Luzon
Luzón refers to the largest and most politically important
island in the
Philippines and to one of the three island groups in the country, with
Visayas and
Mindanao being the other two. Luzon as an island group includes the island of Luzon itself, plus the
Batanes and
Babuyan groups of islands to the north, and the main and outlying islands of
Catanduanes,
Marinduque,
Masbate,
Romblon, and
Mindoro in the south. The island group of
Palawan, which used to be a province belonging to an administrative region of Luzon has been transferred to Region VI in the Visayas in 2005.
Luzon's area is
104,688 square kilometers, making it the
world's 17th largest island. It is the fifth
most populous island in the world. Located on Luzon are the country's capital,
Manila, and its most populous city,
Quezon City. The island is very
mountainous and is home to
Mount Pulag, the second highest mountain in the country and
Mayon, the most famous
volcano. To the west of Luzon island is the
South China Sea (Luzon Sea in Philippine territorial waters), to the east is the
Philippine Sea, and to the north is
Luzon Strait containing
Babuyan Channel and
Balintang Channel.
The main part of the island is roughly rectangular in shape and has the long
Bicol Peninsula protruding to the southeast. The northern part of the island contains the largest
mountain range in the country, the
Cordillera Central.
Mount Pulag, the second highest mountain in the country, is located there, rising 2,922 m. To the east of the Cordillera Central is the large
Cagayan Valley, which serves as the basin for the
Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines. To the east of the valley rises the
Sierra Madre mountain range, easily the longest range in the country.
The Sierra Madre snakes southwards into the central and southern part of the island. Between it and the
Zambales Mountains to the west is the largest plain, the Central Luzon plain. This plain, approximately 11,000 km² in size, is the country's largest producer of rice. Among the rivers irrigating this plain, the longest are
Agno to the north, and
Pampanga to the south. In the middle of the plain rises the solitary
Mount Arayat. To the west, in the Zambales Mountains, rises
Mount Pinatubo, made famous because of its enormous
1991 eruption.
The Zambales mountains extends to the sea in the north, forming
Lingayen Gulf, home to the
Hundred Islands National Park. To the south, the mountains also extend into the sea, forming the
Bataan Peninsula, which encloses the
Manila Bay. This natural
harbor is considered to be one of the best natural ports in East Asia, due to its size and strategic geographical location.
To the southeast of Manila Bay is the largest lake in the country, and also the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia, the
Laguna de Bay (Old Spanish, Lake of Bay town). This 949 km² lake is drained by the
Pasig River into Manila Bay. Pasig River is one of the most important rivers in the country due to its historical significance and because it runs through the center of
Metro Manila.
Located just 20 km southwest of Laguna de Bay is
Taal Lake, within the southwestern portion of the island. This caldera of a lake contains the smallest
volcano of the country,
Taal Volcano, which rises on the island in the center of the lake. The volcano in turn has a lake in its crater. All the surrounding areas of Taal Lake were once part of a massive prehistoric volcano that covered the southern portion of the province of Cavite, Tagaytay City, and the whole of Batangas province.
Off the southwestern portion of Luzon is the island of Mindoro, separated by the
Verde Island Passages. The passages connect the South China Sea to the east with the
Tayabas Bay. To the south of the bay is the island of Marinduque.
The southeastern portion of Luzon is dominated by the
Bicol Peninsula. This is a mountainous and narrow region that extends approximately 150 km southeast. Along it are numerous gulfs and bays. In the north is
Lamon Bay, which contains
Alabat Island and is south of the
Polillo Islands of
Quezon province. Other bays and gulfs include
San Miguel Bay,
Lagonoy Gulf,
Ragay Gulf, and
Sorsogon Bay.
To the east of the peninsula lies the island of Catanduanes. Leading to it is the
Caramoan Peninsula. Off the southeast tip of Bicol is
Samar island, separated by
San Bernardino Strait. Bicol Peninsula is connected to the main part of Luzon through the
Tayabas Isthmus. Extending south from the isthmus is the
Bondoc Peninsula.
The Bicol Peninsula is also home to numerous volcanoes. The most famous is
Mayon Volcano in
Albay. This 2,460 m high volcano is symmetrically shaped, rivaling that of
Mount Fuji in
Japan, and is a symbol of the
Bicol Region. Other notable mountains are
Mount Isarog and
Mount Iriga in
Camarines Sur, and
Mount Bulusan in
Sorsogon.
Located off the southwestern coast of the Bicol Peninsula are the islands of
Ticao,
Burias, and Masbate.
See also Geography of the Philippines.The island group of Luzon is an arbitrary grouping of islands divided into eight
regions, which are further subdivided into 37
provinces, of which only seven are not on Luzon island itself. The island group includes the Batanes and Babuyan islands to the north, and the islands of Catanduanes, Masbate, Marinduque, Romblon, and Mindoro in the south.
The eight regions are listed below, discussed individually.Its administrative centers are for formality's sake only, meaning, there is no 'valid' regional administrative center (except in the case of Administrative regions), the power being vested by the provincial governments. The regional centers are only the head tourist offices for the region.
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Ilocos Region (Region I)
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Cagayan Valley (Region II)
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Central Luzon (Region III)
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CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
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MIMAROPA (Region IV-B)
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Bicol Region (Region V)
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Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
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National Capital Region (NCR)
Ilocos Region (Region I) is located in the northwest portion of the main island. Its provinces are:
Ilocos Norte,
Ilocos Sur,
La Union, and
Pangasinan. Its inhabitants are mostly of
Ilocano descent and the main languages are
Ilokano and
Pangasinan. The region's administrative center is
San Fernando City, La Union. The city of
Vigan in Ilocos province is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial city in the Philippines.
Cagayan Valley (Region II) is located in the northeast portion of the main island and also covers the Batanes and Babuyan islands to the north. The valley is surrounded by the
Cordillera Central and
Sierra Madre mountain ranges. Running through its center is the country's longest river, Cagayan River. Its provinces are Batanes,
Cagayan,
Isabela,
Nueva Vizcaya, and
Quirino. The region's administrative center is
Tuguegarao City in Cagayan province.
Central Luzon (Region III) contains the largest
plain of the country and produces most of the country's
rice supply. Its provinces are
Aurora,
Bataan,
Bulacan,
Nueva Ecija,
Pampanga,
Tarlac, and
Zambales. The region's administrative center is the
City of San Fernando, Pampanga. The former
United States Navy base of
Subic Bay, now a
free port, is located in Zambales province.
CALABARZON (Region IV-A), one of the newest regions of the country, was previously a part of
Southern Tagalog (Region IV). It is one of the most populated areas of the country. The name of the region is actually an acronym that stands for its provinces, which are
Batangas,
Cavite,
Laguna,
Quezon, and
Rizal. The Tagalogs are the dominant ethnic group in this region, with
Tagalog as the main language. Its' recognized administrative center is
Manila, which is in
Metro Manila, however, some government officials still consider
Quezon City, which is also in
Metro Manila as the administrative center, and also,
Lucena City, in
Quezon province.
MIMAROPA (Region IV-B), along with CALABARZON is the newest region of the country, and was previously a part of Southern Tagalog (Region IV). It contains most of the islands in the Luzon group. The name of the region is actually an acronym that stands for its provinces, which are
Marinduque,
Occidental Mindoro,
Oriental Mindoro,
Romblon, and formerly
Palawan, which is now in the
Western Visayas region.
Bicol Region (Region V) occupies the
Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island, plus the outlying islands which include the island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate. The remaining mainland provinces are
Albay,
Camarines Norte,
Camarines Sur, and
Sorsogon. The region's administrative center is
Legazpi City in Albay. The inhabitants are of Bicolano descent with
Bikol as the main language.
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) almost completely covers the
Cordillera Central mountain range of Northern Luzon. CAR, created in
1989 is a special administrative region for the indigenous tribes of these mountains. Its provinces are
Abra,
Apayao,
Benguet,
Ifugao,
Kalinga, and
Mountain Province. The regional center is
Baguio City.
National Capital Region (NCR) is a special administrative region that contains the capital of the country, Manila; the country's most populous city, Quezon City; and an additional 15 more cities and municipalities. The region is more popularly known as
Metro Manila. It is the only region in the country that has no provinces, and is the most densely populated with over 10 million people living in a 636 km² area.
The region first came to contact with
Spain in the late
16th century by Spanish
conquistadors, led by
Martin de Goiti,
Juan de Salcedo, and
Miguel López de Legaspi who arrived between
1570 and
1571 to claim the lands for Spain.
During the
Philippine-American War, U.S. forces fought Filipino guerrillas in various parts of Luzon. In 1901, U.S. Brigadier General
J. Franklin Bell told the New York Times that "One-sixth of the natives of Luzon have either been killed or have died of the dengue fever in the last two years. The loss of life by killing alone has been great, but I think that not one man has been slain except were his death served the legitimate purposes of war. It has been necessary to adopt what other countries would probably be thought harsh measures, for the Filipino is tricky and crafty and has to be fought in his own way.
On December 8, 1941 (December 7, 1941 east of the
International Date Line), Japanese aircraft attacked U.S. bases on Luzon, launching a campaign which would lead to the landing of invasion forces in various parts of the island. The major landings took place at
Lingayen Gulf on December 22. In the face of superior Japanese forces, U.S. and Philippine troops began a series of phased withdrawals to the
Bataan Peninsula, where they hoped to hold out until relief could be organized from the U.S. and to deny the Japanese use of Manila Bay through control of Corregidor Island at the southern tip of Bataan. The
Battle of Bataan would last for several months, but U.S. and Philippine forces were eventually overwhelmed by the Japanese. Japanese forces completed the occupation of Luzon, but were harassed by U.S. and Filipino guerrillas, in many cases fighting in the same areas where Filipino guerrillas had harassed U.S. forces during the
Philippine-American War.
Following earlier landings on
Leyte and
Mindoro Islands, U.S. forces landed on Luzon, at Lingayen Gulf, on January 9, 1945. Driving southward along the same general route the Japanese followed in 1941-42, they advanced on Manila and fought the Japanese in the
Battle for the Liberation of Manila from February to March 1945. U.S. forces also landed in several other points on Luzon and conducted operations to rescue prisoners of war at
Cabanatuan and
Los Baños. In the face of U.S. advances, Japanese forces retreated to the mountains of Luzon and fought a protracted campaign against U.S. forces into the summer of 1945. Luzon and the rest of the Philippines were officially declared liberated on July 5, 1945.
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Regions of the Philippines*
Provinces of the Philippines*
Visayas*
Mindanao
