Santiago e Cali (IPA: [sanˈtjaɰo ð̞e ˈkali]), often shortened to Cali, is the main city, municipality and capital of the Valle del Cauca, a department in western Colombia, also known as the Pacific Region. With a population of 2,316.654 hab. Santiago de Cali is the third largest city in Colombia. It is a reference point inside Colombia because of its industrial and commercial development, and has one of the fastest growing economies in the country because of its geographical location. Cali was founded on July 25th in 1536 by the Spanish conqueror Sebastián de Belalcázar.