Cochabamba Depairtment

**Cochabamba** (frae Quechua: *qucha* or *qhucha*, meanin "lake", *pampa* meanin "plain" ) is ane o the nine component depairtments o Bolivie. It is kent tae be the "granary" o the kintra acause o its variety o agricultural products due tae Cochabamba's geographical poseetion. It haes an aurie o 55,631&nbsp;km². Its population, in the 2007 census, wis 1,750,000. Its caipital is the ceety o Cochabamba. Cochabamba is kent as the "Ceety o Eternal Spring" an "The Garden Ceety" due tae its spring-lik temperatures year roond.

## History
The Cochabamba valley wis inhabitit for ower a thoosan years due tae its fertile productive soils an climate. Archaeological evidence suggests that the initial valley indwallers wur o various ethnic indigenous groups. Inca, Tupuraya, Mojocoya, Omereque, an Tiwanaku inhabitit the valley at various times afore the Spainyie arrivit.

The first Spainyie inhabitant o the Valley wis Garci Ruiz de Orellana in 1542. He purchased the majority o the land frae local tribal chiefs Achata an Consavana throu a title registered in 1552 at the Imperial Ceety o Potosí. The price peyed wis 130 pesos. His residence, kent as the Hoose o Mayorazgo, still staunds in the Cala Cala neebourheid o the ceety.

The ceety, cried Villa de Oropesa wis foondit on 2 August 1571 bi order o Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, Coont o Oropesa. It wis tae be an agricultural production centre tae provide fuid for the minin touns o the relatively nearby Altiplano region, parteecularly the ceety o Potosí which became ane o the lairgest an richest ceeties in the warld durin the 17t century - fundin the vast walth that ultimately made Spain a warld pouer at the time. Wi the siller minin industry in Potosi at its hicht, Cochabamba thrivit durin its first centuries o existence. The ceety entered a period o decline durin the 18t century as minin began tae wane.

In 1786, Keeng Charles III o Spain renamit the ceety tae the 'lyal an valiant' Villa o Cochabamba. This wis done tae commend the ceety's pivotal role in suppressin the indigenous rebellions o 1781 in Oruro bi sendin airmit forces tae Oruro tae quell the uprisins. Syne the late 19t century it haes again been generally successfu as an agricultural centre for Bolivie.

The 1793 census shows that the ceety haed a population o 22,305 persons. Thare wur 12,980 mestizos, 6,368 Spaniards, 1,182 indigenous natives, 1,600 mulattos an 175 African slaves.

In 2000, Cochabamba wis wrackit wi lairge-scale protests ower the privatisation o the ceety's watter supply. See Cochabamba protests o 2000.

In Januar 2007 ceety dwallers clashed wi maistly rural protestors, leavin fower deid an ower 130 injured. The democratically-electit Prefect o Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, a umwhile militar aide tae the Luis García Meza Tejada dictatorship o the 1980s, haed alleed hissel wi the leaders o Bolivie's Eastren Depairtments in a dispute wi Preses Evo Morales ower regional autonomy an ither poleetical issues. The protestors blockadit the heich-gates, brigs, an main roads, haein days earlier set fire tae the depairtmental seat o govrenment, tryin tae force the resignation o Reyes Villa. Citizens attackit the protestors, breakin the blockade an routin them, while the polis did little tae stap the violence. Faur attempts bi the protestors tae reinstate the blockade an threaten the govrenment wur unsuccessful, but the unnerlyin tensions hae no been resolvit.

In Julie 2007, a monument erectit bi veterans o Januar's protest muivement in honour o thae killed an injured bi govrenment supporters wis destroyed in the middle o the nicht, reignitin racial conflicts in the ceety.

In August 2008, a naitionwide referendum wis held, an while the preses Evo Morales haed 67% support in Bolivie, the prefect o Cochabamba, Manfred Reyes Villa, wis no confirmit bi the voters o the depairtment.

## Geography

Cochabamba Depairtment is bordered bi Chuquisaca an Potosi Depairtment tae the sooth, Oruro an La Paz Depairtment tae the wast, Beni Depairtment tae the north, an Santa Cruz Depairtment tae the east. The borders are formit mainly bi rivers, lik **Ichilo** tae the east, **Rio Grande** tae the sooth an **Cotacajes** tae the wast.

## Govrenment
The chief executive office o Bolivie depairtments (syne Mey 2010) is the govrenor; till then, the office wis cried the prefect, an till 2006 the prefect wis appointit bi the Preses o Bolivie. The current govrenor, Edmundo Novillo Aguilar o the Muivement for Socialism – Poleetical Instrument for the Sovereignty o the Fowks wis electit on 4 Aprile 2010 an teuk office 30 May.

Unner the 2009 Constitution, Bolivie depairtments hae an electit legislatur, the Depairtmental Legislative Assembly. The Cochabamba Assembly haes 34 members includin twa indigenous representatives.

### Past executives

## Provinces
The Depairtment o Cochabamba is dividit intae 16 provinces (*provincias*) which are faur subdividit intae 47 municipalities  (*municipios*) an - on the fowert level - intae 144 cantons.

The provinces wi thair caipitals are:

## Leids
The leids spoken in the Cochabamba Depairtment are mainly Spaingie an Quechua. The follaein table shows the nummer o thae belangin tae the recognisit group o speakers.

## Population an Demographics

## Places o interest

* Carrasco Naitional Pairk
* Tunari Naitional Pairk
* Isiboro Sécure Naitional Pairk an Indigenous Territory
* Inkallajta
* Inkachaka
* Inkaraqay
* Quillacollo
* Villa Tunari
* Laguna La Angostura
* Pairumani: The Pairumani estate aboot 20&nbsp;km frae the ceety o Cochabamba comprises Villa Albina, a landit estate which wis property o the Bolivie industrialist Simón I. Patiño, biggit atween 1925 an 1932, a model ferm an seed centre an a Centre for Phytoecogenetic Research. The palace o Pairumani wis declared Bolivie Naitional Monument in 1967.

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Cochabamba Travel Guide 
* Weather in Cochabamba