| Neftçala | |
| Settlement Type: | City and Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Azerbaijan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Neftchala |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1959 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 20510 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Timezone: | AZT |
| Utc Offset: | +4 |
| Coordinates: | 39.3586°N 49.2469°W |
| Elevation M: | −26 |
| Area Code: | +994 153 |
Neftchala is a city and the capital of the Neftchala District of Azerbaijan.
The city name is of Persian ("naft" meaning oil or petroleum) and Azerbaijani ("çala" meaning trench) origin, meaning oil trench.[2]
Throughout its history, Neftçala has suffered from floods because of its proximity to the river and most of the town's relatively low elevation.[3] [4] [5]
Today, there are a palace of culture, regional study museum and gallery museum in the city.[6]
The city lies southwest of the delta of the Kura River.[7] [8] It is a lowland district.[8]
Population (2010):Total 20,510
People are mainly employed in manufacturing, fish industry, transportation and service sectors. The largest employer operating in Neftcala, Neftcala Industrial Park which includes "Khazar Automobile Plant" by AzerMash.
The city has one professional football team, Neftchala, which has competed in the second-flight of Azerbaijani football, the Azerbaijan First Division, but the team is eliminated after 2 years of championship in the Azerbaijan First Division and not getting the license for competing in the Azerbaijan Premier League.[9]
Neftchala has a large urban transport system, mostly managed by the Ministry of Transportation.
Some of the city's many prestigious residents include: singer Anatollu Ganiyev and World War II hero Aghashirin Jafarov.