city, northwestern Colombia, on the Río Porce between the Cordilleras (mountains) Occidental and Central of the Andes at 4,905 feet (1,495 metres) above sea level. Formerly a commercial and manufacturing centre for a fertile agricultural region, Bello is now part of the industrial complex centring on Medellín, 6 miles (10 km) south by highway and railroad. The principal industrial activity is textile milling; brushes are also manufactured. Pop. (2003 est.) mun., 372,857.