Medellín is the capital of the department of Antioquia and is part of the 10 municipalities that make up the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (Barbosa, Copacabana, Girardota, Bello, Medellín, Envigado, Itagüí, Sabaneta, La Estrella and Caldas). These are crossed from south to north by the Aburrá River or Medellín River and hold most of the Higher Education Institutions of the city and the region.

The capital of Antioquia is politically and administratively divided into 16 comunas (urban areas of the city that group neighborhoods or specific sections) and 5 corregimientos,