Cali

Cali is the capital of the department of Valle del Cauca in southern Colombia. It is the industrial and commercial center of the Cauca Valley. Cali has about 3 million inhabitants and is after the capital Bogota, the largest city in the country. In the twentieth century made the city a tremendous growth - in the 50s the population doubled. In the city are coffee, cotton, sugar, meats and soybeans traded. In addition there are tires, tobacco, textiles, paper, chemicals and building materials produced.

History

Cali was founded in 1536 by the conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar, but had most of its history, relatively small. In 1811 called Cali its independence from Spain, along with five other cities in the Cauca Valley. In the 80s the city was in the news because there is a notorious cocaine gang had established it in Cali, known as the Calikartel. The name Cali comes from the Quechua some say, others argue that the name comes from the Nasa Yuwe.

In the city are six universities and the headquarters of the Cauca valley development project located. The main tourist attractions in Cali are an aqueduct and a cathedral. There is also a special zoo located in Cali: Zoológico de Cali.

Climate

It's usually hot, averaging 26.8 ° C, and sometimes pronounced hot. The humidity is high and there is - especially at night - a cool breeze by the presence of mountains surrounding the city. The city is at about 1000 meters altitude, so there is no malaria. There are hardly any variations in seasons, because Cali near the equator.