Medellín

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History

In August 1541, Marshal Jorge Robledo was in the place known today as Heliconia when he saw in the distance what he thought was a valley. He sent Jerónimo Luis Tejelo to explore the territory, and during the night of 23 August, Tejelo reached the plain of what is now Aburrá Valley. The Spaniards gave it the name of "Valley of Saint Bartholomew", but this was soon changed for the native name Aburrá "Painters" because of the textile decorations of the local rulers. In 1574, Gaspar de Rodas asked the Antioquia's cabildo for of land to establish herds and a ranch in the valley. The Cabildo granted him of land. Soon after, the college moved to a new building in the small San Ignacio square. In 1821 it was renamed Colegio de Antioquia, and it became the University of Antioquia in 1901. The university also had the first vocational training school, the first cultural radio station in Latin America, and the first regional botanical garden. In the first half of the twentieth century, the population of Medellín increased sixfold, from 59,815 inhabitants in 1905 to 358,189 in 1951. The Thousand Days War (1899–1902) stopped the industrial development of the city, although the civil war did not affect the region directly. Under reforms by President Rafael Reyes after the conflict, the city continued its industrial development Its headquarters, the Coltejer Building, is the tallest skyscraper in Medellín and the fourth tallest building in Colombia. The discovery of coal in Amagá, a few kilometers south of the Aburrá Valley, and the building of hydroelectric plants provided the new industries with energy, and this allowed the creation of many smaller companies. The Antioquia Railway (built in 1875) conquered the difficult geography of one of the most mountainous regions of South…

Geography

Medellín has 16 comunas (districts), 5 corregimientos (townships), and 271 barrios (neighborhoods). The metropolitan area of Medellín lies within the Aburrá valley at an elevation of above sea level and is bisected by the Medellín River (also called Porce), 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. The weather in Medellín is warm year-round with few temperature extremes. As a municipality, Medellín has an area of . Medellín features a tropical monsoon climate (Am). Since Medellín is located at 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 at times is more characteristic of a humid subtropical climate than that of a tropical climate. The city's average annual temperature is , and because of its proximity to the equator, its temperature is constant year-round, with minimal temperature variations. Temperatures range from . Because of the pleasant springlike climate all year, Medellín is known as "La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera" or "City of the Eternal Spring". The city is located in a valley and many of its districts are on slopes; temperatures can be slightly cooler on the surrounding mountains.

Most-observed species

• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  10,427
• Blue-gray Tanager

  Thraupis episcopus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  10,392
• Tropical Kingbird

  Tyrannus melancholicus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  10,272
• Eared Dove

  Zenaida auriculata (Des Murs, 1847) · Aves
  9,840
• Palm Tanager

  Thraupis palmarum (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) · Aves
  8,808
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  8,555
• Ruddy Ground-Dove

  Columbina talpacoti (Temminck, 1810) · Aves
  8,000
• Black-billed Thrush

  Turdus ignobilis P.L.Sclater, 1858 · Aves
  7,832

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2026-04-18
  13 km NNW of Campamento, Colombia
• M 4.9 — 2025-09-21
  25 km WSW of Abriaquí, Colombia
• M 5.4 — 2025-09-14
  5 km N of Frontino, Colombia
• M 4.9 — 2024-12-24
  13 km SW of Caracolí, Colombia
• M 4.5 — 2024-12-24
  7 km SE of Ituango, Colombia
• M 4.4 — 2024-09-12
  2 km ENE of Yalí, Colombia