Medellín << meh deh YEEN >> is one of Colombia’s largest cities. The municipality of Medellín has a population of 2,486,723. A municipality may include rural areas as well as the urban center. Medellín is in northwestern Colombia, nearly 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level in a lovely valley east of the Cauca River. Medellín is an industrial center. Its factories produce most of Colombia’s textiles, as well as clothing, processed food, agricultural machinery, glass and china, paints, and chemicals. Medellín has four universities. Residential neighborhoods and modern industrial parks surround the city.
Spaniards seeking rich lands and gold founded Medellín in 1675. Medellín has been called the “city of eternal spring” because of its beauty and climate. In the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, Medellín was badly affected by the Colombian civil war and the illegal drug trade (see Colombia (Civil war) ). The violence had a large effect on the city’s poor youths. There were many sicarios << see KAH ree ohs >> , street children hired by drug traffickers to commit murders and other crimes.
