In a privileged corner of the globe there is a land called Antioquia. Its territory, its people and its culture are marked with an extraordinary force that merges with the diversity of its 125 municipalities every day. Vitality is the word that best defines this region.

Geographical wealth plays in favor of that vital energy. There are 63,000 square kilometers of natural exuberance: a Caribbean coast, three major rivers flowing along its mountains and diverse flora and fauna. Five and a half million industrious, creative and enterprising people live in its territory.

Antioquia experienced most of its economic, social, political and cultural transformations throughout the second half of the 19th century. Technological innovations in mining, the building of roads, the construction of the railway system,commercial expansion of its capital –Medellín- and its urban development were the engines of this transformation.

Antioquia and the capital city started to see their companies grow in the early 20th century up to the point of becoming Colombia’s most industrialized city. Currently, Antioquia is the number one department in the country where industry, culture and science combine successfully. Antioquia is a department which really belongs to all and every one of its men and women. It has white, black, mulatto and native people. That’s why we have nine regions that all together contribute to a better way of life.

Urabá is Antioquia’s main gate where land and see come together. Its outstanding exporting vocation and its geo-strategic location have made it a fundamental zone for the development of the department and the country. Black, Indian and a racial mix of people live together here making a cultural mosaic worth seeing.

The mid Magdalena region is considered to be the heart of Colombia, not only for its location but also for being a strategic hub where land, water and air ways converge. It’s a legend of water, tropical forest and cement; in fact, several cement factories are established in this region.

We find a particular way of being Antioquian in the lower Cauca mining sub-region. It is a way that combines coastal happiness and inland hard work. Gold and the sun paint this region yellow every morning.

In the north, the dairy industry and the double-purpose cattle farming have driven the economy of this sub-region. It also has some strategic hydroelectric projects for Colombia. The color white appears every dawn in the dairy farms and in the peasants’ nobleness.

The east is the territory of energy. This is not only due to the electricity generated from its great water wealth but also to the energy and vigor characterizing the people in its 23 municipalities where the color green prevails throughout their mountains and magically matches the flowers growing here. It is also a region with a flower-growing tradition.

In the Southwest, the mythical images of the muleteer and the coffee grower which have long represented the sub-region are no longer sufficient to define a province that is modernizing and living in the 21st century. The CaucaRiver gives this region great beauty and makes it propitious for agro-tourism, ecologic hiking and adventure.

The west is the route of the sun and fruit. It is a province that brings together its past with the old architecture that accounts for its history and its future which is materialized in public works that widen the opportunities for its inhabitants and improve their quality of life.

The northeast, in turn, is the cradle of the entrepreneurial development of the department. Its mines yielded the capital to establish the first Antioquian companies. This sub-region is a train loaded with gold and sugar cane.

Finally, a region you don’t want to miss, the AburráValley, a mosaic of cities filled with light, scenery and flowers. In this dynamic sub-region, Medellín is the venue for the traditional Parade of Silleteros. The district of Santa Elena is the origin of these heroes who annually come down from their farms to the city in order to share their treasures with city people. Their laborious spirit is complemented with the inventiveness of the people in the other nine municipalities that make up the zone.

Nowadays, Antioquia is a multicolored flower. Its beauty lies right there: people of all kinds, cultures and lifestyles who strengthen their unity in the middle of diversity. Antioquia builds itself up with the supportive contribution of all its inhabitants who not only envision their future but are also determined to build it together with a clear goal: to look for fairness.