Neiva

:"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 330,817 people. 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.Fact|date=July 2008

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.

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.

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.

External links

*es icon [http://www.alcaldianeiva.gov.co Neiva official website]
*es icon [http://www.lanacion.com.co La Nación Daily Newspaper from Neiva]
*es icon [http://www.diariodelhuila.com Diario del Huila Daily Newspaper]