The urban area of Medellín, Colombia is divided into six zones, which in turn are divided into 16 communes. Communes are then divided into neighborhoods () and institutional areas. The city has 249 neighborhoods and 20 institutional areas. Institutional areas are large sectors with some neighborhood characteristics, but its populations are not permanent and lack housing. An example of an institutional area is a university campus.
The rural areas of Medellín are divided into 5 corregimientos, these in turn are divided into villages. The districts San Antonio de Prado and San Cristóbal are the most populous districts Colombia, with over thirty thousand inhabitants each. Medellín is structured following the flow of the Medellín River, which runs from south to north.
The six zones and 16 communes are the following: Zone 1 - Northeast Commune 1 - Popular Commune 2 - Santa Cruz Commune 3 - Manrique Commune 4 - Aranjuez Zone 2 - Northwest Commune 5 - Castilla Commune 6 - Doce de octubre Commune 7 - Robledo Zone 3 - Center east Commune 8 - Villa Hermosa Commune 9 - Buenos Aires Commune 10 - La Candelaria Zone 4 - Center west Commune 11 - Laureles—Estadio Commune 12 - La América Commune 13 - San Javier Zone 5 - Suroriental Commune 14 - El Poblado Zone 6 - Suroccidental Commune 15 - Guayabal Commune 16 - Belén
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