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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 2,319,655residents according to 2005-2020/DANE population projections. The city spreads out across 560,3 km2 and 120,9 km2 of urban area,[3] surpassing Medellín  making Cali the second largest city by area in the country, behind Bogotá. As the only major Colombian city with access to the Pacific coast it is the main urban, and economic centre in western Colombia, making the city one of the fastest growing economies in the country and the cultural capital of Salsa music.It was founded on 25 July 1536 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar.