New Bedford's Sister Cities

Barrow, Alaska  |  Funchal, Madeira  |  Horta, Azores
Mindelo, Cabo Verde  |  Tosashimizu, Japan


Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cabo Verde
©Tomé Cardoso
Tosashimizu, Japan
Barrow, Alaska

Barrow, Alaska - Barrow (Ukpeagvik - "High Place for Viewing") is the northernmost community in North America and the largest Eskimo city in the world.

 

Funchal, Ilha da Madeira (Portugal) - Funchal is the capital of Madeira.

 

Horta, Azores (Portugal) - Horta is the main port of the island of Faial in the Azores. It is an excellent harbor for yachts and a transatlantic meeting place for sailors.

 

Mindelo, Cabo Verde - Mindelo is the capital of the island of Sao Vicente and Cabo Verde's major port. With a population of 35,000, it is the second largest city the country.

 

Tosashimizu, Japan
(Fairhaven/New Bedford Sister City)

In 1841 the New Bedford whaleship John Howland, under Capt. William Whitfield of Fairhaven, rescued Manjiro Nakahama (John Manjiro) and four other Japanese fisherman from the island of Torishima where they had been stranded for six months. Manjiro would become the first person of Japanese origin to come to live, and to be educated, in the United States and then to return to Japan. It is felt that Manjiro played an important role in the opening of Japan to the West. In 1987 Crown Prince Akihito and his wife, Princess Michiko, paid a special visit to Fairhaven.

Manjiro Nakahama was born in what is now Tosashimizu City. Tosashimizu is located on the southern tip of Shikoku Island in the Kochi Prefecture. Kochi is a mountainous land with brilliant blue seas, and it is regarded as one of the most beautiful natural areas in Japan.

© 1998 - Richard Leary
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