In the news

• October 4, 2023 Update: Councilmember Kim Barber just returned from a Sister City trip to Lankaran for the Azerbaijan National Urban Forum. Here is a link to a few photos from the trip! (Choose Tiles in upper-right to view thumbnails)
  
  Aymar Babayev, Olympic Committee, Azerbaijan; Councilmember Dr. Kim Barber; Nargiz Garajayeva, Senior Advisor of the Special Representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and Aymar Babayev, BMT Azerbaijan
  
• Article in the summer 2022 edition of City Focus: Monterey/Lankaran Friendship Association - English Summer School 2022, BY JAMES EZIMOHA, STUDENT AT ADA UNIVERSITY FROM NIGERIA

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Quick Facts
Sister City since:  2011
Distance from Monterey: 7,193 miles, 1 day 3hrs
Population City: 223,100
Population Country: 9,754,830
Climate: humid subtropical climate, cool, wet winters, very warm, dry/highly humid summers
Local Time: (GMT+4)
Currency: Azerbaijani manat
Official Country Flag

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About - Proclamation
Lankaran in Azerbaijan is a city on the coast of the Caspian Sea. The city is near the southern border with Iran and forms a distinct first-order division of Azerbaijan. Agriculture, cattle-breeding, tea-growing, citrus plants, beekeeping, fishing, and grain farming are dominant economies in Lankaran. Seven miles west of the town are thermal mineral springs that are a highlight for both residents and visitors. Several sandy beaches and the historical ruins of Ballabur castle are just to the west.

 

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Monterey and Lankaran, 2011
The official sister-city proclamation was signed in June, 2011 by the Monterey City Council and by high-ranking officials from the city and county of Lankaran. A delegation of Azerbaijan officials was in town all week to learn about Monterey County. Eliu Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general came from Los Angeles to be part of the signing ceremony. He said the delegation is particularly interested in Monterey's tourism and education industries, with the expectation the group will take back ideas for its own planning. While Lankaran, population 120,000, boasts a location on the golden coast of the Caspian, the coastline is practically abandoned.

The group was impressed with Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row development and its Coastal Recreation Trail. In addition to its oil economy, the city of Lankaran takes significant pride in its tea. Lankaran is a subtropical paradise and resort. It is located in the southeast of Azerbaijan practically on the border with Iran. In the east the city is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The nature of Lankaran harmoniously combines high mountain tops, fertile lowlands and pebbly sea coasts.