Palmira

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Palmira (pronouced pälmē'rä) is the agricultural capital of Colombia and second-largest city in the department of Valle del Cauca, the largest being Cali, the department capital. With a population of approximately 250,600, it is the largest non-capital city, and the twentieth largest of the country.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Industry and Recreation
4 Transportation
5 Education
6 Famous residents
7 External links

The city is in southwestern Colombia, lying in the Cauca River valley, approximately 20 miles northeast of Cali. The city covers an area of 448 square miles. The average temperature is 23ºC (73º F) and its altitude is 1 km (3284 ft) above sea level.

Its inhabitants are called "Palmireños" or "Palmiranos" in "Valluno" slang. It is one of the few cities in Colombia that doesn't have "Tugurios" or very low life neighborhoods. The city of Palmira was founded in 1688. The current bishop of Palmira, Bishop Orlando Antonio Corrales Garcia, was named Archbishop of Santa Fe de Antioquia in January 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Important agricultural products are sugar cane, coffee, rice, corn, and tobacco. The burning of the waste cane is a prime source of air pollution in the city. In 2005, Palmira opened its first large and post modern shopping mall Centro Comercial Llanogrande Plaza, popularly called "La Catorce", after the department store 'La 14' located in the mall. The indoor/outdoor shopping center has become very popular among Palmireños since its opening as there are no other large shopping malls in the city. Nevertheless, Palmiranos can still do their basic shopping in La Marden or any of its other stores located all throughtout the city, specially in El Centro. Before the mall was built, Palmireños had to travel to Cali to many of its shopping centers such as La Catorce De Calima and Chipichape. There are also many stores such as Exito. Llanogrande has many restaurants, several outdoor bars, an indoor cinema, casino, and a small amusement park. It is located on the city's southwest side. Its address is Calle 31 No. 44-239. Palmira is also known for having many beautiful parks.

The city is serviced by Cali's international airport, which is actually in Palmira and is called Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO) or Palmaseca. The airport is an important national and international hub for the southwestern Colombia region. The international terminal is served with daily international flights to and from Houston, Miami, Quito, Madrid, Panama City and other important cities. Nine airlines provide service for the airport, including American Airlines, AeroRepública, and Avianca, Colombia's largest airline.

It is also famous for having many colleges, as it has been called "The University City". Actually, the Agromomy School of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia is located here. Also located here is the International Center for Tropical Agriculture offices. (CIAT). CIAT was founded in 1967. The other location is in Cali.

Claudia Palacios, a Colombian journalist and newscaster, lived in Palmira until she was 15 years old. She now works for CNN en Español in Atlanta, Georgia and resides there with her son Pablo.

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