Metropolitan Area of Medellín
Encyclopedia
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Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Área Metropolitana de Medellín) is a metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
and subregion in the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n Department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Antioquia. The region is made up by 10 municipalities
Municipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
being the most important and largest the capital city of the Antioquia Department; Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
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History
The Metropolitan Area of Medellín was the first metropolitan area created in Colombia, in 1980. The metropolitan area was created in order to produce economic integration, projection and planning for urban development in the cities over the Aburra Valley.The total population of the 10 cities and municipalities part of this metropolitan area is 3,312,165 inhabitants. The development of the Aburra Valley occurred in the 1930s after a rapid population growth that produced a conurbation of Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Bello
Bello, Antioquia
Bello is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia and is a suburb of Medellín, the department capital. Bello is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.-Demographics:...
and Envigado
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
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Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, as the capital of the Antioquia Department, main economic center and host of most of local government entities contributed to a rapid urban development which absorbed many corregimiento
Corregimiento
Corregimiento is a term used in Colombia to define a subdivision of Colombian departments. According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and Decree 2274 of October 4, 1991, Corregimiento is an internal part of a Department or province, which includes a population core...
s such as Robledo, La América, La Floresta, Guayabal and Belén, among others. With the indistrialization the middle and higher class moved to the southern parts of the city like El Poblado
El Poblado, Medellín
El Poblado is a comuna in the metropolitan area of the city of Medellín, Colombia. According to a 2005 census the population is 94,704 distributed among its land area of 1432.58 km². It is the wealthiest district of the city. The comuna consists of 24 barrios and is located at the south-east...
, which ultimaltely reached the city of Envigado
Envigado
Envigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
, while the working class population of Medellín reached cities to the north (Bello
Bello, Antioquia
Bello is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia and is a suburb of Medellín, the department capital. Bello is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.-Demographics:...
) and the southwest (Itagüí
Itagüí
Itagüí is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Itagüí is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.Itagüí is known as the most industrialized city in all Colombia, therefore having the nickname, "La ciudad industrial"....
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Geography
The Metropolitan Area of Medellín borders with the municipalities of EbejicoEbejico
Ebéjico is a town and municipality in the West of Antioquia Department, Colombia.- Limits :Ebéjico is bounded on the north by the municipality towns of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Sopetrán and St...
, Heliconia
Heliconia
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...
, Angelopolis
Angelópolis
Angelópolis is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia....
and Amagá
Amagá
Amagá is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. It is part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia. The area was known for its coal and iron ore production and it hosted early iron works.-Notable places:...
to the west, with the municipalities of Santa Barbara
Santa Bárbara, Antioquia
Santa Bárbara is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia. Santa Barbara is located in a valley about 2.5 hours drive from Medellín by car or bus....
and Fredonia
Fredonia, Antioquia
Fredonia is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia....
to the south. To the southwest it borders with the Eastern Antioquia
Eastern Antioquia
Eastern Antioquia is subregion of the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is conformed by 23 municipalities.-Geography:...
region and to the north with the municipalities of San Jeronimo
San Jerónimo, Antioquia
San Jerónimo is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia....
, San Pedro
San Pedro, Antioquia
San Pedro is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Part of the subregion of Northern Antioquia....
and Don Matías
Don Matías
Don Matías is a municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Northern Antioquia.-External links:* http://parroquiadonmatias.org...
covering a total area of 1,152 km². The largest being the territory of the municipality of Medellín with 382 km² and the smallest one Sabaneta
Sabaneta, Antioquia
Sabaneta is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia, also part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.Sabaneta is well known for its cathedral, Maria Auxiliadora and its surrounding nightclubs, bars and arts & crafts stores...
with 15 km².
Most of the Metropolitan Area is located within the Aburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley
Aburrá Valley , is the natural basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 3 million inhabitants. The valley is located on the Central Range, over the Antioquian Mountain just between the Magdalean and Cauca valleys from east to west...
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Municipalities
- BarbosaBarbosa, AntioquiaBarbosa is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Situated 39 km from the city of Medellín, it is one of the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It is known as the Gateway to the Northeast, famous for its lakes and streams. A traditional Pineapple Festival...
- BelloBello, AntioquiaBello is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia and is a suburb of Medellín, the department capital. Bello is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.-Demographics:...
- CaldasCaldas, AntioquiaCaldas is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Caldas is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Caldas.- Notable Caldenses :*Luis Fernando Montoya professional soccer coach...
- CopacabanaCopacabana, AntioquiaCopacabana is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Copacabana is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín....
- EnvigadoEnvigadoEnvigado is a city of Colombia in the department of Antioquia, located at the south of the Aburrá Valley and belonging to the Metropolitan Area of Medellín. It has limits at its north with El Poblado, Medellín; at its south with Sabaneta; at its east with El Retiro and Caldas and at west with Itagüí...
- GirardotaGirardotaGirardota is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Girardota is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín....
- ItagüíItagüíItagüí is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Itagüí is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.Itagüí is known as the most industrialized city in all Colombia, therefore having the nickname, "La ciudad industrial"....
- La EstrellaLa Estrella, AntioquiaLa Estrella is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. La Estrella is part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín....
- MedellínMedellínMedellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
- SabanetaSabaneta, AntioquiaSabaneta is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia, also part of the Metropolitan Area of Medellín.Sabaneta is well known for its cathedral, Maria Auxiliadora and its surrounding nightclubs, bars and arts & crafts stores...