Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá | |
|---|---|
 Medellín | |
 Location of the Aburrá Valley region within theAntioquia Department | |
| Country |  Colombia |
| Department | Antioquia |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 1,157 km2 (447 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Metro | 4,055,296 |
| • Metro density | 3,505/km2 (9,078/sq mi) |
| GDP[1] | |
| • Metro | US$ 35 billion (2023) |
| • Per capita | US$ 8,500 (2023) |
TheMetropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (Spanish:Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá) is the second most important and populatedmetropolitan area inColombia. The region is made up of tenmunicipalities,Medellín being the most important, largest and the capital city of theAntioquia Department.
The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley was the first metropolitan area created in Colombia, in 1980. The metropolitan area was created in order to produce economic integration, projection, and planning for urban development in the cities over the Aburra Valley.
The total population of the ten cities and municipalities part of this metropolitan area is close to four million inhabitants. The development of the Aburra Valley occurred in the 1930s after a rapid population growth that produced a conurbation ofMedellín,Itagüí,Envigado, andBello.
Medellín, as the capital of the Antioquia Department, main economic center and host of most of local government entities contributed to a rapid urban development which absorbed manycorregimientos such as Robledo, La América, La Floresta, Guayabal, and Belén, among others. With the industrialization the middle and higher class moved to the southern parts of the city such asEl Poblado, which ultimately reached the city ofEnvigado, while the working class population of Medellín reached cities to the north (Bello) and the southwest (Itagüí).
The Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley borders with the municipalities ofEbejico,Heliconia,Angelopolis, andAmagá to the west, with the municipalities ofSanta Barbara andFredonia to the south. To the southwest it borders with theEastern Antioquia region and to the north with the municipalities ofSan Jeronimo,San Pedro, andDon Matías covering a total area of 1,152 km2. The largest being the territory of the municipality of Medellín with 382 km2 and the smallest oneSabaneta with 15 km2.
Most of the Metropolitan Area is located within theAburrá Valley.
| Municipalities | Extension [[km2]] | Population (hab) | Density (inhabitants/km2) | Altitude m | Distance Medellín Downtown (km) | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medellín | 380,64 | 2 368 282* | 6 221,8 | 1538 | 0 | |
| Bello | 142,36 | 595 457* | 3 960,9 | 1450 | 10 | |
| Envigado | 78,80 | 202 310* | 3504 | 1575 | 10 | |
| Itagüí | 17,00 | 255 369* | 15 021,7 | 1550 | 11 | |
| Sabaneta | 15,00 | 48 997* | 3 266,4 | 1550 | 14 | |
| Barbosa | 206,00 | 46 951* | 227,9 | 1300 | 42 | |
| Caldas | 133,40 | 74 072* | 555,2 | 1750 | 22 | |
| La Estrella | 35,00 | 58 414* | 1 668,9 | 1775 | 16 | |
| Girardota | 78,00 | 49 381* | 663,0 | 1425 | 26 | |
| Copacabana | 70,00 | 66 665* | 952,3 | 1454 | 18 | |
| Total | 1 157,39 | 3 591 963* | 3 104 | — | — | |
| *DANE[2] | ||||||
Capital:Medellín | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regions and municipalities |
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