Cochabamba

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Cochabamba Quchapampa
City & Municipality
From the top to bottom, left to right: Metropolitan Cathedral, Palacio Portales, Templo del Hospicio, Aerial view of central Cochabamba, Tunari mountains, Banco Mercantil Simon Patiño, Cochabamba seat of government
Flag Coat of arms
Nicknames:  "City of Eternal Spring" "The Garden City" "La Llajta"
Cochabamba Location in Bolivia Show map of Bolivia Cochabamba Cochabamba (South America) Show map of South America
Coordinates: 17°23′18″S 66°09′35″W / 17.38833°S 66.15972°W / -17.38833; -66.15972
Country	Bolivia
Department	Cochabamba
Province	Cercado Province
Municipality	Cochabamba Municipality
Founded	August 15, 1571
Government
• Type	Municipal Autonomous Government
• Mayor	Manfred Reyes Villa (Súmate)
Area
• City & Municipality	170 km2 (70 sq mi)
• Land	169 km2 (65 sq mi)
• Water	1 km2 (0.4 sq mi)
• Urban	111 km2 (43 sq mi)
Elevation	2,558 m (8,392 ft)
Population  (2012 Census)[1]
• Urban	856,198
• Metro	1,430,688
Demonym	Cochabambino
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
• Year	2023
• Total (Metro)	$11.8 billion[2]
• Per capita	$8,400
Time zone	UTC-4 (BOT)
Climate	BSk
Website	Official website

Cochabamba (Aymara: Quchapampa; Quechua: Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630,587 according to the 2012 Bolivian census.^[1] Its name is from a compound of the Quechua words qucha "lake" and pampa, "open plain."^[3] Residents of the city and the surrounding areas are commonly referred to as cochalas or, more formally, cochabambinos.

It is known as the "City of Eternal Spring" or "The Garden City" because of its spring-like temperatures all year round.^[4] It is also known as "La Llajta," which means "town" in Quechua. It is the largest urban center between the higher capital of La Paz and Santa Cruz de la Sierra in the tropical plains of the east. It sits south-west of the Tunari mountains, and north of the foothills of the Valle Alto. In antiquity, the area featured numerous lakes, which gave the city its name. Many of these lakes have since disappeared to urban development, but Coña Coña and Alalay lakes are extant examples. It has been a populated settlement since the Pre-Inca period, and is today an important cultural, educational, political, and commercial centre.