Twin cities

Encyclopedia

Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in status and size, though not necessarily equal; a city and a substantially smaller suburb would not typically qualify, even if they were once separate. Tri-cities and quad cities are similar phenomena involving three or four municipalities.

A common – but not universal – scenario is two cities that developed concurrently on opposite sides of a river. For example, Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota – one of the most widely known pairs of “Twin Cities” – were founded several miles apart on opposite sides of the Mississippi River, and competed for prominence as they grew.

In some cases, twin cities are separated by a state border, such as Albury (New South Wales) and Wodonga (Victoria) in Australia, on opposite sides of the Murray River. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are the twin cities of Pakistan; Islamabad is the Federal Territory of Pakistan, while Rawalpindi is a city in the Punjab province. Cities on opposite sides of international borders sometimes share enough cultural and historical identity to be seen as twins, such as Haparanda (Sweden) and Tornio (Finland), Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil), or Valga (Estonia) and Valka (Latvia).

In some cases twin cities eventually merge into a single legal municipality, such as Buda and Pest merging in 1873 into Budapest, Hungary; Brooklyn being annexed by New York City in 1898; or the three ancient cities of Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang joining in 1927 into Wuhan, China.

As a single urban area, twin cities may share an airport whose airport codes include both cities’ initials, e.g., DFW (Dallas–Fort Worth), LBA (Leeds–Bradford), MSP (Minneapolis–Saint Paul), RDU (Raleigh and Durham), and CAK (Akron–Canton).

Examples

Cross-border example of twin cities: Plaza Internacional of the Frontera de la Paz. On the left, Santana do Livramento (Brazil); on the right, Rivera (Uruguay).
See also: Border town

Africa

Egypt

  • Cairo and Giza. Triple cities if counting Shubra El Kheima.
  • Port Said and Port Fuad

Ghana

  • Sekondi-Takoradi

Zambia / Zimbabwe

  • Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Livingstone, Zambia

South Africa

  • Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng Province

International

  • Kinshasa and Brazzaville

North America

Canada

  • Halifax and Dartmouth in Nova Scotia
  • Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario
  • Battleford and North Battleford, Saskatchewan “The Battlefords” 
  • Toronto and Mississauga

United States

  • Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas
  • Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado
  • Hartford and New Britain, Connecticut
  • Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida
  • Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida
  • St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida
  • Augusta, Georgia and North Augusta, South Carolina
  • Champaign and Urbana, Illinois
  • Bloomington and Normal, Illinois
  • Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa
  • Bangor and Brewer, Maine
  • Lewiston and Auburn, Maine
  • Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Montague and Whitehall, Michigan
  • Houghton and Hancock, Michigan
  • Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin
  • Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Natchez, Mississippi and Vidalia, Louisiana
  • Crystal City and Festus, Missouri
  • New York, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey
  • Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina
  • Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina (Winston-Salem itself was formerly a pair of twin cities, until the two merged)
  • Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota
  • Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota
  • Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky
  • Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington
  • Delmar, Maryland and Delmar, Delaware
  • Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
  • Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
  • Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina
  • Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia
  • Memphis, Tennessee and West Memphis, Arkansas
  • Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
  • Midland and Odessa, Texas
  • Bluefield, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia
  • Neenah and Menasha, Wisconsin
  • Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan
  • Seattle and Tacoma, Washington

International

Examples, sharing names or similar names, across an international border include:

Canada–United States border

  • Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada; Niagara Falls, New York, United States
  • Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States
  • North Portal, Saskatchewan, Canada; Portal, North Dakota, United States
Mexico–United States border

  • Tecate, Baja California, Mexico; Tecate, California, United States
  • Boquillas del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico; Boquillas, Texas, United States
  • Naco, Sonora, Mexico; Naco, Arizona, United States
  • Nogales, Sonora, Mexico; Nogales, Arizona, United States
  • San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico; San Luis, Arizona, United States
  • Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Laredo, Texas, United States
  • Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Progreso, Texas, United States
  • Calexico, California, United States; Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; see Calexico–Mexicali

Pairs with unrelated names:

Mexico–Guatemala border

  • Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, Mexico and Ayutla, San Marcos, Guatemala
United States–Canada border

  • Detroit, Michigan, United States and Windsor, Ontario, Canada; see Detroit–Windsor
  • International Falls, Minnesota, United States and Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada
United States–Mexico border

  • Douglas, Arizona, United States and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico
  • Yuma, Arizona, United States and San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico
  • San Diego, California, United States and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico; see San Diego–Tijuana
  • Brownsville, Texas, United States and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico; see Brownsville–Matamoros
  • Del Rio, Texas, United States and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico
  • Eagle Pass, Texas, United States and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico
  • El Paso, Texas, United States and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico; see El Paso–Juárez
  • Presidio, Texas, United States and Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico

Historic

  • Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
  • Saginaw and East Saginaw, Michigan, United States
  • Stanwood and East Stanwood, Washington, United States
  • Brooklyn and New York City, New York, United States

South America

Argentina

  • Carmen de Patagones and Viedma
  • Paraná, Entre Ríos and Santa Fe

Brazil

  • Americana, São Paulo and Santa Bárbara d’Oeste
  • Juazeiro and Petrolina
  • Olinda and Recife
  • Vila Velha and Vitória

Chile

  • Concepción and Talcahuano
  • Coquimbo and La Serena
  • Valparaiso and Viña del Mar

Peru

  • Callao and Lima

Venezuela

  • Acarigua and Araure
  • Guarenas and Guatire

Asia

Current

Bangladesh

  • Dhaka and Narayanganj, Bangladesh
China

  • Guangzhou and Foshan, China
  • Xi’an and Xianyang, China
  • Beijing and Langfang, China
  • Wuxi and Suzhou, China
  • Chaozhou and Shantou, China
  • Haifeng and Lufeng, China
  • Hongkong and Shenzhen, China 
India

  • Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, India
  • Allahabad and Naini, India
  • Aurangabad and Jalna, India
  • Bangalore and Hosur, India
  • Bishangarh and Jalore, India
  • Chümoukedima and Dimapur, India
  • Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, India
  • Durg and Bhilai, India
  • Hubli and Dharwad, India
  • Mysore and Srirangapatna, Karnataka, India
  • Kankroli and Rajsamand, India
  • Kochi and Ernakulam, India
  • Coimbatore and Tiruppur
  • Kolkata and Howrah, India
  • Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
  • Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra, India
  • Munger and Jamalpur, India
  • Noida and Greater Noida, India
  • Pondicherry and Cuddalore, India
  • Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra, India
  • Ranchi and Hatia, India
  • Sangli and Miraj, Maharashtra, India
  • Surat and Navsari, India
  • Sumerpur and Sheoganj, India
  • Thrissur and Guruvayur, India
  • Vijayawada and Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Bangarpet and Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka, India
  • Harihar and Davangere, Karnataka, India
  • Shivamoga and Bhadravati, Karnataka, India
  • Arcot and Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Attur and Narasingapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Bhavani and Komarapalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Dharmapuri and Nallampalli, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Erode and Pallipalayam, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Namakkal and Karur, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Tiruchirappalli and Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Telangana state, India
  • Asansol and Durgapur, West Bengal, India
  • Barrackpore and Barasat, West Bengal, India
  • Coochbehar and Alipurduar, West Bengal, India
  • Jalpaiguri and Mainaguri, West Bengal, India
  • Siliguri and Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India
  • Vellore,Tamil Nadu,India and Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Chennai and Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Iraq

  • Erbil and Mosul, Iraq
  • Seleucia and Ctesiphon, Iraq
Israel

  • Ramla and Lod, Israel
  • Tel Aviv and Jaffa, Israel
Japan

  • Aomori and Hakodate, Japan
  • Kamisu and Kashima, Japan
  • Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki, Japan
  • Kyoto and Otsu, Japan
  • Maebashi and Takasaki, Japan
  • Nasushiobara and Otawara, Japan
  • Okayama and Kurashiki, Japan
  • Osaka and Sakai, Japan
  • Sanjo and Tsubame, Japan
  • Toyohashi and Toyokawa, Japan
  • Tsukuba and Tsuchiura, Japan
  • Yokkaichi and Suzuka, Japan
Lebanon

  • Beirut and Jounieh, Lebanon
Nepal

  • Bharatpur and Gaindakot, Nepal
  • Butwal and Tilottama, Nepal
  • Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, Nepal
North Korea

  • Rason and Chongjin
Pakistan

  • Jhelum and Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan
  • Peshawar and Mardan, Pakistan
  • Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan
Palestine

  • Ramallah and al-Bireh, Palestine
Philippines

  • Dipolog and Dapitan, Philippines
Saudi Arabia

  • Dammam and Khobar, Saudi Arabia
South Korea

  • Seoul and Incheon, South Korea
  • Busan and Ulsan, South Korea
  • Sejong City and Daejeon, South Korea
  • Yangyang and Sokcho, South Korea
Taiwan

  • Taipei and New Taipei, Taiwan
Thailand

  • Bangkok and Nonthaburi, Thailand
  • Chiang Mai and Lamphun, Thailand
  • Songkhla and Hatyai, Thailand
Vietnam

  • Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, Vietnam
  • Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm, Vietnam

International

Azerbaijan-Iran Border

  • Astara, Azerbaijan and Astara, Iran
China-North Korea Border

  • Dandong, China and Sinuiju, North Korea
China-Russia Border

  • Manzhouli, China and Zabaykalsk, Russia
  • Heihe, China and Blagoveshchensk, Russia
China-Vietnam Border

  • Dongxing, China and Mong Cai, Vietnam
  • Hekou, China and Lao Cai, Vietnam
Malaysia-Singapore Border

  • Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Singapore
Laos-Thailand Border

  • Vientiane, Laos and Nong Khai, Thailand Laos-Vietnam Border
  • Dansavan, Laos and Lao Bao, Vietnam
United Arab Emirates-Oman Border

  • Al Ain, United Arab Emirates and Al Buraimi, Oman

Historic

  • Victoria and Kowloon, colonial Hong Kong—although, in both colonial Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Victoria is the only city recognised by law; they were widely considered to be separate cities until at least the mid-1970s
  • Chirala-Perala, India
  • Fukuoka (merger of east side of Naka river, Hakata, and the west side, Fukuoka)
  • Ise, Japan (merger of Uji, Yamada)
  • Joetsu, Japan (merger of Takada, Naoetsu)
  • Naha and Shuri, Okinawa, Japan, once separate cities, Shuri became integrated as a district of Naha
  • Wuhan, China (merger of Wuchang, Hankou, Hanyang)
  • Saigon and Cholon, Vietnam, merged into Saigon-Cholon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

Europe

Current

Denmark

  • Nørresundby and Aalborg, Denmark
Finland

  • Kotka and Hamina, Finland
France

  • Frejus and Saint-Raphaël, France
  • Lyon and Villeurbanne, France
Germany

  • Frankfurt and Offenbach, Germany
  • Ludwigshafen and Mannheim, Germany
  • Mainz and Wiesbaden, Germany
  • Mönchengladbach and Rheydt, Germany
  • Nuremberg and Fuerth, Germany
  • Sindelfingen and Böblingen, Germany
  • Ulm and Neu-Ulm, Germany
  • Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
Ireland

  • Ballybofey and Stranorlar, in County Donegal, Ireland are often called the Twin Towns and form the built up area of Ballybofey and Stranorlar
Norway

  • Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, Norway
  • Porsgrunn and Skien, Norway
  • Sandnes and Stavanger, Norway
Poland

  • Bydgoszcz and Toruń, Poland
  • Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland
Portugal

  • Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
  • Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, Portugal
Serbia

  • Novi Sad and Petrovaradin, Serbia
  • Temerin and Bački Jarak, Serbia
  • Zemun and New Belgrade, Serbia
Spain

  • Alcobendas and San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain
  • Aldaia and Alaquàs, Spain
  • Coslada and San Fernando de Henares, Spain
  • Elda and Petrer, Spain
  • Llombai and Catadau, Spain
  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
Sweden

  • Jönköping and Huskvarna, Sweden
Ukraine

  • Donetsk and Makiivka, Ukraine
United Kingdom

  • Bournemouth and Poole, United Kingdom
  • Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
  • Chatham and Rochester, United Kingdom
  • Chester, England and Saltney, Wales
  • Leeds and Bradford, United Kingdom
  • Manchester and Salford, United Kingdom
  • Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England
  • Liverpool and Birkenhead, England
  • Kingston upon Hull and Grimsby, England
  • Warwick and Leamington Spa, England

International

Austria–Slovakia border

  • Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia. This is an example of capital cities of neighboring nations being twin cities of one another.
Austria–Slovenia border

  • Bad Radkersburg, Austria and Gornja Radgona, Slovenia
Belgium–France border

  • Comines, Belgium and Comines, France
  • Mouscron, Belgium and Tourcoing, France
  • Wervik, Belgium and Wervicq-Sud, France
Croatia–Bosnia and Herzegovina border

  • Slavonski Brod, Croatia and Bosanski Brod, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Czech Republic–Poland border

  • Český Těšín, Czech Republic and Cieszyn, Poland
Denmark–Sweden border

  • Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden
Estonia–Latvia border

  • Valga, Estonia and Valka, Latvia
Estonia–Russia border

  • Narva, Estonia and Ivangorod, Russia
Finland–Russia border

  • Imatra, Finland and Svetogorsk, Russia
Finland–Sweden border

  • Tornio, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden
France–Germany border

  • Strasbourg, France and Kehl, Germany
France–Spain border

  • Hendaye, France and Irun, Spain
Germany–Poland border

  • Frankfurt (Oder), Germany and Słubice, Poland
  • Görlitz, Germany and Zgorzelec, Poland
  • Guben, Germany and Gubin, Poland
  • Heringsdorf, Germany and Świnoujście, Poland
Germany–Switzerland border

  • Konstanz, Germany and Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
  • Laufenburg (Baden), Germany and Laufenburg, Aargau, Switzerland, separated between the Rhine River (used to be one city until 1801/1802).
Hungary–Slovakia border

  • Esztergom, Hungary and Štúrovo, Slovakia
  • Komárno, Slovakia and Komárom, Hungary
Ireland–United Kingdom border

  • Strabane, Northern Ireland and Lifford, Ireland
Italy–Slovenia border

  • Gorizia, Italy and Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Italy-Vatican City border

  • Rome, Italy and Vatican City, Holy See. Vatican City is the only sovereign state surrounded entirely by a single city, Rome. The Vatican was an area in Rome and part of Italy until 1929, when Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini signed the Lateran Treaty.
The Netherlands–Germany border

  • Kerkrade, The Netherlands and Herzogenrath, Germany
Spain–Gibraltar border

  • La Línea de la Concepción, Spain and Gibraltar
Switzerland–Germany-France border

  • Basel, Switzerland and Weil am Rhein, Germany and Saint Louis, France

Historic

  • Knokke and Heist-aan-Zee. United into Knokke-Heist, Belgium.
  • Gradec and Kaptol. United into Zagreb, Croatia.
  • Frýdek and Místek. United into Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic.
  • Barmen and Elberfeld, Germany. United into Wuppertal.
  • Kouvola and Kuusankoski. United into Kouvola, Finland.
  • West Berlin, West Germany and East Berlin, East Germany. United into Berlin, Germany.
  • Buda and Pest. United into Budapest, Hungary.
  • Bielsko and Biała, Poland. United into Bielsko-Biała.
  • City of London and City of Westminster, England. Absorbed into London, United Kingdom.
  • Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tweedmouth, until the former was taken by England from Scotland.
  • Äänekoski and Suolahti. United into Äänekoski, Finland.

Oceania

  • Albury and Wodonga, Australia
  • Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia
  • Darwin and Palmerston, Australia
  • Forster and Tuncurry, Australia
  • Gold Coast and Tweed Heads, Australia
  • Harden and Murrumburrah, Australia
  • Kalgoorlie and Boulder, Australia
  • Napier and Hastings, New Zealand
  • Perth and Fremantle, Australia
  • Townsville and Thuringowa, Australia

Tri-cities

Main article: Tri-Cities (disambiguation)
Australia

  • Brisbane; Gold Coast; and Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia — see South East Queensland
  • Sydney; Wollongong; and Newcastle, Australia in the geological region known as the Sydney Basin
Canada

  • The Tri-cities of British Columbia consist of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody
  • The Tri-citites of Kitchener; Waterloo; and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the K-W Tri-City Area
  • Tri-Town, Ontario, Canada – Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard
China

  • Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Fujian
Germany

  • Wuppertal, Remscheid, Solingen, Rhineland, originally a quad-city until 1929, when Elberfeld and Barmen merged to form Wuppertal
India

  • Chandigarh; Mohali; and Panchkula, India
  • Vijayawada; Amaravati; and Guntur, India
  • Chennai,Avadi and Tambaram
  • Warangal; Hanamkonda; Kazipet in India — see Warangal Tri-City
Japan

  • Kyoto; Osaka; Kobe – see Keihanshin
Malaysia

  • Parit Buntar, Perak; Nibong Tebal, Penang; and Bandar Baharu, Kedah
Mexico

  • Guadalajara; Tlaquepaque; Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
Nepal

  • Bhaktapur; Kathmandu; and Patan, Nepal
  • Tricity, Nepal, consisting of the cities of Baglung, Beni and Kushma
Philippines

  • Cebu City; Mandaue; and Lapu-Lapu City, the Philippines
Poland

  • Gdańsk; Gdynia; and Sopot, Poland — see Tricity, Poland
  • Wejherowo; Rumia; and Reda, Poland — see Kashubian Tricity
Saudi Arabia

  • The Dammam metropolitan area, consisting of Dammam; Dhahran; and Khobar, Saudi Arabia
South Africa

  • The metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane (Pretoria) and Ekurhuleni (East Rand), Gauteng Province
  • Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Kariega (Uitenhage) and Despatch in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province
  • East London, Bhisho and Qonce (King William’s Town) in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province
Sudan

  • Khartoum; North Khartoum; and Omdurman, Sudan
Sweden

  • Stockholm; Solna; and Sundbyberg, Sweden
  • Trollhättan; Uddevalla; and Vänersborg, Sweden
United Arab Emirates

  • The Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area, consisting of Dubai; Sharjah; and Ajman, United Arab Emirates
United States

  • Burbank; Glendale; and Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, California, United States
  • Fremont; Newark; and Union City, in Alameda County, California, United States
  • Oceanside; Vista; and Carlsbad, in San Diego County, California, United States
  • Riverside; San Bernardino; and Ontario, California, United States, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the Inland Empire
  • San Jose; San Francisco; and Oakland, California, United States
  • College Park; East Point; and Hapeville, Georgia, United States, all of which are near Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
  • Geneva; Batavia; and St. Charles, in Kane County, Illinois, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Illinois
  • Bay City; Saginaw; and Midland, Michigan, United States, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the Greater Tri Cities, the Great Lakes Bay Region or the MBS region
  • Ferrysburg; Grand Haven; and Spring Lake, Michigan, United States
  • Iron River, Caspian, and Gaastra, Michigan, United States
  • Ironwood; Bessemer; and Wakefield, Michigan, United States
  • Grand Island; Kearney; and Hastings, in south-central Nebraska, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Nebraska
  • Rochester; Dover; and Somersworth, New Hampshire, United States
  • Farmington; Bloomfield; and Aztec, New Mexico, United States
  • Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, New York, United States, in the region known as the Capital District
  • Binghamton; Endicott; and Johnson City, New York, United States, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the Triple Cities
  • New York, New York; Newark; and Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
  • Greensboro; Winston-Salem; and High Point, North Carolina, United States, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the Piedmont Triad
  • Raleigh; Durham; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called the Research Triangle
  • Tuttle; Newcastle; and Blanchard, Oklahoma, United States, also known as the Tri-City Area
  • Johnson City; Kingsport; and Bristol, Tennessee/Bristol, Virginia, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Tennessee
  • Beaumont; Port Arthur; and Orange, Texas, United States, also known as the Golden Triangle (Texas)
  • Dallas; Fort Worth; and Arlington, Texas, United States
  • Petersburg; Colonial Heights; and Hopewell, Virginia, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Virginia
  • Pasco; Richland; and Kennewick, Washington, United States, also known as Tri-Cities, Washington
  • Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and Arlington County, Virginia, United States

Quad cities

China

  • Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping, and Enping together formed Siyi area in Jiangmen, Guangdong
Finland

  • Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Uusimaa, Finland; together form the largest metropolis in the country and its actual capital area.
Thailand

  • Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area consists of the City of Pattaya, Town of Chonburi, Portal town of Laem Chabang and Town of Sattahip on the west coast of Chonburi Province, Thailand
United Kingdom

  • The West Yorkshire Built-up Area consists of the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, and the large town of Huddersfield, United Kingdom.
United States

  • The Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area in Alabama, United States, is locally referred to as “the Quad Cities”, with Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia, Alabama. Formerly, when Muscle Shoals was a mere village, this region was known as “Tri-Cities”, Alabama. In fact, all except Florence are incorporated as towns.
  • Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, United States. It also includes a fifth member, East Moline, Illinois.
  • Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Easton, Pennsylvania/Phillipsburg, New Jersey, United States; the collective area is often called the Lehigh Valley
  • The Quad Cities of Minnesota, United States, consist of Virginia, Eveleth, Gilbert, and Mountain Iron.
  • The cities of Pullman, Washington, Moscow, Idaho, Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington, United States, have marketed themselves as “Quad Cities.”

More than four cities

Denmark

  • The Triangle Region (Denmark), consisting of Billund, Fredericia, Haderslev, Kolding, Middelfart, Vejen and Vejle, Denmark.
Germany

  • The Ruhr district (Germany): consisting of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Oberhausen, Mülheim, Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen and Herne in its core.
India

  • In India: the cities of New Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad have formed a huge metropolitan area known as National Capital Region (India).
Malaysia

  • In Malaysia: the cities of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Puchong, Shah Alam, Klang, Port Klang, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, and Kajang have formed a huge metropolitan area (around the size of Singapore) known as Greater Kuala Lumpur.
Kazakhstan

  • In Kazakhstan: the cities of Karaganda, Temirtau, Shakhtinsk, Abai, Saran, Topar, Dolinka, Shahan, Kokpekti, and Novodolinsky form an industrial-mining area known since Soviet times as Karbass (Karaganda coal basin).
United States

  • In the US states of Illinois and Iowa: The cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa; Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in Illinois form a metropolitan area known as the Quad Cities.
  • In the US states of Michigan and Wisconsin sit the 6 cities of Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Quinnesec, Norway (in Michigan), Aurora, and Niagara (in Wisconsin). The area is collectively known as the Iron Mountain Area.
  • In the US state of Virginia: Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach; the cities’ collective metropolitan area is often called Hampton Roads

Examples of cities formed by amalgamation

Asia

China

  • Wuhan in China consists of the towns of Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang in Hubei Province.
India

  • Delhi, India: What used to be Old Delhi, New Delhi, and a collection of smaller villages has now grown into the current megalopolis that is seen today, also known as the National Capital Region (NCR)
  • In Telangana, India, the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are merged to form Greater Hyderabad.
Japan

  • Fukuoka in Japan, a city of 1.4 million people, formerly the twin cities of Hakata and Fukuoka until the late 19th century.
  • Kitakyushu in Japan, a city of 900,000 people, created in 1963 by the merger of Yahata, Kokura, Moji, Wakamatsu, and Tobata. Yahata and Kokura had formerly been major cities in their own right.
  • Saitama in Japan, a city of 1.2 million people, created in 2001 by the merger of the cities of Urawa, Omiya, Yono, and later Iwatsuki. Urawa and Omiya could formerly have been considered twin cities.
Pakistan

  • Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, has been expanded to include smaller towns including Rawat in its territory.
  • Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, has, as of 2013, grown out so much that small towns by this giant city, such as Shahdara, have been absorbed in its city limits.
Taiwan

  • The former cities of Taoyuan and Zhongli, Taiwan, which merged along with the entire county in 2014 to form a single municipality city of Taoyuan, the two cities sit directly next to each other and shares almost the same population.
Thailand

  • Bangkok, the capital and largest city of Thailand, was created in 1971, when the previous Bangkok province (Phra Nakhon) was merged with Thonburi province.
Vietnam

  • The cities of Saigon and Cholon merged in 1931 to form a single city named Saigon-Cholon; in 1956, the name Cholon was dropped and the city became known as Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam.

Europe

Germany

  • Berlin (Berlin and Cölln), in Germany
  • Duisburg (Duisburg and Hamborn, 1929–1935 called Duisburg-Hamborn), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
  • Wuppertal (Barmen and Elberfeld), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Greece

  • Athens incorporated dozens of villages and towns and absorbed whole of Athens basin and parts outside of it, notably Piraeus.
Hungary

  • Budapest, Hungary is the amalgamation of Buda, Pest and Óbuda.
The Netherlands

  • Eindhoven, the Netherlands, merged with five neighbouring municipalities (Woensel, Tongelre, Stratum, Gestel en Blaarthem and Strijp) into the new Groot-Eindhoven (“Greater Eindhoven”) in 1920. The prefix “Groot-” was later dropped.
Spain

  • Madrid, Spain, evolved by absorption of other towns (like Tetuán de las Victorias, Vallecas, Chamartín de la Rosa or Aravaca)
United Kingdom

  • Edinburgh, Scotland, absorbed a number of surrounding villages, but most notably the separate burgh of Leith.
  • London, England, grew from its cores in the City of London and the City of Westminster to encompass many other towns and villages within neighbouring counties and absorbed almost the whole of Middlesex county.
  • Manchester and the city of Salford, England in the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester (formerly in Lancashire).
  • Stoke-on-Trent, England was created in 1910 from the towns of Burslem, Hanley, Tunstall, Longton, Fenton and Stoke, taking its name from the latter. Neighbouring Newcastle-under-Lyme remains a separate town.

North America