Manizales, Colombia

Manizales is a city of 480,000 people and the capital of the department of Caldas, located in central Colombia. The city is located in the north of the "Zona Cafetera", near the volcano Nevado del Ruiz, at a height of about 2153 metres.

Manizales is an important cultural and educational center : it contains no less than 7 universities : Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de Caldas, Universidad de Manizales, Universidad Autonoma, Universidad Luis Amigo and Universidad Antonio Narino. It's known as the Coffee capital of the world, because it's the businesscenter of the "Zona Cafetera". Every year in January the "Feria de Manizales" is organized here (bullfights, beauty parades, folk dancing), one of the oldest ferias in the Americas.

The city of Manizales is described as having "abrupt topography"; it is built on a number of ridgelines and steep slopes. Combined with the seismic instability of the area, this has required architectural adaptations and public works to make the city safer.

The city is also known as the home of the football club Once Caldas, the surprise winner of the 2004 Copa Libertadores.