Santiago de Cali , usually known by its short name "Cali", is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in western Colombia with an estimated 2,319,655 residents according to 2005-2020 DANE population projections. The city spreads out across 560,3 km2 and 120,9 km2 of urban area, surpassing MedellÃn making Cali the second largest city in the country behind Bogotá. As the only major Colombian city with access to the Pacific coast it is the principal urban, cultural, and economic city in western Colombia, making the city one of the fastest growing economies in Colombia. The city was founded on 25 July 1536 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar.