Angelópolis () is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part o ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. It borders the municipalities of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Heliconia ''Heliconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku (province), ...

, and

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

to the north; La Estrella and Caldas to the east;

Amagá Amagá () is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. It is part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia. The area was known for its coal and iron ore production and it hosted early iron works. Ex- ...

to the south; and

Titiribí Titiribí is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. Located at an elevation of 1,550 m (5,090 ft) above sea level, it is part of the sub-region of Southwestern Antioquia Southwestern Antioquia is a subregion in the Co ...

and Armenia to the west. Its municipal seat is 48 kilometers from the city of Medellín, the capital of the department of Antioquia. The municipality has an area of 86 square kilometers.

History

The priest Joaquín María Giraldo is considered the first pioneer of the region and the original founder of the town. After the first settlements were established, something very similar to what happened in the rest of southwestern Antioquia happened with this community: the search for gold. After the gold rush, settlers arrived in the region until, in 1887, a pair of them, the brothers Joaquín and Petrona Franco, decided to build a chapel on a mountainous ridge they called "Los Ángeles." They were accompanied by the aforementioned Father Joaquín María Giraldo, who would become an icon of the population and who proposed the name "Angelópolis" for the recent foundation. The name stayed forever. Angelópolis acquired the status of a district in 1896 and remains so to this day. Its name continues to mean 'City of Angels,' and it is located just 48 km from Medellín. It is a small town and is next to the majestic El Romeral natural reserve, which serves as a natural boundary with the municipality of La Estrella. This area, of immense value in ecotourism, attracts more and more ecotourists and hikers, and is the cradle of several rivers, and is home to many species of flora and fauna.

General information

* Foundation: June 16, 1887 * Municipality status: Ordinance 16 of July 13, 1896 * Founders: Joaquín María Giraldo, Brothers Joaquín and Petrona Franco * Nickname: "Land of the Angels"

Geography

It is connected by road to the municipalities of Heliconia, La Estrella, Caldas, Amagá, Titiribí, Armenia, and Medellín. It was named Angelópolis by the aforementioned Father Joaquín María Giraldo, who is also considered one of the first founders. The patron saints of the population are the Holy Angels, hence its name.

Climate

* Maximum temperature: 23 °C * Minimum temperature: 18 °C

Political-Administrative Division

Besides its municipal seat, Angelópolis has jurisdiction over the following populated centers: * Corregimiento La Estación * Vereda Cienaguita * Vereda Santa Rita * Vereda San Isidro * Vereda La Cascajala * Vereda Promisión * Vereda La Clara * Vereda El Barro * Vereda El Nudillo * Vereda Santa Bárbara

Demographics

Historical Population

* 1912: 3,578: — * 1918: 4,117: +15.1% * 1938: 4,936: +19.9% * 1951: 5,315: +7.7% * 1964: 6,309: +18.7% * 1973: 6,135: −2.8% * 1985: 6,100: −0.6% * 1993: 6,479: +6.2% * 2005: 7,641: +17.9% * 2018: 9,180: +20.1% Total Population: 9,180 inhabitants (2018) * Urban Population: 7,168 * Rural Population: 2,012 * Literacy Rate: 78.7% (2005) * Urban Area: 77.4% * Rural Area: 80.5% Life Expectancy: * Men: 70 years * Women: 77 years

Ethnography

According to figures presented by DANE from the 2005 census, the ethnographic composition of the municipality is: * Mestizos & Whites: 99.8% * Afro-Colombians: 0.1% * Indigenous: 0.1%

Public transport

Buses and minivans: The municipality of Angelópolis has an inter-municipal bus and minivan system that connects the municipality with Medellín and also offers services to the municipality of Caldas.

Economy

Angelópolis is a mining and, notably, coal-producing land. It also has economic activities in agriculture, livestock, and commerce. * Mining: coal, sand, clay, magnesium * Agriculture: coffee, sugarcane, plantains * Livestock: cattle and pigs * Handicraft Industry: manufacturing of saddles and tack for horses and mules.

Festivals

* Mineral Festival, December 7 to 9 * Festival of the Virgin of Carmen on July 16 * San Isidro Festival in July

Gastronomy

Angelópolis mainly offers typical Antioquian food, such as the famous

Bandeja paisa Bandeja paisa (; ), with variations known as bandeja de arriero, bandeja montañera, and bandeja antioqueña, is one of the most representative meals in Colombian cuisine, especially of the Antioquia department and the Paisa region, as well as ...

, as well as barbecues.

Places of interest

* Alto del Romeral, an official ecological reserve, a wooded area of 900 hectares located on the borders with the Antioquian municipalities of Caldas and La Estrella, and with a corregimiento of Medellín named San Antonio de Prado * Quebrada La Ramírez, with its waterfalls, in the sector of El Matadero * Ecological Trails with abundant forests rich in flora and fauna: the Angelópolis - Caldas route stands out * Coal Mines * Parochial Church of the Holy Angels * Warehouses of the old Antioquia Railway