In 1954 the Cauca Valley Corporation, an autonomous public body, drained the upper Cauca River to generate electrical power, prevent flooding, and make marginal farmland more suitable for large-scale cultivation. Cali is also a cultural center. It houses an archaeological museum, musem of religious art, municipal theater, conservatory of music, and the Institute of Popular Culture. The University of Valle, Santiago University of Cali, and several smaller universities are located within the city. Cali was the site of the Western Hemisphere's quadrennial Pan-American Games in 1971.
Many visitors attend the city's annual sugarcane fair and carnival.
Cali is a strategic transportation center. Railroads and highways connect it to major cities to the northeast and to the Pacific coast. There is also an international airport and a military air base. The Learning Company, Inc.