Learn about Miami’s 24 sister cities spanning the globe
Take a tour around the world by learning more about Miami’s 24 sister cities.
If Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love, then Miami surely must be the city of sisterly joy. That’s because South Florida’s Magic City, as it is also known, boasts not one, not 10 … but 24 sister cities across the globe!
And what is a sister city, you may be asking? In a nutshell, a sister city relationship is a partnership between two communities in two countries that is officially recognized when an elected or appointed official from both communities agrees to become a sister city. Each sister city pursues the activities and areas that are important to its community, including trade, educational, and cultural exchanges and projects with their sister city. In turn, the cities enrich each other, just like in all good sibling relationships.
So, are you ready to know more about Miami’s urban siblings? Get ready for a fascinating trip around the world!
1. Asti, Italy
The sister city relationship between Asti Province—which is known for its fine wines, including Asti spumante—and Miami-Dade County was established in 1985. Since then, the relationship has been so beneficial that it even garnered Miami its very own knight! John Edward Smith, a marketing & management professional, was inducted in 2023 as a Knight of the Lands of Asti and the Monferrato to recognize Smith’s decades of service promoting the wines and folkloric traditions of the area.
2. Asuncion, Paraguay
Known as the World’s Capital of Friendship, Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America. The sister city relationship between Asunción and Miami-Dade County was established in 1994. It went so well that in 2020, the two countries signed a Sister Airport agreement to increase trade, tourism, and cultural relations.
3. Cape Town, South Africa
Home to the inspirational South African president Nelson Mandela, Cape Town is a cultural mix of many different lifestyles, including Dutch, French, Malay, English, Afrikaner, and Xhosa. Miami’s culture is also diverse, with Hispanic, Jewish American, Caribbean, and Haitian influences. PortMiami and the Port of Cape Town have had a Sister Port agreement since 2005 to increase cargo and cruise traffic at both ports. And since 2007, Miami-Dade County has sent two business development missions to Cape Town since 2007.
4. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Just like Miami, Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, is a paradise known for its vibrant nightlife. The sister city relationship between Tenerife and Miami-Dade County was established in 1992. And the relationship is fitting, because many Cuban-Americans in Miami have roots in the Canary Islands. To remind visitors that Miami is on the same latitude as North Africa, there is a bronze plaque at Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables, that faces east towards Tenerife, the capital of the Canary Islands.
5. Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Home to some of the world’s most beautiful white sand beaches in the world, you’re likely to experience beach hopping like never before. We are talking, of course, about both Miami and the Bahamas. These sisters have a long history together, including The Little Bahamas neighborhood of Coconut Grove that was settled by Bahamian pioneers in the 1870s. The Bahamas is also the official Destination Partner of Miami Athletics. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, the Bahamas and the United States have had close economic and commercial relations. Best of all? You can travel from Miami to the Bahamas by ferry.
6. County Cork, Ireland
Known for its wild peninsulas and fascinating islands, including the former prison fortress of Spike Island, County Cork’s sister city relationship with Miami was established recently, in 2017. Trade and tourism are a significant portion of both communities’ economies, and Miami-Dade and County Cork want to cooperate to further trade, tourism, cultural and educational opportunities.
7. Curitiba, Brazil
Curitiba is the capital and largest city in the Brazilian state of Paraná, a modern commercial center that manufactures automobiles, trucks, buses, paper, furniture, textiles, cement, and tobacco. Its sister city agreement with Miami was signed in 2022 with the goal of improving trade, sharing best practices on urban development and green mobility, and leveraging commonalities. And with their beaches and sunny dispositions, the sisters couldn’t be more alike. In fact, some Brazilians describe Miami as “the biggest Brazilian city outside of Brazil right now.”
8. Dakar, Senegal
In 2008, the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to establish a sister city relationship with Dakar, Senegal, one of the most stable democracies in Africa. It’s a fascinating place that boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Sine Saloum Delta. The relationship between the two cities includes opportunities in the healthcare sector and commercial ventures.
9. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Miami are connected by the 1994 Summit of the Americas, which was held in Miami. Like Miami, it has a warm tropical climate and combines culture with modernity. The close-knit Bolivian community in Miami organizes events for Bolivian expats to meet each other and hosts events that include dining at trendy restaurants, of which the MagicCity has many!
10. Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis Islands
St Kitts and Nevis, an island country located in the Caribbean, signed its sister city agreement with Miami in 2004. One of the most promising outcomes of the sibling relationship was the commitment to creating more inclusive opportunities for local businesses and operators. Interestingly, one of America’s founding fathers was born on the Island. Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis and lived on the two islands until 1772 when, about age 18, he moved to Boston.
11. Iquique, Chile
Iquique is a port city and the capital of the region of Tarapacá in Northern Chile. Like Miami, it is famous for its nice beaches ideal for surfers and sportsmen in general. The Chilean city has a strong cultural and economic bond with Miami, where the bust of Captain Arturo Prat Chacón, who was hailed as a naval hero for his heroic death at the Battle of Iquique during the War of the Pacific, is exhibited in the commercial Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami, next to the spectacular Bahía de Biscayne. The statue was installed in Miami on August 25, 2023.
12. Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica—a vibrant and culturally rich destination with a fascinating blend of history, art, music, and natural beauty—is the second-largest English-speaking city south of Miami, and it’s been the city’s sister since 1981. Due to its proximity to the islands and migrant population, Miami has a lively, reliable Caribbean restaurant scene, with places like Dukunoo Jamaican Kitchen, which has been named among the best Caribbean restaurants in the 305, as Miami is also known.
13. Maldonado, Uruguay
Maldonado is the largest olive oil-producing region in Uruguay. Maldonado produced more than half of the small South American country’s olive oil yield and after establishing a sister city relationship with Miami in 2022, Maldonado is dedicated to working with its U.S. sibling to distribute its product across the state and to other parts of the US, creating opportunities of business development for both cities.
14. Gran Ciudad del Sur del Departamento de Guatemala
Guatemala’s Ciudad del Sur, located in the most populous country in Central America with coasts on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, has a sweet relationship with Miami since 2022. Literally. That’s because the Central American city is the birthplace of chocolate thanks to the Maya civilization, which considered cacao a divine gift. Miami’s Exquisito Chocolates makes chocolate from cacao sourced from Lachua, Guatemala, with its unique high acidity and notes of berries and lemons.
15. Metropolis of Aix-Marseille-Provence, France.
Aix-Marseille-Provence, the largest metropolitan area in France, is a major center for business, trade, and decision-making in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The sister cities relationship, which was established in 2017, is especially beneficial when it comes to fashion, as every day, new French mode companies establish ties with the Magic City.
16. New Taipei City, Taiwan
Miami-Dade County entered into a sister-city relationship with Taiwan’s New Taipei City in 1981, also making it the first sister-city agreement the county signed with a city in Asia. And what a supportive sister it is! Besides the mutual benefits of trade and cultural exchange, Taiwan sent medical masks to assist Florida in combating COVID-19 and donated US $300,000 for Hurricane Ian relief, demonstrating its commitment to helping sister cities in need.
17. Paramaribo, Suriname
Paramaribo, which was founded in 1603 by the Dutch as a trading post, today hosts the Surinamese Carnival, which features vibrant parades and cultural festivities, much like its sister city since 2022. Paramaribo has close ties with Miami through diplomatic relations and air travel. And to tighten the sisterly bond, the Magic City now offers direct flights to Paramaribo, which helps to strengthen tourism and commercial relations.
18. Pereira, Colombia
Established in 2002 as Miami’s sister city, this Colombian town, like its US sibling, is known for being an important city for tourism. As of 2022, there were over 165,000 Colombians in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, making it the second-largest population of foreign-born residents in the city, after Cubans. This has given way to dozens of cafeterias and “ventanitas” (little windows) across Miami, where Colombian coffee is sold. This is good for both sisters, as Pereira is the center of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, as named by UNESCO.
19. Petit Goave, Haiti
A wealthy settlement in Haiti that was once the capital of the colony of Saint-Domingue, in 1995, Petit Goave became a sister city to Miami. In 2016 a neighborhood known for its creative global restaurants, colorful street murals and fruit stands, and flourishing art scene was established in Miami. Today, Little Haiti proudly waves the banner of the Caribbean country and is the heart and soul of Miami’s Haitian community.
20. Prague, Czech Republic
Located in the middle of Bohemia on the Vltava River, Prague is called the “Heart of Europe.” In 2010, it established its sibling relationship with Miami, which has seen an influx of Czechs, including members of the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club and the Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic, as well as celebrities like the famous tennis player Martina Navrátilová and her wife, Julia Lemigova, who live on a small family farm in Miami Beach.
21. Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is a city in Argentina’s Cuyo region and the heart of Argentina’s wine country, which produces more wine than any other country on the continent. And that is great news for cities that became siblings in 2001. Miami exports a great deal of wine from the region, among them Trapiche, from a leading Argentine winery that partnered with Inter Miami CF as the club’s official winery, and Terrazas de los Andes, a high-altitude wine brand that produces elegant and bright wines.
22. San Jose, Costa Rica
San José is the capital of Costa Rica, a country known for its rich biodiversity, including over 500,000 species, 900 of which are birds. It’s also home to over 200 volcanic formations. The region has close ties to Miami, which became its sister in 1988, promoting a great deal of trade between the countries. In fact, the United States, Miami included, is Costa Rica’s top export destination. In 2023 alone, the US imported almost $9 billion in goods from Costa Rica, including edible fruits, nuts, citrus peel, and melons.
23. Santo Domingo Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
A subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital, Santo Domingo, the Distrito Nacional is one of the Caribbean’s oldest cities. Miami, its sister city since 2022, has a significant Dominican population. It is also home to Little Santo Domingo, a historic neighborhood located in Allapattah that has been listed as one of the most endangered historic places in the country due to overdevelopment, displacement, and cultural erasure. The good news? It is working with its sister city to revert this tendency by promoting commerce in the area.
24. Stockholm County, Sweden
Beautiful Stockholm became Sweden’s capital in 1634 and Miami’s sister in 1995. Like Miami, it is close to the water, as it is built on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges. No wonder Stockholm is nicknamed the Venice of the North! Due to its large population and favorable climate, Miami is an attractive location for Swedish companies, including Sweden’s ties to Miami’s shipping industry and the Magic City’s strong connections with Nordic cruise lines.
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