Neka (Persian: نكا, also Romanized as Nekā’, Nekā, and Nīkā;formerly, Nāranj Bāgh) is a city in and the capital of Neka County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 46,152, in 11,941 families.
Neka is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Sari in Iran. It is noted for its natural spa and is one of tourist places of Mazandaran.
Neka is also known as the location of the 2004 execution of 16-year-old Atefah Sahaaleh, who, after multiple alleged rapes, was executed by being hung from a crane in public by Haji Rezai, the local judge who presided over her trial.
This township is located to the southeast of Sary and in the fringes of the Caspian Sea, and close to the city of Behshahr. The said city is also considered as an industrial locality in the northern territory. Not much is known about this area in geographical or historical accounts of the past, that is till the Qajar dynasty. But in the geographical records of the early Islamic period, the name Mirdan a city near the current city of Neka has been mentioned. Deh Khoda has mentioned the River Neka in his encyclopedia. It seems that Neka was a vicinity or 'block' comprising various rural settlements.
The present Neka has sprung up from the village of 'Naranj', alongside a bridge on Neka River within the past 70 years. Due to the railway line running across this area, and suitable network of communications, together with the establishment of the wood industry, oil reservoirs and an electric power plant, the area is one of the important developing centers of the province. Furthermore, Neka has a beautiful coastline and is near the Peninsula of Miankaleh.
The powerhouse of Neka is one of the biggest thermal power plants in the Middle East, designed to provide energy to the most part of the country. Its nominal capacity is 2035 MW . The main components are : steam pot, middle house, turbine place, converters and auxiliary houses. The main fuel is natural gas, with light fuel oil a secondary.