Medellín
Medellín
Medellín is a municipality and capital city in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín of the Antioquia Department, Colombia. It was founded in 1616 by Francisco Herrera y Campuzano. As of 2006, the municipality of Medellín has a population of 2.4 million inhabitants, making it the second most populated city in Colombia after Bogotá[1][2]. Medellín also serves as the core of the Valle de Aburrá (Aburrá Valley) metropolitan area, the second largest in Colombia, with more than 3.2 million inhabitants, and a leading and productive industrial and urban center.
The city's major concern, shared by many other Colombian cities, is the ongoing unemployment and sub-employment problem. People from Antioquia and especially from Medellín are called Paisas although the Paisas are people from the departments of Antioquia, Risaralda, Caldas and Quindío.
Geography and climate
Medellín has an area of 382 km². It has 16 comunas (districts), 5 corregimientos and 271 barrios. The metropolitan area of Medellín lies within the Aburrá valley at an elevation of 1,538 meters and is bisected by the Medellín River which flows northward. North of the valley are the towns of Bello, Copacabana, Girardota and Barbosa. To the south of the valley Itagüí, Envigado, Sabaneta, La Estrella and Caldas can be found.
Because Medellín is located at 5,000 ft above sea level, its climate is not as hot as other cities located at the same latitude near the equator. Because of its altitude above sea level and privileged location in the Andes Range, Medellín's weather is more characteristic of a Humid subtropical climate rather than that of a Tropical climate. The city's average annual temperature is 22°C (72°F) and because of its proximity to the equator, its temperature is constant year round with minimal temperature variations. Temperatures range from 15°C (52°F) to 30°C (86°F). The pleasant spring-like climate year round makes it known as 'La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera' or 'City of the Eternal Spring'.