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Home > Travel Central America > Central America Destinations > Medellin, Antioquia
Medellin, Antioquia
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as being a region of the Americas in its own right or as the southern portion of North America. Physiographically, Central America is a tropical isthmus that connects North and South America. It includes 7 countries and many small offshore islands. Overall, the land is fertile and rugged, and dominated through its heart by a string of volcanic mountain ranges with a few active volcanos.
Medellin is the capital city of the Antioquia Department in Colombia. It was founded in 1616 by Francisco Herrera y Campuzano. As of 2006, Medellin municipality has a population of 2,223,078 inhabitants citation needed, making it the second most populated city in Colombia after Bogota. Medellin also serves as the core of the Aburra Valley metropolitan area, the second largest in Colombia, with more than 3.3 million inhabitants, and a leading and productive industrial and urban center. From the 1980s until the late 1990s, the city was known for being a base for the most powerful international drug trafficking organizations like the homebased Medellin Cartel, lead by Pablo Escobar, and for being constantly affected by the violent Colombian conflict.
Medellin is also home of over 30 universities that serve mainly the departament of Antioquia, the Eje Cafetero region and the Caribbean Coast. International flights are served through Jose Maria Cordova International Airport, located in Rionegro, outside the city and outside the Aburra Valley, thus avoiding the dangerous updrafts that render the Olaya Herrera Airport, located inside the city, useless for international traffic and large commercial aircraft. Olaya Herrera Airport serves mainly small, shortrange aircraft and regional flights.
People from Medellín are called actually by their department denomination; Antiocheans, or from the region of the coffee growers Paisas and comes from the word an abbreviation for Paisano. They make up one of the five different regional cultures within Colombia.
Medellin is also known as the town of best geographical environment and has traced its origins back to prehistoric times. Today, one can also learn about its history, from its earliest times and can also enjoy its natural beauty concealed by the beautiful landscapes.
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