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