Maps of Cities in Colombia

Colombia is a country located in the northwestern part of South America. It is administratively divided into 32 departments and one capital district. The country contains 1,122 municipalities, a significant number of which have developed into urban centers of regional and national importance.

Bogotá, officially known as Bogotá, Distrito Capital, is the capital and the most populous city in Colombia, with a population of approximately 8 million people within the city proper and over 11 million in the metropolitan area. It is situated on a high-altitude plateau called the Sabana de Bogotá, at an elevation of approximately 2,625 meters above sea level. The city serves as the political, economic, administrative, and cultural center of the country.

Medellín is the second-largest city in Colombia and the capital of the Antioquia department. It is located in the narrow Aburrá Valley in the Central Andes. The city has a population of approximately 2.5 million in the city proper. Medellín is a major industrial and financial hub and is also home to the headquarters of several national companies. The city gained international recognition in the 2010s for its urban transformation, which included the construction of cable cars and escalators connecting hillside neighborhoods to the metro system.

Cali, formally Santiago de Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department and the third-largest city in Colombia, with a population of around 2.2 million. It was founded in 1536 and is considered the salsa music capital of the world.

Barranquilla is Colombia's fourth-largest city and the main port on the Caribbean coast. It is the capital of the Atlántico department and has a population of roughly 1.2 million. The city hosts one of the largest carnivals in Latin America, the Carnival of Barranquilla, which was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.

Cartagena de Indias is a historic port city on the Caribbean coast. Its historic center, known as the Walled City, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The city was founded in 1533 and played a central role in the Spanish colonial trade network. Today it serves as a major tourist destination and a significant port for Colombia's international trade.

Other notable cities include Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander department, known for its relatively high quality of life index among Colombian cities; Pereira, an important urban center in the Coffee-Growing Axis region; Manizales, also part of the Coffee Axis and the capital of Caldas department; and Santa Marta, one of the oldest surviving cities founded by Europeans in the Americas, established in 1525.

Colombia's urban population accounts for approximately 80 percent of the total national population, reflecting a long-term trend of rural-to-urban migration that accelerated significantly during the second half of the 20th century.