Medellín is the capital city of Antioquia, a province in Colombia (South America). The city is located at 6°15′ N 75°36′ W (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=6_15_N_75_36_W_). With a population of 2.3 million (4.2 million in the greater metropolitan area) it is the third largest city in Colombia (behind Bogotá and Cali) and the main industrial center in the country. Antioquia was one of the states in the original United States of Colombia, and is now a department in the northwest part of the Republic of Colombia. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

The metropolitan area of Medellín lies within the Aburrá valley at an altitude 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 lie Itagüí, Envigado, Sabaneta, La Estrella and Caldas. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ... Andrés Bello - anonymous, oil on canvas. ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... Barbosa is also the name of a plant genus. ... Sabaneta de Barinas, Edo. ... Caldas is a department of Colombia. ...

Aburrá Valley from Quitasol hill looking south with Bello in the foreground and Medellín in the background

Through history Medellín has gone by different names: Aburrá de los Yamesíes, San Lorenzo de Aburrá, San Lorenzo de Aná, Valle de San Bartolomé, Villa de la Candelaria de Medellín and Medellín. The name of Medellín originally came from "Metellium", the ancient Latin name for today's town of Medellín, Extremadura in the province of Badajoz, Spain. "Metellium", in turn, is derived from the name of the Roman founder of the city in 75 AD, Cecilio Metello. The capital of Antioquia was named after said Spanish town in honor of the earl of that city, Pedro Portocarrero, who was the president of the Consejo de Indias of Spain at the time. View of Valley of Aburra from the north on cerro de Quitasol. ... View of Valley of Aburra from the north on cerro de Quitasol. ... Andrés Bello - anonymous, oil on canvas. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Capital Mérida Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 5th  41 634 km²  8,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 13th  1 073 050  2,6%  25,77/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  —  extremeño/a, castúo Statute of Autonomy February 26, 1983 ISO 3166-2 EX Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate... Badajoz, the capital of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, is situated close to the Portuguese frontier, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid-Lisbon railway. ... Antioquia was one of the states in the original United States of Colombia, and is now a department in the northwest part of the Republic of Colombia. ...

Besides being the industrial capital of Colombia, Medellín is usually called Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera (Everlasting Spring City), Capital de la Montaña (Mountain's Capital), Ciudad de las Flores (City Of The Flowers), Capital de las Orquídeas (Orchids' Capital), La Bella Villa (Beautiful Village) and Tacita de Plata (Little Silver Cup). It is surrounded by fantastic country side and has some of the friendliest people you will ever meet

Medellín is also home of many universities that serve mainly the province of Antioquia. Among the most important are Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad Nacional, Universidad EAFIT, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia.

The main airport serving the area is José María Córdova International Airport, located in Rionegro. Served by a variety of local carriers, it also has inter-continental service on American Airlines and Avianca to Miami and COPA to Panama City. There is also the Olaya Herrera Airport for regional flights. The city is also conected from north to south by a "metro" line system (Metromed). Important community centers are Parque de los pies descalzos (Barefooted Walking Park), Parque de los deseos (Dreams Park), the municipal zoo and the Botanical Garden. José María Córdova International Airport (IATA Code: MDE) is the international airport that serves the city of Medellín, (Colombia) and its surroundings. ...

Festivals and events

La Feria de las Flores is the most important carnival of Antioquia and it is done in Medellín at the beginning of august every year, since 1957. This carnival has several activities such as antique cars parade, desfile de silleteros (flower carriers parade), horse ride down the streets, exhibition of fondas from much of the towns in Antioquia, etc. Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany A carnival parade is a public celebration, combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... United States Marines on parade. ...

Other festivals are the International Poetry Festival (http://www.epm.net.co/VIIfestivalpoesia/html/english.html) (June), Myths and Legends parade (December) Bust of Homer, one of the earliest European poets, in the British Museum Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ...

External links

• The city's official government webpage in Spanish (http://www.medellin.gov.co/)
• Postcards and landscapes of the city (http://www.colombiamoda.com/visitantes/medellin_04.htm#)
• Portafolio Consultores webpage in English (http://www.portafolio.org/medellineng.htm/)
• Metro (http://www.metrodemedellin.org.co)
• Universidad de Antioquia (http://www.udea.edu.co)
• Universidad Nacional, sede Medellín (http://www.unalmed.edu.co)
• Universidad EAFIT (http://www.eafit.edu.co)
• Medellin Stories (http://www.roadjunky.com/colombia/articles_colombia.shtml) Collection of articles.

Medellín is also a small municipality in the province Badajoz, Spain. Badajoz is a province of western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. ...

Medellín de Bravo is also a small municipality in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Veracruz is the name of a city and a state in Mexico. ...