Sister Cities

The Sister Cities program was established to create a force for international cooperation and understanding through community involvement and people-to-people relationships. The committee's programs include: school affiliations and educational exchanges, business and community interaction,technical assistance, cultural exchanges, citizens' visits, youth leadership development programs and sports exchanges.

In 1972 Baltimore entered into its first Sister City relationship. Presently,Baltimore has nine sister affiliations: Cadiz, Spain; Genoa, Italy; Gbarnga, Liberia; Kawasaki, Japan; Luxor, Arab Republic of Egypt; Odessa, Ukraine; Piraeus, Greece; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; and Xiamen, China.

CADIZ, SPAIN

The beautiful city of Cadiz is almost entirely surrounded by water; it rests on a peninsula in southern Spain that juts into the Atlantic Ocean. Thought by some to be the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz was founded in 1100 BCby the Phoenicians. Cadiz’s fascinating culture stems from its Islamic and Moorish roots.

GENOA, ITALY

The main center of the Liguri Genuates, Genoa as a maritime emporium in the 5th century BC. While Genoa currently serves as a commercial port, it entices visitors with its sophisticated seaside charm and16th century palaces. The native home of Christopher Columbus, Genoa is a city proud of itshistory and legend.

GBARNGA, LIBERIA

A major town located in the western region of Liberia, Gbarnga bustles withits exciting and busy open-air markets where visitors can find anything from fresh produce to beautiful, intricate jewelry.

KAWASAKI, JAPAN

Kawasaki, located in the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, has made a great contribution to the Japanese economy as aleading industrial city. Despite its industrial roots, Kawasaki has become an exciting, multicultural city. enjoys a reputation asan environmentally conscious city where citizens’ standard of living is a top priority. With many foreign residents, Kawasaki has become an exciting, multicultural city.

LUXOR, THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

Luxor has often been called the world's greatestopen-air museum. The number of monuments and relics in the Luxor area is beyond compare with anywhere else in the world. Almost every area of the city tells of the grandeur and power of the Egyptians thousands of years ago.

ODESSA, UKRAINE

Odessa, the third largest Ukrainian city, is a majorindustrial, cultural, scientific, and resort center in the Northern Black Sea region. Many beautiful beaches along the Balck Sea, along with a mild climate, attract thousands of tourists every year, earning Odessa the title “Southern Palmira.”

PIRAEUS, GREECE

Piraeus is one of Greece's largest cities and hometo its biggest port. Piraeus was first settled in the time of Themistocles, when the Long Walls were built. The commercial harbor Piraeus is one of the most important in the Mediterranean. The city is an important industrial zonefor the Greek economy, but its center is filled with broad, tree-lined streets,spacious squares and parks.

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

Founded in 1328, Rotterdam is one of the largestcities of the Netherlands and is home to thelargest port in the world. At one time just a small, quiet fishing harbor, now Rotterdam is a bustling city that is constantly growing. Rotterdam prides itself on fascinating architecture and a society rich in culture.

XIAMEN, CHINA

Xiamen, China's cleanest, mostbeautiful, seaport city is located on the southeastern coast of Fujian Province. The city’s history datesto the Song Dynasty and has always been an important trading port. Xiamen is rapidly growing, with a strong economy and modern infrastructure. Over the past ten years, Xiamen has increasingly focused on expanding international trade, education, and tourism.