Cali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Cali —  City  — Santiago de Cali Flag Seal Nickname(s): "Branch of Heaven", "Sports Capital of Colombia", "Cali es Cali, lo demás es loma", "The Salsa capital of the world Location of the municipality and city of Cali in the Valle del Cauca Department. Cali Location in Colombia Coordinates: 3°25′14″N 76°31′20″W / 3.42056°N 76.52222°W / 3.42056; -76.52222Coordinates: 3°25′14″N 76°31′20″W / 3.42056°N 76.52222°W / 3.42056; -76.52222 Country Colombia Department Valle del Cauca Foundation 25 July 1536 Founder Sebastián de Belalcázar Government  • Mayor Rodrigo Guerrero Velasco Area  • City 564 km2 (218 sq mi) Elevation 997 m (3,271 ft) Population (2012)  • City 2,294,653  • Rank Ranked 3rd  • Density Bad rounding here4,100/km2 (Bad rounding here11,000/sq mi)  • Metro 3,200,000 (2,012) Demonym Caleño Time zone COT (UTC-5) Area code(s) +57 2 HDI (2010) 0.89 – very high Website Official website (Spanish)

Santiago de Cali (Spanish pronunciation: ), normally referred to as simply Cali, is a city in western Colombia and the capital of the Valle del Cauca department. With a population of 2.5 million, Cali is the third largest city in the country. The principal urban, cultural, and economic site in southwestern Colombia, Cali has one of the fastest growing economies in the country due to its geographic location. The city was founded on 25 July 1536 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar.

It is the main sports center of Colombia, being the only Colombian city to have hosted the Pan American Games (in 1971) and will host the ninth edition of the World Games 2013, the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2014, and the World Youth Championships in Athletics in 2015.