7 Places with Unusually High Twin Births

Igbo ora is a town in Oyo situated, in south-western Nigeria. It has been nicknamed as “Twin Capital of the World” because of the unusually frequent twin births in this region. Research has suggested that the multiple births could be related to the eating habits of the women in the region. A chemical found inside the Igbo ora woman and the peelings of a widely consumed tuber (yams) might be the cause of multiple births according to the study conducted by the University of Lagos.

Whilst recent accurate figures do not exist, a study conducted by a British gynecologist, Patrick Nylander, between 1972 and 1982 recorded an average of 45 to 50 sets of twins per 1000 live births. Here there are only a few households that do not have at least one set of twins.

Kodinhi is a village situated in Southern India populated by 2000 families. This village came into limelight by the surveys done by the locals that found an unusually large number of twin births in the region. There was an estimation of 204 pairs and two pairs of triplets according to one survey. The oldest pair of twin born in that village was born on 1949. Kodinhi Women married off to far off places have given birth to twins. Some says it’s the water, but no studies have confirmed it. The number of twin births in Kodhinji has been increasing over the years.

This small village situated in the Uttar Pradesh state of Northern India is home to 6000 people. This village has registered over 100 pairs of twins in the last 50 years. This village’s population is 80% Muslim and 20% Hindu population and twin births have been common in both these communities. This village doesn’t have roads, school or a hospital. Villagers say that around 90 pairs of twins have died due to delays in medical aid to pregnant women. Authorities haven’t been able to pinpoint the cause of such high twin birth rates.

Cândido Godói is a municipality situated in Northern Brazil. It is home to a population of 6500 and is famous for the high number of twins born here. The rate of twin births in Cândido Godói is 10%. The population is largely of Polish or German ancestry, with many tracing ancestry to the Hunsrück region of Germany, which has a higher than average twinning rate.

The notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, who had conducted twin “studies” in Germany and experiments with twins in Auschwitz is known to have fled to South America as the Allies were closing in on the Nazi German regime. The Argentine historian Jorge Camarasa has suggested that Mengele conducted experiments on women in the area, which could be responsible for the high ratio of twins.

This village started making headlines after it was discovered that this village had a high number of twins. There were 39 sets of twins and the oldest twin is 89 and the youngest is 9 months old out of the 367 families living in this village. This village has yet another twin phenomenon is that the village’s chickens have also been laying “Double Yolk Eggs”. This twin phenomenon could be due to women these days having easier access of fertility drugs and treatments than before, a doctor speculated.

This village is situated in Hubei, China. This village is said to have 12 times of the global average of twin births. Legends say it is the miracle of the water from the old well. In 1980’s most twins were born because the well was the main source of water for the village. After the well ran dry, running tap water was introduced, after which only two sets of twins were born in the village.

This village is situated in South-west Zakarpattia Oblast region that has less than 4000 inhabitants. 61 pairs of twins have been recorded in this village, earning a name in the Ukraine’s record book. Locals maintain that the twin boom is due to the special water which they claim has a health promoting properties. This twin boom has also affected cattle in the area, with above the average birth of twin calves.