Population, Political Divisions and Principal Cities

Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district. The capital and largest city is Bogota, an industrial center with a population (1999 estimate) of 6,276,000. Other important commercial cities include the trading and textile centers of Medellin (1,958,000) and Cali (2,111,000); Barranquilla (1,226,000), which provides both a seaport and a major international airport; and Cartagena (877,000), a seaport and oil pipeline terminal.

Bogota, located on a mountain plateau in the Cordillera Oriental, is the heart of cultural and political life in Colombia. Medellin, situated in a highland valley of the Cordillera Central, is the most important economic area. Originally settled by migrants from Cartagena, Medellin grew into a gold-mining town, a general commercial settlement, and finally an important manufacturing center. Cali is located in the Cauca Valley. The city began as a center of coffee production, but it later developed as the commercial heart of the entire southern region.