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Universidad EAFIT: / Centro de Idiomas / Spanish Program / Inglés
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Medellín
The City Of Eternal SPRING
Founded in 1675, it is the urban heart of a metropolitan area of 1,152 square kilometers. At 1,538 mts. (over 5000 ft) above sea level, its wonderful climate of 24°C (76°F) average year-round, has earned it international recognition as the City of Eternal Spring. Medellín is a green city, with well designed streets and avenues adorned with many kinds of trees, including fruit trees, which give shelter to more than 150 different species of birds. It has a rail-based mass transit system (the Metro) that crosses the city from north to south and from east to west. This modern means of transportation is, at present, a one-of-a-kind in Colombia and an example to the entire world in regard to order, cleanliness and safety. Public utilities are the best in South America, with a 98% coverage provided by Empresas Publicas de Medellín (the municipally-owned multiple utility company) which stands out as one of the best in the Americas being declared the company of the 20th Century in Colombia.
In environmental sanitation, Medellin is the third Latin American city, after Monterrey (Mexico) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) having a sophisticated system for collecting and treating waste waters from homes and industries.
Medellín is considered a commercial center. In its shopping malls and factory outlets, it is possible, to find reasonable price, to purchase textiles and clothing of varied design, as well as shoes and other garments of excellent quality. For this reason Medellín is considered the Fashion Capital of Colombia.
Medellin is also a city with a large number of tourist attractions. There are a great number of hotels, and a Convention Center where important events such as the Fashion Fair and the Book Fair are held every year. The downtown area has been renovated and developed into what is now called “Botero City”, thanks to the donation of the well-known painter Fernando Botero.
The most important tourist event of the year is the Parade of the Silleteros whose protagonists are the flower growers from the rural areas around Medellín. The SILLETA is a heavy chair-like structure where a huge flower arrangement is made to be carried on one person's back. The beauty of the arrangements lies in the motifs, social or political or simply decorative, that are chosen. The bearers parade through the streets exhibiting their creative art.
People from the Medellín metropolitan area and surroundings are hospitable by nature – this is the great quality perceived by those who enjoy the privilege of visiting the city.
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Última modificación: 19/02/2008 04:46:08 p.m. |
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