The city of Manizales is located in the mountains to the southwest of Medellfn. Long isolated by rugged mountains, Manizales has grown rapid­ly since highways were built to connect it with the outside world. The city is often cloudy and rainy, and earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are com­mon nearby. Roughly 30 percent of the nation's coffee is grown in the exceptionally fertile soils within a 100-mi. (1 60-km.) radius of Manizales.