Neiva () is the capital and most populated city of the Department of Huila, south central Colombia. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River with a municipal population of 392,009 as on 2026. It is about 300 kilometers / 186.4 miles (about a five-hour drive) from the Colombian capital, Bogotá.

The city of Palembang in Indonesia is the antipode of Neiva. Neiva and Palembang is the only pair of antipodal cities in the world where both cities have population above 300.000 people.

Ethnography

According to DAN 2018, the ethnography composition of the city is:

  • Whites or Europeans descendants and Mestizos: 98.9%
  • Indigenous: 0.3%
  • Black, Mulatto or Afro-descendant: 0.8%

Economy

Neiva is a distribution center for many consumer goods to the national economy such as rice, coffee, beef, milk, leather by-products and other agricultural products. Its annual agricultural fair held in May showcases horses, cattle and pork from local municipalities and other surrounding towns.

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 Airport.

Education

Neiva is home to several universities which serve primarily Southern Colombia. Among the most important are the Universidad Surcolombiana, the Corporación Universitaria del Huila, and the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia.

Transport

Air transportation

The Benito Salas Airport, named after Benito Salas Vargas, is located inside the city and serves domestic destinations.

Culture

The city is known as the Bambuco capital. José Eustasio Rivera, born in Rivera, is the most famous writer of a "pléyade" of creators that lived in Neiva (Regulo Suárez, Eustaquio Álvarez, Felio Andrade, Antonio Iriarte, Yezid Morales, Humberto Calderón, Jorge Guebelly, Luis Alberto Campos, Winston Morales, Jader Rivera, David Alberto Campos)

Festivals and events

This city is known for the Festival Folclórico y Reinado Nacional del Bambuco 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 a typical costumes and compete for being the best performers of the Sanjuanero choreography.

Sports

Soccer is currently the most popular sport in the city. The city is the base for the Atlético Huila club which competes in the second division of the Colombian professional association football league, the Categoría Primera B. The games are played at the Estadio Guillermo Plazas Alcid stadium.

Basketball had historically a high popularity, although it has decreased in recent years. The cities Basketball games are played at the Coliseo Álvaro Sánchez Silva court.

The city has hosted important national and international sport events. For example:

  • XI National Games of Colombia 1980
  • Juvenile Finswimming World Championship 2008
  • South American Basketball Championship 2010
  • FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2011

The city of Neiva was one of the host cities for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Notable people

  • Misael Pastrana Borrero, president of Colombia
  • Olga Duque de Ospina, senator and governor of Huila
  • Rodrigo Lara, lawyer and politician
  • Natalia Valenzuela, model, presenter and beauty pageant titleholder
  • Claudia Bahamón, model and presenter
  • María Alejandra Salazar, model and beauty pageant titleholder

See also

  • Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Neiva
  • Neiva National Telegraph and Post Office Building

<gallery>

File:Catedral de Neiva.jpg|Catedral de Neiva

File:Gobernacion.jpg|Government office in Neiva

File:Iglesia San Jorge, Neiva - panoramio.jpg|Church of St. George in Neiva

File:Los Potros.JPG|Los Potros, a tribute to José Eustasio Rivera by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, in Neiva

File:Office building in Neiva.jpg|Office building in Neiva

File:On the main street.jpg|On the main street

File:Avenida la toma.jpg|Toma Avenue in downtown Neiva

</gallery>

References

  • Neiva official website
  • Opanoticias Daily Newspaper from Neiva
  • La Nación Daily Newspaper from Neiva
  • Diario del Huila Daily Newspaper