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Neiva
Neiva
	Nickname(s): "Bambuco's Capital"
	Map of Neiva in the Huila Department. Urban in red, municipality in dark gray
	; Neiva Location in Colombia
	Coordinates: 2°59′55″N 75°18′16″W / 2.99861°N 75.30444°W
Country	Colombia
Region	Andean
Department	Huila
Foundation	May 24, 1612
	Government
- Mayor	Hector Anibal Ramirez
Elevation	442 m (1,450 ft)
	Population (2005-2006 Census)
- Total	372.859
- Density	230/km2 (595.7/sq mi)
Website	www.alcaldianeiva.gov.co

For the Portuguese municipality, see Neiva, Portugal. For the Neiva trout or Neiva char, see Salvelinus neiva. For the Neiva River, see here.

Neiva is the Capital of the Huila Department. It is located in the Valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 people. Is one of the most important cities in the Southern Colombia, mainly because of its strategical geographical location.

[edit] History

It was founded by Diego de Ospina y Medinilla. 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. The city is also the home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Neiva.

[edit] Geography and climate

Due to its location near the equator and its low altitude, the city has a hot annual average climate with daytime temperatures ranging from 89 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Tourist attractions

Throughout the city a tourist might enjoy the scattered city monuments, especially around the edges of the Magdalena River, where the local government has been maintaining the recently built sanctuary meant to safeguard the Magdalena from any pollutants and human produced contamination. Around this sanctuary there are parks and gardens usually crowded by locals and tourists who came to the growing city. The city can be reached by road travel, or by all major national airlines, coming to the Benito Salas Vargas Airport.

San Pedro Festivities

This city is known 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.