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Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains	Town of Kittitas County	Geumleung Beach in Jeju City
Sister Cities
Blue Mountains City (New South Wales State, Australia)	Kittitas County (Washington State, USA)	Jeju City (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea)
Sister City Agreement
August 30, 1988 (signed in Sanda)	April 6, 1992 (signed in Kittitas County) April 24, 1992 (signed in Sanda)	July 31, 1997 (signed in Bukjeju County)
History of Sister City Agreement
When Mr. Peter Kirk, the former City Mayor, visited Japan with his wife to attend World Tourism Congress held in Tokyo in 1986, Australian Consulate-General and Tourism New South Wales served as intermediaries, and the two visited Sanda. Later, gatherings for discussion of international exchanges between Blue Mountains and Sanda were set, and they talked about the sister city agreement. A group of delegates from Sanda City were sent to Blue Mountains in 1987 to confirm the perspective.	When Washington State celebrated its 100th anniversary since its foundation in 1989, delegates from Sanda City participated in the ceremony and expressed their wishes to establish a sister city relationship. In 1991, Hyogo Cultural Center in Seattle approached Sanda City and informed that Kittitas County was looking for a Japanese city that would establish a sister city relationship. An inspection team was sent to Kittitas County from Sanda City. Later, an inspection team was also sent to Sanda City from Kittitas County, and both confirmed that they would make efforts to sign a sister city agreement.	Exchanges between peoples of Bukjeju County and Sanda City at a nongovernmental level started around 1995. Then Bukjeju County expressed their wishes to establish a sister city relationship. In February 1997, an inspection team was sent to Bukjeju County to confirm the significance of the sister city agreement. On July 1, 2006, Jeju was given extensive administrative power and the province was renamed Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Due to the restructuring of administrative organization, Bukjeju County was merged into Jeju City.
Area
1,737 km²	5,900 km²	997.91 km²
Population
72,000	30,100	403,100
Location
About 65 km west of Sydney	About 150 km east of Seattle	About 272 km southwest of Pusan
Equation of Time
1 hour (2 hours from late October to early March)	-17 hours (-16 hours from late April to late October)	None
Climate
The climate is very mild. The high temperature in the daytime is 22 degrees Celsius in December, and the low temperature at night is 4.3 degrees Celsius in June.	The climate of Kittitas County is similar to that of Japan. The high temperature is 27.4 degrees Celsius, and the low temperature is -7.7 degrees Celsius. The average temperature is 15.3 degrees Celsius.	The city of Jeju is in the temperate region and has four distinctive seasons. Average yearly temperature is 15.9 degrees Celsius (high: 35.0 degrees Celsius, low: 0.6 degrees Celsius).
Industry
The major industry of the city is tourism, and 2 million people visit the city annually. The whole city is within a national park. Cattle breeding is also an important industry.	Cattle breeding is the major industry of the county, and the downtown Ellensburg is called “Beef Capital”. The county exports hay, beef, and frozen food to Japan.	Jeju is the main producing district of agricultural and fishery products such as tangerines, onions, red radishes, and salted fish guts. Cattle breeding is also an important industry.
Features
A mountain range as high as 600 m to 1,000 m stretches across the city. The name Blue Mountains derives from the bluish tinge the range takes on when viewed at a distance, which is caused by the release of volatile oils from eucalyptus forests that cover the mountain.	With its abundant land, the county provides camping areas and parks. Opportunities for outdoor sports in Kittitas County are varied throughout the year, such as skiing in winter and camping in summer. The Ellensburg Rodeo, considered to be one of America’s best rodeos, is held in September every year, and attaracts as many as 40,000 people to Kittitas County to enjoy the spectacular scenery.	Jeju is rich in natural resources such as fresh air, clean sea, and vast prairies. Traditional culture is sustained in the area and people live in the virtue of thrift and in the spirits as described in the famous term “Three manys (rocks, wind, and women) and three nones (thieves, gates, and beggars)”.
Council
Blue Mountains City Council consists of 12 members (4-year term, 3 members elected from 4 districts each). The mayor is elected through mutual voting. However, it is only an honorary position, and the City Manager is the highest officer of the administrative body. City council is held once every two weeks.	The County Board of Kittitas is made up of 3 commissioners (4-year term) elected by the direct election, and has the highest authority over legislation and administration. The county consists of 6 cities, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Roslyn, Kittitas, South Cle Elum, and Easton. Citizens of each city will elect the council members (4-year term), and the mayor is elected through mutual voting.	The Local Council is run by Jeju-do. The council consists of a chairperson, 2 vice chairpersons, and 41 council members (29 from 29 election districts, 7 by the proportional representation system, and 5 from Board of education). They are elected by the direct election of the residents.