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MedellnMedelln is the capital city of Antioquia, a province in Colombia (South America). Geographical location . With a population of 2.1 million (3.2 million in the greater metropolitan area) it is the third largest city of Colombia (behind Bogot and Cali - see Cities of Colombia by size) and the main industrial center in the country. The metropolitan area of Medelln lies within the Aburr valley at an altitude of 1,538 meters and is bisected by the Medelln river which flows northward. North of the valley are the towns of Bello, Copacabana, Girardota and Barbosa. To the south of the valley lie Itag, Envigado, Sabaneta, La Estrella and Caldas. Through history Medelln has gone by different names: Aburr de los Yameses, San Lorenzo de Aburr, San Lorenzo de An, Valle de San Bartolom, Villa de la Candelaria de Medelln and Medelln. The name of Medelln originally came from "Metellium", the ancient Latin name for today's town of Medelln, 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. Besides being the industrial capital of Colombia, Medelln is usually called Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera (Everlasting Spring City), Capital de la Montaa (Mountain's Capital), Ciudad de las Flores (City Of The Flowers), Capital de las Orqudeas (Orchids' Capital), La Bella Villa (Beautiful Village) and Tacita de Plata (Little Silver Cup). Medelln is also home of many universities that serve mainly the province of Antioquia. Among the most important are Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad Nacional, EAFIT, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia. The main airport serving the area is Jos Mara Crdova International Airport, located in Rionegro. There is also the Olaya Herrera Airport for regional flights. The city is also conected from north to south by a "metro" line system. 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. Festivals and events La Feria de las Flores is the most important carnival of Antioquia and it is done in Medelln 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. Other festivals are the International Poetry Festival (June), Myths and Legends parade (December) External links
Medelln is also a small municipality in the province Badajoz, Spain.
Medelln de Bravo is also a small municipality in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.
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