Sister cities of Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque /ˈælbəˌkɜrkiː/ is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County, and it is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 555,417 as of the July 1st, 2012 population estimate from the United States Census Bureau and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. It has a 2012 estimated metropolitan population of 901,700 according to the US Census. Albuquerque is the 53rd-largest United States metropolitan area. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Placitas, Corrales, Los Lunas, Belen, Bosque Farms, and forms part of the larger Albuquerque – Santa Fe – Las Vegas combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,146,049 as of the 2010 Census. Albuquerque is at the southernmost end and the second largest city of the Front Range Urban Corridor, which stretches from Albuquerque to Cheyenne, Wyoming and has a population of 5,467,633 according to the 2010 United States Census.

Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico (UNM), Presbyterian Health Services, Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, and Petroglyph National Monument. The Sandia Mountains run along the eastern side of Albuquerque, and the Rio Grande flows through the city, north to south.