Cochabamba

Department in central Bolivia; area 55,631 sq km/21,479 sq mi; population (2000 est) 1,524,700. The capital is Cochabamba. The department has fertile valleys, a mild climate, and is the principal grain-growing and fruit-producing area in Bolivia. The main products derived from the area are cereals, potatoes, sugar cane, and tobacco. There is also some cattle-raising and oil refining. The Yungas region, to the north of the department, was traditionally an area of coffee and cacao cultivation. From the 1960s onwards, however, the Yungas increasingly became an area for the cultivation of coca, used in the production of the illegal drug cocaine. By the late 20th century it was estimated that as much as a third of the world supply of coca was being produced in Bolivia, mainly in the Chaparé area of the Yungas.

The department includes the Cordillera de Cochabamba, an eastern branch of the Cordillera Real, which crosses the department in an arc from the west to the southeast. Cochabamba is watered by the Santa Elena and Catacajes rivers to the west, the Caine River to the south, and the Chaparé and Ichilo rivers to the east. The department is rich in potential for hydroelectricity, and the capital and other areas are supplied by the hydroelectric station at Corani.