Cochabamba is a city and municipality located in central Bolivia within a valley in the Andes mountain range. It serves as the capital of the Cochabamba Department and ranks as the fourth largest city in the country, with a population of 661,484 according to the 2024 Bolivian census.
The name of the city is derived from a compound of two Quechua words: "qucha," meaning lake, and "pampa," meaning open plain. Residents of the city and its surrounding areas are commonly referred to as cochalas or, more formally, cochabambinos.