Neiva

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For other uses, see Neiva, Portugal.

Neiva is the Capital of Huila. It is located in the Magdalena Valley in south central Colombia with a population of about 330,817 people. Due to its location nearby the equator and its low altitude, the city has a hot climate all year round, average daytime temperatures can rage from 89 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

Founded by Diego de Ospina y Medinilla, it is the capital of the Colombian Huila Department. It is about a five-hours drive from the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Main universities include Universidad Surcolombiana, Antonio Nariño University, and Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Notable graduates include Adriana Rios, the famous Colombian gymnast.

Throughout the beautiful city a tourist might enjoy the fascinating and scattered city monuments, especially around the edges of the Magdalena River, where the local government has been drastically maintaining the recently built sanctuary meant to safeguard the Magdalena from any pollutants and other human activities. Around this sanctuary you will find beautiful parks and gardens usually crowded by locals and tourists who came to the growing city to admire its environmental and cultural richness. The city can be reached by road travel, or by all major national airlines, coming to the Benito Salas Vargas National Airport.

This city is famous in Colombia for the "San Pedro" festivities held between the last two weeks of June and early July. During this time, there are daily parades through the downtown area and showings of the "Sanjuanero", a folk dance, where the participants dress in costumes and compete for being the best performers of the choreography.

One might say that almost the entire population around the city place their eyes upon the festivities. Many Colombians and people from around the world also come to join locals throughout their celebrations.