Twin towns or sister cities of Somalia

Hi everyone,

Because of my studies I deal a lot with tourism and cooperative ties between towns, cities and regions. I was wondering if Somali cities have commercial and cultural ties with other cities in the world.

Twin towns or sister cities are cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties. Source

For instance São Paulo in Brazil has 33 sister cities and this has helped a lot with sharing knowledge and promoting cultural and commercial ties. Today the city has helped greatly for Brazil in becoming the 6th largest economy in the world. Beating the United Kingdom. The city is twinned with major economic and cultural tigers such as Seoul, Toronto, Osaka, Beijing and Tel Aviv.

If it turns out that Somalia does not have twin cities, my question is which cities do you think Somali cities should tie itself with in the future when there is peace?

My choices for Mogadishu for instance would be:

1) Seoul,South Korea
2) Busan, South Korea
3) São Paulo, Brazil
4) Mumbai, India
5) Tokyo, Japan
6) Istanbul, Turkey
7) Taipei, Taiwan
8) San Francisco, United States
9) London, United Kingdom
10) Jakarta, Indonesia

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world. This is a power hungry city that has a need for more resources.

It is one of the world's top ten financial and commercial centers, home to major multinational conglomerates such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai-Kia. In 2008, Seoul was named the world's sixth most economically powerful city by Forbes. Seoul has a highly technologically advanced infrastructure. It has the world's fastest 100 Mbit/s broadband network, which at 34.4% has the highest penetration in the world. The city has a unified public transportation system with Incheon and Gyeonggi, allowing passengers to transfer freely from either subway or bus using the T-money smart card and is connected to Incheon International Airport, rated the best airport worldwide still today since 2005 by Airports Council International.

I have been in this city for a couple of months and I can assure you that we can learn a lot from the Koreans when it comes to transport, infrastructure and IT.





Busan, South Korea

Busan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the world's fifth busiest seaports by cargo tonnage. The city is also known for the Busan International Film Festival. The Koreans love fish and we have an abundance of fish in our waters that they will love.





São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and Americas, and the world's seventh largest city by population. São Paulo is the capital of the state of São Paulo, which is the most populous Brazilian state, and exerts strong regional influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment. São Paulo maintains strong international influence and is considered an Alpha- World City. The city also has a high demand of resources that Somalia could help with in exchange for good trade relations.





Mumbai, India

Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. In 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city. Mumbai is also the richest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West or Central Asia. We already have historic ties that we can renew and create commercial ties. Somalia and India are very well located for trade.






Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of the world. Tokyo has been described as one of the three "command centers" for the world economy, along with New York City and London. The city is considered an alpha+ world city, listed by the GaWC's 2008 inventory and ranked fourth among global cities by A.T. Kearney's 2012 Global Cities Index. The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, commonly known as the Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. Somalia could play very well in this scene if only there was enough will power.





Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, forming the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population of 13.4 million, the city is at the center of the second-largest urban area in Europe and among the world's largest cities by population within city limits. With our common friendship now, I don't think it will be difficult to become a sister city.





Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Situated at the northern tip of the island of Taiwan, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River; it is about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of Keelung, a port city on the Pacific Ocean. The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,618,772 people.

The GDP per capita of Taipei is US$48,400, and the second highest in Asia behind Tokyo, which has a GDP per capita of US$65,453. If outskirts, neighboring cities, and townships are taken into account, the GDP per capita would fall to US$25,000. Most of the country's important factories producing textiles and apparel are located there; other industries include the manufacture of electronic products and components, electrical machinery and equipment, printed materials, precision equipment, and foods and beverages. Services,including those related to commerce, transportation, and banking, have become increasingly important. Taiwan wants to become independent from mainland China and Somalia could ease it for them by becoming less dependent on mainland China.





San Francisco, United States

San Francisco officially is the financial and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.6 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland. Tourism, the city's largest private-sector employer, is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. Its frequent portrayal in music, film, and popular culture has made the city and its landmarks recognizable worldwide. Somali coastal cities can learn much from this city when it comes to tourism.







London, United Kingdom

With the growing interest of the UK in Somalia we can make use of this and our large diaspora community.



Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Located on the northwest coast of Java, Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre, and with a population of 10,187,595 as of November 2011, it is the most populous city in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia, and is the twelfth-largest city in the world. Jakarta's economy depends heavily on financial service, trade, and manufacturing. Industries in Jakarta include electronics, automotive, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing.