Zambales

Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains.

Philippine province|infoboxtitle=Province of Zambales|sealfile=

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|region=Central Luzon (Region III)|capital=Iba|founded=1578|pop2000=627,802|pop2000rank=39th largest|popden2000=169|popden2000rank=49th highest|areakm2=3,714.4|arearank=35th largest|hucities=1|componentcities=0|municipalities=13|barangays=247|districts=2|languages=Tagalog, Ilocano, Sambal |governor=Vicente P. Magsaysay|locatormapfile=

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People and culture

Economy

Geography

Political

Zambales is subdivided into 13 municipalities and 1 city. Olongapo City is a highly-urbanized city and administers itself autonomously from the province.

City

*Olongapo City

Municipalities

*Botolan *Cabangan *Candelaria *Castillejos *Iba *Masinloc *Palauig

*San Antonio *San Felipe *San Marcelino *San Narciso *Santa Cruz *Subic

Physical

Zambales lies on the western shores of Luzon island between the Zambales Mountains and the South China Sea. Its shoreline is very ragged and features many coves and inlets. Subic Bay, in the southernmost part of the province provides a natural harbor, and was chosen as the location of an American naval base. The peak of Mount Pinatubo lies on the intersection of the boundaries between Zambales, Pampanga, and Tarlac. This volcano, once considered dormant, erupted violently in 1991.

History

The area now occupied by Zambales was first explored by the Spanish in 1572 through Juan de Salcedo. Among the earliest towns founded were Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612). Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the three towns during its history before settling down currently to Iba, due to its strategic location.

The province's name came from the word “Zambale”, which is a Hispanized term for “Zambal”. Zambal refers to the language spoken by the early Malay inhabitants of the place. A contending version states that the name was derived from the word samba, meaning worship, because the Spanish supposedly found the native inhabitants to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors.

Tourist Attractions

Zambales has 173 kilometers of beautiful beaches owned by a hundred and one different private owners. Zambales enjoys being mothered by these private families who are ilokano in origin and known for their penchant in neatness. Enjoy beach with mountains, or beaches without mountains, beaches with fine black sands or beaches with fine white sands, others have coral reefs, some are dive spots, some have good surf, while other beaches are with nipa huts, some beaches have hotels, while other beaches have airconed huts, while some beaches do not have huts. The list will go on and on. But what you can be guaranteed of is that these beaches are pristine and are only 3 to 4 hours away from Manila. Rule is that: the farther the beaches are from Subic the better and cleaner. Since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, Zambales have shown remarkable resiliance to devastation. It has devoted itself to becoming a major tourist destination. Many resorts were damaged by Mt. Pinatubo have been rebuilt to what is enjoyed now as "bigger and better". Almost every type of accommodation can be found along the beautiful coastline. Major annual attractions include "Fiesta Poon Bato" in January. This is a religious festival that attracts over a half a million people annually. Devotion to the Ina Poon Bato the oldest known Image of the Virgin Mother in Asia (as per Pigafeta's writings) is a must. The actual Barrio of Poon Bato was completely destroyed during the Pinatubo eruption and the Icon was saved and moved to Danac Bunga in Botolan where the Fiesta is held. Since Zambales mangos are the sweetest mangoes in the world (Guinness Book of Records), the "Mango Festival" is held in the provincial capital in Iba every April and the "Domorokdok" festival every May in Botolan. These have all become major attractions with street dancing, agricultural shows, competitons, such as sand castling, bikini open beauty pagent and much more. Pundakit in San Antonio is also a site to behold. nestled in the navel of Zambales coastline is an 1800 Spanish Light House on top of "Islas de Punta Capones" reminiscent of places such as "Sierra Leone".

External links

*Official Website of the Provincial Government of Zambales
*Zambales Resort Owners Association
*Rama International Beach Resort
*Palmera Garden Beach Resort
*Virtual Reality Panoramas of Capones Island by Firefly.ph
*Cafe Tolyo (Restaurant & Pension House)
*White Rock Beach Resort & Hotel
*Information on Zambales, including Real Estate
*Official Website of the Greater Subic Bay Tourism Bureau - Provinces of Zambales & Bataan, Olongapo City and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone
*Latest News in Olongapo City, Subic Bay Freeport and Zambales http://www.news.subicbay.ph