Cali is a city located in the Cauca Valley in western Colombia . It has a population of 2,232,158 people and is the third largest city in the country. The city was founded on July 25, 1536 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar. Cali has its own international airport known as the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon and is also Colombia's third largest airport.
The local climate is semi-tropical as the Western Mountain Range screens the flow of humidity from the Pacific coast towards the interior of the country. In the afternoons Cali enjoys a fresh cross breeze that originates in the west and blows east. Because of this variation in altitude, the weather in the northwest portion of the city is drier than in the southwest. Cali's average temperature is 75 °F with an average low temperature of 66 °F and a high of 86 °F .
Cali offers historical areas with cultural variety and other attractions. In downtown Cali, you can find many historical churches like La Merced and La Ermita. Cali contains a well preserved Historical center, the most important zone is La Plaza de Caycedo , considered the center of the city, which is a square surrounded by many historical and modern buildings like El edificio Otero, La Catedral and El Palacio de Justicia. This plaza is very close to other touristic places, like The Saint Francis church (in Spanish, Iglesa de San Francisco), the municipal theater and La Mercedchurch. The city is also very rich in monuments, parks, squares and museums. The most emblematic sculptures are Cristo Rey, located upon a mountain range; Sebastian de Belalcazar, founder of the city; and Las tres Cruces, a place of pilgrimage during the days of the Holy Week.
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