The city of Cobán is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City.
In 2005 the city's estimated population was 86,202. The population of the municipality, which covers a total terrain of 1312 km², was 94,000 people. Cobán, at a height of 1320 m above sea level, is located at the center of a major coffee-growing area
