Medellín

What it's known for

Medellín is Colombia's second-largest city and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It grew as a centre of the textile industry in the first half of the 20th century, and in 2013 the Urban Land Institute named it the world's most innovative city.

Fun facts

1. Its mild, spring-like weather all year gives it the nickname 'City of Eternal Spring'.
2. The Medellín Metro, opened in 1995, was Colombia's first rail metro, and its Metrocable cable cars carry riders up to neighbourhoods on the steep hillsides.
3. The artist Fernando Botero was born in Medellín and gave 23 bronze sculptures of his famously round figures for the square now called Botero Plaza.