As far as history and legend goes, Medellin in Colombia. A city decimated by murderous street gangs, power-crazed drug cartels and guerilla/paramilitary bloodletting.
Throughout the 90'
s and early this century, Medellin held the title, peaking with around 400 homicides per 100,000 in 1991. This fell to about 150 per 100,000 during the mid to
late 90'
s but
rose again in the early 00'
s, approaching 200 per 100,000. These figures are even more remarkable considering Medellin is a decent sized city of 2 to 3 million
people within the
period covered.
Thanks to a phenomenal security clampdown Medellin is no longer the 'murder capital of the world', but it remains the ultimate example of what can happen when crime literally spins out of control.