Huila department had a population of 1,122,622 inhabitants in 2020, of which 679,667 (60.54%) live in urban areas and 442,955 (39.46%) in the rest of theHuilense territory.[5] This amounts to 2.5% of the total Colombian population. The majority of it is settled in theMagdalena valley, the main urban centers beingNeiva andGarzón, due to the possibilities offered by commercial-type agricultural economy, oil production, access to basic public services and roads connected to the central road axis along theMagdalena. The rest of the population is located on the coffee belt, standing outPitalito andLa Plata; the North Subregion is undergoing a decrease in its rural population, mainly attributable to alterations of agricultural and oil activities on the landscape. The average population density in the department is 59.88 inhabitants / km2, with the highest densities inNeiva (223.72),Pitalito (200.1) andGarzón (162.45), and with the lowest in the municipalities ofColombia andVillavieja (7.83 and 10.91 respectively).[6]
According toDANE, the racial composition of Huila is as follows: 98.43% recognize themselves asWhites andMestizos, while only 1.57% as an ethnic population (Amerindians andAfro/Mulattos). This makes it one of departments with the highest percentage of non-ethnic affiliated population in the country.[7]
According to the Agustín Codazzi Geographic Institute (IGAC), Huila's surface area is 19,890 km², which is about 1.74% of the total surface area of Colombia.
The south of the department is located in theColombian Massif. TheCordillera Oriental branches off from the Colombia Massif here. This is caused by the rise of theMagdalena River (also called Yuma River), Colombia's longest river and its largest basin. The Magdalena River has two large dams: Betania andEl Quimbo.
Colombia's third highest peak,Nevado del Huila volcano, is also located in this department.
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