Five cities or villages outside United States named after an American president
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It seems the United States is not the only country to have named its capital city after a former American president.
In honor of Presidents Day, here are the four cities or towns – in three different countries – named after an American president.
NEW WASHINGTON, AKLAN, PHILIPPINES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Washington, located in the province of Aklan, was established Jan. 15, 1904, and was named after the first president of the United States, George Washington. (Google Maps)
New Washington, located in the province of Aklan, Philippines, was established on Jan. 15, 1904, and was named after the first U.S. president, George Washington.
The name came as a tribute to the Thomasites, a group of American teachers who in the early 1900s established a new public education system in the Philippines.
It was formally called “Fonda Lagatic,” derived from the Lagatik River that stretches along some of the municipality’s villages.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to the 2015 census in the Philippines, the population of New Washington is 45,007 people.
New Washingtonians speak Aklanon, Hiligaynon, Filipino and English, and they are predominantly Christians.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MONROVIA, LIBERIA
Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia, West Africa, seen from the top of the ruins of Hotel Ducor. The main streets of the peninsula are clearly visible. (istock)
Monrovia, the capital of the African country of Liberia, was named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States.
Founded on April 25, 1822, Monrovia became the second permanent African American settlement in Africa after Freetown, Sierra Leone. Along with Washington, it is one of two national capitals to be named after a U.S. president.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It was named after Monroe because he was a prominent supporter of the colony in sending freed black slaves and ex-Caribbean slaves from the U.S. to Liberia. He found this preferable to emancipation in America.
The city is also home to the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, named for the United States’ 35th president.
According to the 2008 census, Monrovia had a population of 1,010,970 – making it the country’s most populous city.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Its twin cities are Taipei, Taiwan and Dayton, Ohio.
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ADAMS, ILOCOS NORTE, PHILIPPINES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The municipality of Adams is located in the northern coast of the Ilocos Norte province. It was named after John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. (Google Maps)
The municipality of Adams is on the northern coast of the Ilocos Norte province. It was named after John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. president.
It is bordered by Pagudpud in the north, by Santa Praxedes, Cagayan in the northeast, Calanasan, Apayao in the east, Dumalneg in the west and Vintar in the south.
It is composed of only one village; it the largest in the Philippines.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Adams has 18 waterfalls – including the Anugplig Falls, considered the premier falls in Adams – and 10 hanging bridges. Adams’ Hanging Bridge is the longest one in Ilocos Norte.
According to the 2015 census, Adams had a population of 1,792 people.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VILLA HAYES, PARAGUAY
It was named after U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes after the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870. (Google Maps)
Villa Hayes is the capital city of Presidente Hayes, a department in Paraguay.
It was named after U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes after the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870. It is said that the American president arbitrated a boundary dispute between Argentina and Paraguay, giving Paraguay 60 percent of its current territory.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In gratitude, the South American country renamed the department “Presidente Hayes.”
Hayes was the 19th president of the United States.
The city and department are not the former president's only namesakes. Club Presidente Hayes is a Paraguayan soccer club from Tacumbu, a section of Asuncion -- the country’s capital city.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The club is also known colloquially by its nicknames “Los Yaniquis” (The Yankees) and “La Estrellita” (The Little Star).
Paraguayans celebrate “Laudo Hayes Firm Day” on the anniversary of the decision, while a postage stamp was designed to honor the former president.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FELDA LB JOHNSON (OR KAMPUNG LB JOHNSON), MALAYSIA
After Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, traveled to Malaysia in 1966, the village settlement of LKTP Labu Jaya was renamed after him. (Google Maps)
After Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, traveled to Malaysia in 1966, the village settlement of LKTP Labu Jaya was named for him.
Located in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, the settlement was first founded by a group of settlers in 1963.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LKTP – or Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Persekutuan – was the term first used when talking about new rural settlements in Malaysia. It was later changed to FELDA – or Federal Land Development Authority.
Johnson visited the settlement to see for himself the rubber tree that put Malaysia on the map. It is said he tried his hand at tapping rubber.
Today, the village is known as Kampung LB Johnson as it is no longer a FELDA settlement. It also features a primary school and a mosque both named after Johnson.
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