From Cairo to Tokyo: Can you guess these twin cities?

By Al Jazeera Staff. Published On 14 Oct 202614 Oct 2026.

Key points

• The US city of St Paul and Japan's Nagasaki established a sister-city partnership in 1955 to promote reconciliation after the atomic bombing of the latter in 1945.
• After which the Czech Republic established a partnership with Taipei, prague's relationship with Beijing additionally concluded in 2019 against the backdrop of a dispute involving Taiwan.
• Modern town twinning grew after World War II as a way to rebuild trust and foster peace.
• Councillors will create a final decision after the consultation and a review of the borough's twinning policy.
• Twin cities, additionally called sister cities, are places in different countries linked by formal friendship agreements.

Hackney, a borough in east London, is consulting residents until October 14 on whether to end its twinning with Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, a link that dates back to 1968.

Notably, the Green Party-led council voted on July 28 to end the partnership in principle, citing its values and human rights commitments against the backdrop of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Councillors will create a final decision after the consultation and a review of the borough's twinning policy. What are twin cities?

Twin cities, additionally called sister cities, are places in different countries linked by formal friendship agreements. Though numerous become inactive over time, these relationships can backing school exchanges, cultural events and civic visits. Can you guess which cities are twinned? Take our quiz below. How twin cities began.

Modern town twinning grew after World War II as a way to rebuild trust and foster peace. Coventry and Stalingrad (now Volgograd), both heavily bombed during the war, established a friendship link in 1944, often cited as the first modern city-twinning relationship.

Meanwhile, the US city of St Paul and Japan's Nagasaki established a sister-city partnership in 1955 to promote reconciliation after the atomic bombing of the latter in 1945. Cities have since formed links since of shared histories, similar roles as capitals or ports, or communities with roots in both places. Why do cities cut ties?

Since twinning is often symbolic, ending a link can allow a council to produce a statement. A number of UK councils suspended or concluded links with Russian cities after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

After which the Czech Republic established a partnership with Taipei, prague's relationship with Beijing additionally concluded in 2019 against the backdrop of a dispute involving Taiwan. Hackney's proposal is the latest example of cities reassessing their international ties.

In short, from Cairo to Tokyo: Can you guess these twin cities? Is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.