[Chat] Baltimore's Sister Cities

[Emil Volcheck]

I had no idea that Baltimore had nine Sister Cities!

There's a list on the BACVA page:

   http://www.baltimore.org/visitors/v_intl_sis.html

and here's the text for convenience below.

--Emil


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
stands on a peninsula jutting out into a bay in the Atlantic
Ocean. Thought by some to be the oldest city in Europe, Cadiz was
founded in 1100 BC by the Phoenicians. Cadiz possesses an interesting
culture that is aside from other European cities with its rich Islamic
and Moorish roots to add to the flavor of this southern Spanish city.

GENOA, ITALY

The main center of the Liguri Genuates, Genoa developed as a maritime
emporium beginning in the 5th century BC. The inspiring city of Genoa
serves as a commercial port, pleases the visitor as a genteel seaside
resort, and offers fine 16th century palaces in a town proud of its
history and legend which was the native place of Christopher Columbus.

GBARNGA, LIBERIA

A major town located in the western country of Liberia, Gbarnga
bustles with its busy open-air markets where you'll find fresh produce
to intricate jewelry.

KAWASAKI, JAPAN

Kawasaki, located in the Greator Tokyo metropolitan area, has made a
great contribution to the development of the Japanese economy as a
leading industrial city. Although Kawasaki is an industrial city, it
also enjoys a reputation as an environmentally conscious city where
the citizens' standard of living is considered a top priority. With
many foreign residents living here, Kawasaki has become a caring,
multicultural city.

LUXOR, THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

Luxor has often been called the world's greatest open-air museum. The
number and preservation of the monuments in the Luxor area are beyond
compare to anywhere else in the world. There is hardly a place in the
city that does not have a relic that tells of the grandeur of the
Ancient Egyptians several thousand years ago.

ODESSA, UKRAINE

Odessa, the third largest Ukrainian city, is a major industrial,
cultural, scientific, and resort center in the Northern Black Sea
region. A mild climate tied together with plenty of beaches and the
Black Sea attract thousands of tourists to Odessa throughout the year,
earning it the title of "Southern Palmira."

PIRAEUS, GREECE

Piraeus is one of Greece's largest cities and its biggest
port. Piraeus was first settled in the time of Themistocles, when the
Long Walls were built in 478 BC. The commercial harbor of Piraeus is
one of the most important in the Mediterranean. The city itself with
its suburbs is an industrial zone of particular importance for the
Greek economy, but its center nevertheless has broad streets, spacious
squares, tree-lined avenues, and parks.

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

Founded in 1328, Rotterdam is one of the largest cities of the
Netherlands and is home to the largest port in the world. Once just a
small, quiet fishing harbor, Rotterdam is now 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, most beautiful, seaport city, is located on
the southeastern coast of Fujian Province. The city can be dated back
as far as the Song Dynasty and has always been an important trading
port. Xiamen is a rapidly growing city, with a strong economy and a
fully modern infrastructure. Over the past 10 years, Xiamen has
increasingly focused on the expansion of international trade,
education, and tourism.


-- 
Emil Volcheck
volcheck at acm.org
http://acm.org/~volcheck