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Luzon

 

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Luzon



 
 
Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
 in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
 and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas
Visayas

Visayas is one of the three island groups in the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea....
 and Mindanao
Mindanao

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with Luzon and Visayas....
 being the other two. Luzon as an island group includes the island of Luzon itself, plus the Batanes
Batanes

The Province of Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines, both in terms of population and land area....
 and Babuyan
Babuyan Islands

The Babuyan Islands form an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands to its north by the Balintang Channel....
 groups of islands to the north, and the main and outlying islands of Catanduanes
Catanduanes

Catanduanes is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac, Catanduanes and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel....
, Marinduque
Marinduque

Marinduque is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Boac, Marinduque....
, Masbate
Masbate

Masbate is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate Island, Ticao Island and Burias Island....
, Romblon
Romblon

Romblon is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province consists of numerous islands sitting in the Sibuyan Sea....
, and Mindoro
Mindoro

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located southwest of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. In past times, it has been called Ma-i or Mait by ancient China traders and, by Spain, as Mina de Oro from where the island got its current name....
 in the south. Luzon was once split among Muslim principalities and pagan tribes, who had trading connections with Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 after the Spanish established their rule.






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Encyclopedia


Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
 in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
 and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas
Visayas

Visayas is one of the three island groups in the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea....
 and Mindanao
Mindanao

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with Luzon and Visayas....
 being the other two. Luzon as an island group includes the island of Luzon itself, plus the Batanes
Batanes

The Province of Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines, both in terms of population and land area....
 and Babuyan
Babuyan Islands

The Babuyan Islands form an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands to its north by the Balintang Channel....
 groups of islands to the north, and the main and outlying islands of Catanduanes
Catanduanes

Catanduanes is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac, Catanduanes and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel....
, Marinduque
Marinduque

Marinduque is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Boac, Marinduque....
, Masbate
Masbate

Masbate is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate Island, Ticao Island and Burias Island....
, Romblon
Romblon

Romblon is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province consists of numerous islands sitting in the Sibuyan Sea....
, and Mindoro
Mindoro

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located southwest of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. In past times, it has been called Ma-i or Mait by ancient China traders and, by Spain, as Mina de Oro from where the island got its current name....
 in the south. Luzon was once split among Muslim principalities and pagan tribes, who had trading connections with Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 after the Spanish established their rule. The first European explorers recorded it in their charts as Luçonia or Luçon and inhabitants were called Luçoes
Luções

Lu??es or, anglicized, Luzones is the name that early Portuguese people explorers in Southeast asia used to refer to a race of maritime traders from the island of Luzon in the Philippines, "ten days sail beyond Borneo" and resembling the people of Borneo to the point that they are treated as one and the same....
. Under Spain, Luzon also came to be known as the Nueva Castilla or the New Castile.

Administrative divisions

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.

  • Ilocos Region
    Ilocos Region

    The Ilocos Region or Region I of the Philippines is located in the northwestern region portion of Luzon. It is bounded by the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley to the east, Central Luzon to the south and by the South China Sea to the west....
     (Region I)
  • Cagayan Valley
    Cagayan Valley

    Cagayan Valley is a Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, namely: Batanes Province, Cagayan Province, Isabela Province, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino Province....
     (Region II)
  • Central Luzon
    Central Luzon

    Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or Regions of the Philippines of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience....
     (Region III)
  • CALABARZON
    CALABARZON

    CALABARZON is one of the Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in Laguna ....
     (Region IV-A)
  • MIMAROPA (Region IV-B)
  • Bicol Region
    Bicol Region

    The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines. It occupies the Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island and some other islands....
     (Region V)
  • Cordillera Administrative Region
    Cordillera Administrative Region

    The Cordillera Administrative Region , Philippines' only Landlocked country region, consists of the Provinces of the Philippines of Abra , Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga Province, Mountain Province and Apayao Province....
     (CAR)
  • National Capital Region
    Metro Manila

    Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
     (NCR)


Ilocos Region (Region I) is located in the northwest portion of the main island. Its provinces are: Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Norte is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan Province and Apayao Province to the east, and Abra Province and Ilocos Sur to the south....
, Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur

Ilocos Sur is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Vigan City and borders Ilocos Norte and Abra province to the north, Mountain Province to the east, and La Union and Benguet to the south....
, La Union
La Unión Province

La Uni?n Province may refer to:* La Uni?n Province, Peru* La Union province, Philippines...
, and Pangasinan
Pangasinan

Pangasinan is one of the Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan. Pangasinan is located on the west central area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf....
. Its inhabitants are 70% Ilocanos
Ilokano language

Ilokano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines.An Austronesian languages, it is related to such languages as Indonesian language, Malay language, Fijian language, Maori language , Hawaiian language, Malagasy language , Samoan language, Tahitian language, Chamorro language , Tetum , and Paiwan language ....
 and 30% Pangasinans
Pangasinan language

The Pangasinan language is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines.The language is spoken by more than one and a half million Pangasinan people in the province of Pangasinan alone....
. The main languages are Ilokano
Ilokano language

Ilokano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines.An Austronesian languages, it is related to such languages as Indonesian language, Malay language, Fijian language, Maori language , Hawaiian language, Malagasy language , Samoan language, Tahitian language, Chamorro language , Tetum , and Paiwan language ....
 and Pangasinan
Pangasinan language

The Pangasinan language is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines.The language is spoken by more than one and a half million Pangasinan people in the province of Pangasinan alone....
. The region's administrative center is San Fernando City, La Union
San Fernando City, La Union

For the city in Pampanga, see City of San Fernando, Pampanga. For other uses, see San Fernando.San Fernando City is a First Class Component City in the Philippines in the Philippine province of La Union province, Philippines....
. 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
Cordillera Central, Luzon

The Cordillera Central is a massive mountain range situated in the northern central part of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. Several provinces bound it, namely Benguet, Abra , Kalinga, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Baguio, a chartered city located entirely within Benguet....
 and Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre (Philippines)

The Sierra Madre is a mountain range in the Philippines. It is located in the north-eastern coast of Luzon island. It starts in the Provinces of the Philippines of Cagayan in the north and ends in Quezon in the south, just east of Laguna de Bay....
 mountain ranges. Running through its center is the country's longest river, Cagayan River. Its provinces are Batanes, Cagayan
Cagayan

Cagayan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon....
, Isabela
Isabela

Isabela can refer to:* Isabela II, Queen of Spain* Isabela , in the Philippines* Isabela, Negros Occidental in the Philippines.* Isabela City in the Philippines....
, Nueva Vizcaya
Nueva Vizcaya

Nueva Vizcaya is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya....
, and Quirino
Quirino

Quirino is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis, Quirino and was named after Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines....
. The region's administrative center is Tuguegarao City
Tuguegarao City

The City of Tuguegarao is a second class Philippine city in the Philippine province of Cagayan province, Philippines. It is the capital city of Cagayan & the regional capital of Region 2, made known to be the Premier Ibanag City....
.

Central Luzon (Region III) contains the largest plain
Plain

In geography, a plain is an area of landscape with relatively high relief, as well as flat. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or vegetation may be absent in the case of sandy or...
 of the country and produces most of the country's rice
Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
 supply. Its provinces are Aurora
Aurora province

Aurora is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Baler, Aurora and borders, clockwise from the south, the provinces of Quezon, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Isabela province....
, Bataan
Bataan

Bataan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines....
, Bulacan
Bulacan

Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class Provinces of the Philippines of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Super regions of the Philippines....
, Nueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija

Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City. Nueva Ecija borders, from the south clockwise, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Aurora ....
, Pampanga
Pampanga

Pampanga is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga....
, Tarlac
Tarlac

Tarlac is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Tarlac City....
, and Zambales
Zambales

Zambales is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Iba, Zambales....
. The region's administrative center is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga
San Fernando City, Pampanga

The City of San Fernando, is a second-class, component Philippine city in the Philippine province of Pampanga province. It is the capital city of Pampanga and the regional center of Central Luzon ....
. The former United States Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 base of Subic Bay
U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay

U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines....
 is located in Zambales
Zambales

Zambales is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Iba, Zambales....
 while the former United States Air Force
United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Military of the United States and one of the uniformed services of the United States....
 is in Clark Field, Pampanga. Both are now two of the country's booming special economic zones. The main languages are Kapampangan
Kapampangan

Kapampangan or Pampangan may refer to:*Kapampangan people of the Philippines*Kapampangan language...
 and Tagalog
Tagalog

Tagalog can mean:* The Tagalog language, the most widely spoken of the Philippines languages.* The Tagalog people, the second-largest Filipino ethnic group....
.

CALABARZON (Region IV-A), one of the newest regions of the country, was previously a part of Southern Tagalog
Southern Tagalog

Southern Tagalog, or Region IV, was a Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines that is now composed of CALABARZON and MIMAROPA. Region IV was split into the two regions on May 17, 2002....
 (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 Cavite
Cavite

Cavite is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila....
, Laguna
Laguna province

Laguna s a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Santa Cruz, Laguna and the province is located southeast of Metro Manila, south of the province of Rizal province, west of Quezon, north of Batangas and east of Cavite....
, Batangas
Batangas

Batangas is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines....
, Rizal
Rizal

Rizal is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines in Luzon, just 20 kilometers east of Manila....
, and Quezon
Quezon

Quezon is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province was named after Manuel L....
. The Tagalogs are the dominant ethnic group in this region, with Tagalog
Tagalog language

Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. It is a basis for the Filipino language, which is the principal language of the national television and radio, though broadsheet newspapers are almost completely in English....
 as the main language. Its recognized administrative center is Manila
Manila

The 'City of Manila' , or simply 'Manila', is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila....
, which is in Metro Manila
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
, however, some government officials still consider Quezon City
Quezon City

Quezon City , is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the Cities of the Philippines and Philippine municipality that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region....
, which is also in Metro Manila
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
 as the administrative center, and also, Lucena City
Lucena City

The City of Lucena is a first class highly urbanized medium sized Philippine city in the Philippine province of Quezon province, Philippines. It is the capital city of Quezon and belongs to the 25 most competitive cities of the Philippines....
.

MIMARO (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
Marinduque

Marinduque is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Boac, Marinduque....
, Occidental Mindoro
Occidental Mindoro

Occidental Mindoro is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro and occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro, on the west by Apo East Pass, and on the south by the Mindoro Strait; Oriental Mindoro is at the eastern half....
, Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Calapan City and occupies the eastern half of the island of Mindoro; Occidental Mindoro is the western half....
, Romblon
Romblon

Romblon is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province consists of numerous islands sitting in the Sibuyan Sea....
, and Palawan
Palawan

Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction....
. The region's administrative center is Calapan City
Calapan City

City of Calapan is a 2nd class Philippine city in the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro province, Philippines. It is the capital city of Oriental Mindoro....
.

Bicol Region (Region V) occupies the Bicol Peninsula
Bicol Peninsula

Bicol is a peninsula of the Philippines. It is located on Luzon Island and is part of Bicol Region. The active Mayon Volcano is here....
 at the southeastern end of Luzon island, plus the outlying islands which include the island provinces of Catanduanes
Catanduanes

Catanduanes is an island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac, Catanduanes and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel....
 and Masbate. The remaining mainland provinces are Albay
Albay

Albay Camarines Norte
Camarines Norte

Camarines Norte is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. It's capital is Daet, Camarines Norte and the province borders Quezon to the west and Camarines Sur to the south....
, Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur

Camarines Sur is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Pili, Camarines Sur and the province borders Camarines Norte and Quezon to the north, and Albay to the south....
, and Sorsogon. The region's administrative center is Legazpi City
Legazpi City

The City of Legazpi is a second class Philippine city and capital of the Philippine province of Albay province, Philippines. With 179,481 inhabitants according to the 2000 census, it is the largest city in the Bicol Region in terms of population, though not in land area....
. The inhabitants are of Bicolano descent with Bikol
Bikol language

Central Bicolano , is one of the individual languages of the Bikol language , which in is part of the group of Bikol languages. It belongs to Coastal Bikol....
 as the main language.

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) almost completely covers the Cordillera Central
Cordillera Central, Luzon

The Cordillera Central is a massive mountain range situated in the northern central part of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. Several provinces bound it, namely Benguet, Abra , Kalinga, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Baguio, a chartered city located entirely within Benguet....
 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
Abra province

Abra is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bangued, Abra, and it borders Ilocos Norte and Apayao Province on the north, Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province on the south, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur on the west, and Kalinga Province, and Apayao Province on...
, Apayao, Benguet
Benguet

Benguet is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad, Benguet and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union province, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
, Ifugao
Ifugao

Ifugao is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 251, 778 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in the mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests....
, Kalinga, and Mountain Province
Mountain Province

Mountain Province is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc, Mountain Province and borders, clockwise from the south, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Abra province, Kalinga Province, and Isabela....
. The regional center is Baguio City
Baguio City

The City of Baguio is a Cities of the Philippines#Classification in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway....
.

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
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
. 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.

Geography

Luzon's area is 104,688 square kilometers, making it the world's 15th largest island
List of islands by area

This is a list of islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2,500 km? , and several other islands over 500 km? ....
. It is the fifth most populous island in the world
List of islands by population

This is a list of islands in the world ordered by population. It includes all islands with population greater than 100,000. For comparison, continental landmasses are also shown....
. Located on Luzon are the country's capital, Manila
Manila

The 'City of Manila' , or simply 'Manila', is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila....
, and its most populous city, Quezon City
Quezon City

Quezon City , is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the Cities of the Philippines and Philippine municipality that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region....
. The island is very mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
ous and is home to Mount Pulag
Mount Pulag

Mount Pulag is the second-highest mountain in the Philippines. It is Luzon?s highest peak at 2,922 meters above sea level. The borders between the Provinces of the Philippines of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain's peak....
, the second highest mountain in the country and Mayon, the most famous volcano
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
. To the west of Luzon island is the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
 (Luzon Sea in Philippine territorial waters), to the east is the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 90, 000 mi? on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean....
, and to the north is Luzon Strait
Luzon Strait

The Luzon Strait is an important strait connecting the Philippine Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean, to the South China Sea, between Taiwan and Luzon in the Philippines....
 containing Babuyan Channel and Balintang Channel
Balintang Channel

The Balintang Channel is the small waterway that separates the Batanes and Babuyan Islands, both of which belong to the Philippines, in the Luzon Strait....
.

The main part of the island is roughly rectangular in shape and has the long Bicol Peninsula
Bicol Peninsula

Bicol is a peninsula of the Philippines. It is located on Luzon Island and is part of Bicol Region. The active Mayon Volcano is here....
 protruding to the southeast. The northern part of the island contains the largest mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in the country, the Cordillera Central
Cordillera Central, Luzon

The Cordillera Central is a massive mountain range situated in the northern central part of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. Several provinces bound it, namely Benguet, Abra , Kalinga, Apayao, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Baguio, a chartered city located entirely within Benguet....
. Mount Pulag
Mount Pulag

Mount Pulag is the second-highest mountain in the Philippines. It is Luzon?s highest peak at 2,922 meters above sea level. The borders between the Provinces of the Philippines of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain's peak....
, the second highest mountain in the country, is located there, rising 2,922 meters. To the east of the Cordillera Central is the large Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley

Cagayan Valley is a Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, namely: Batanes Province, Cagayan Province, Isabela Province, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino Province....
, which serves as the basin for the Cagayan River
Cagayan River

The Cagayan River is the longest and largest river in the Philippines. It is located in the Cagayan Valley region in northeastern part of Luzon island and traverses the Provinces of the Philippines of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Isabela Province and Cagayan....
, the longest river in the Philippines. To the east of the valley rises the Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre (Philippines)

The Sierra Madre is a mountain range in the Philippines. It is located in the north-eastern coast of Luzon island. It starts in the Provinces of the Philippines of Cagayan in the north and ends in Quezon in the south, just east of Laguna de Bay....
 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
Zambales Mountains

The Zambales Mountains are a mountain range located on the western side of Luzon, in the Philippines. The mountains separate Luzon's central plain from the South China Sea and extend out as the Bataan Peninsula to the south, enclosing Manila Bay....
 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 Cagayan
Cagayan

Cagayan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon....
 to the north, and Pampanga
Pampanga River

Pampanga River is the second largest river in the island of Luzon in the Philippines, next to the Cagayan River. It is located in the Central Luzon region and traverses the provinces of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Tarlac and Quezon....
 to the south. In the middle of the plain rises the solitary Mount Arayat
Mount Arayat

Mount Arayat is an inactive stratovolcano on Luzon Island, Philippines, rising to a height of 1,026 metres ASL. There is no recorded eruption of the volcano, and its last activity probably dates to the Holocene era....
. To the west, in the Zambales Mountains, rises Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, at the intersection of the borders of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga....
, made famous because of its enormous 1991 eruption.

The Zambales mountains extends to the sea in the north, forming Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf

The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union province and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central, Luzon....
, home to the Hundred Islands National Park
Hundred Islands National Park

The Hundred Islands National Park is in the Provinces of the Philippines of Pangasinan in northern Philippines. It is located in Alaminos City, Pangasinan....
. To the south, the mountains also extend into the sea, forming the Bataan Peninsula
Bataan Peninsula

The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea....
, which encloses the Manila Bay
Manila Bay

File:Manila Bay Landsat 2000.jpgFile:Manila Bay, early 1800s.jpgManila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines....
. This natural harbor
Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural....
 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
Laguna de Bay

Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines and the third largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia after Tonle Sap in Cambodia and Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia....
 (Old Spanish, Lake of Bay town). This 949 km² lake is drained by the Pasig River
Pasig River

The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines and connects Laguna de Bay into Manila Bay. It stretches for and divides Metro Manila into two....
 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
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
.

Located just 20 km southwest of Laguna de Bay is Taal Lake
Taal Lake

Taal Lake is a freshwater lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The lake is situated within a caldera formed by very large volcanic eruption between 500,000 and 100,000 years ago....
, within the southwestern portion of the island. This caldera of a lake contains the smallest volcano
Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or Crust , which allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface....
 of the country, Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano is a stratovolcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is situated between the towns of Talisay, Batangas and San Nicolas, Batangas in Batangas province....
, 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
Tayabas Bay

Tayabas Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at . Several islands are located in the bay, largest of which is Marinduque....
. To the south of the bay is the island of Marinduque.

The southeastern portion of Luzon is dominated by the Bicol Peninsula
Bicol Peninsula

Bicol is a peninsula of the Philippines. It is located on Luzon Island and is part of Bicol Region. The active Mayon Volcano is here....
. 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
Lamon Bay

Lamon Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at ....
, which contains Alabat Island and is south of the Polillo Islands of Quezon province
Quezon

Quezon is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. The province was named after Manuel L....
. Other bays and gulfs include San Miguel Bay
San Miguel Bay

San Miguel Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at ....
, Lagonoy Gulf
Lagonoy Gulf

Lagonoy Gulf is a large gulf in the southeastern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at . It is separated from the Philippine Sea by Caramoan Peninsula in the north....
, Ragay Gulf
Ragay Gulf

Ragay Gulf is a large gulf in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at . It is separated from the Sibuyan Sea by Bondoc Peninsula in the west....
, and Sorsogon Bay
Sorsogon Bay

Sorsogon Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at ....
.

To the east of the peninsula lies the island of Catanduanes. Leading to it is the Caramoan Peninsula
Caramoan Peninsula

Caramoan Peninsula is a hilly peninsula, with deep gorges and a rough, rocky terrain, located in north-east Camarines Sur, Bicol. The place has a National Park which has caves, limestone formations, white sandy beaches, an islet lake and a subterranean river, make it popular with tourists....
. Off the southeast tip of Bicol is Samar island, separated by San Bernardino Strait
San Bernardino Strait

The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south....
. Bicol Peninsula is connected to the main part of Luzon through the Tayabas Isthmus. Extending south from the isthmus is the Bondoc Peninsula
Bondoc Peninsula

Bondoc Peninsula is a peninsula in Calabarzon Region, southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at ....
.

The Bicol Peninsula is also home to numerous volcanoes. The most famous is Mayon Volcano in Albay
Albay

Albay Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" . An active volcano that last erupted in 1707?08, Mount Fuji straddles the boundary of Shizuoka Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture Prefectures of Japan just west of Tokyo, from which it can be seen on a clear day....
 in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, and is a symbol of the Bicol Region
Bicol Region

The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines. It occupies the Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island and some other islands....
. Other notable mountains are Mount Isarog
Mount Isarog

Mount Isarog is a potentially active stratovolcano located in the province of Camarines Sur, Island of Luzon, Philippines.It was here that Bicolano guerillas hid during the Japanese Period....
 and Mount Iriga
Mount Iriga

Mount Iriga, also known as Mount Asog, is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines, in the province of Camarines Sur, in the Philippines, at geographical coordinates 13?27.4'N, 123?27.4'E....
 in Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur

Camarines Sur is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Pili, Camarines Sur and the province borders Camarines Norte and Quezon to the north, and Albay to the south....
, and Mount Bulusan
Mount Bulusan

Mount Bulusan, or Bulusan Volcano, is the southernmost volcano on Luzon Island in the Philippines. It is found in the province of Sorsogon in the Bicol Region region , 70 km southeast of Mayon Volcano and approximately 250 km southeast of the Philippine capital of Manila....
 in Sorsogon
Sorsogon

Sorsogon is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region Regions of the Philippines; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities and one city....
.

Located off the southwestern coast of the Bicol Peninsula are the islands of Ticao
Ticao Island

Ticao Island is one of the three major islands of Masbate Province in the Philippines. The other two major Islands are Masbate Island and Burias Island ....
, Burias
Burias Island

Burias Island is one of the three major islands of Masbate Province in the Philippines. The other two major Islands are Ticao Island and Masbate Island. The Island has two municipalities, Claveria, Masbate and San Pascual, Masbate....
, and Masbate.

Tectonics

Luzon is a mobile belt, or a fast deforming plate boundary zone, hemmed in between two opposing subduction zones, the west-dipping Philippine Trench
Philippine Trench

The Philippine Trench or Philippine Deep or Mindanao Trench or Mindanao Deep is a submarine trench to the east of the Philippines....
-East Luzon Trough subduction zone, and the east-dipping north-south trending Manila Trench
Manila Trench

The Manila Trench is an ocean trench in the South China Sea, west of the Philippines. It reaches a depth of about 5,000 m, in contrast with the average depth of the South China Sea of about 1,500 m....
(Hamburger et al., 1982). The Philippine Sea Plate subducts under Luzon on the east (along the Philippine Trench) while the Sunda block (part of the Eurasian plate subducts under Luzon along the Manila Trench at the western part (Rangin, et al., 1999).

The North-Southwestern trending left-lateral strike-slip Philippine Fault System traverses Luzon, from Quezon province/Bicol
Bicol

Bikol or Bicol may refer to:*Bicol Region, the administrative region in the Philippines*Bikol languages, the languages spoken in the Bicol region...
 to the northwestern part of the island. This fault system takes up part of the motion due to the subducting plates and produces large earthquakes. Southwest of Luzon is a collision zone where the Palawan
Palawan

Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction....
-Borneo
Borneo

Borneo is the List of islands by area and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Administratively, this island is divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei....
 block collides with SW Luzon, producing a highly seismic zone near Mindoro
Mindoro

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located southwest of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. In past times, it has been called Ma-i or Mait by ancient China traders and, by Spain, as Mina de Oro from where the island got its current name....
 island. Southwest Luzon is characterized by a highly volcanic zone, called the Macolod Corridor, a region of crustal thinning and spreading. Using seismic and geodetic data, Luzon has been modeled as a series of six micro blocks or micro plates, all moving and rotating in different directions, with maximum velocities ~100 mm/yr NW with respect to Sundaland/Eurasia (Galgana et al., 2007). This highly deforming, multi-block nature of Luzon is also noted in its Geologic make up, as cited by Pubellier et al.(2004) among others.

Economy

The economy of the island is centered in Makati
Makati City

The City of Makati, or simply Makati, is one of the Cities of the Philippines and Philippine municipality that make up Metro Manila, the Metropolitan area of the Manila....
. Agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 predominates in Central Luzon
Central Luzon

Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or Regions of the Philippines of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience....
.

History

From just before the first millennium, the Tagalog
Tagalog

Tagalog can mean:* The Tagalog language, the most widely spoken of the Philippines languages.* The Tagalog people, the second-largest Filipino ethnic group....
 and Kapampangan
Kapampangan

Kapampangan or Pampangan may refer to:*Kapampangan people of the Philippines*Kapampangan language...
 peoples of south and central Luzon had established several Indianized kingdom
Indianized kingdom

The concept of the Indianized kingdom, first described by George Coed?s, is based upon the Hindu and Buddhist cultural and economic influences in Southeast Asia....
s, notably among them those of Tundok, Namayan and Maynila. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription
Laguna Copperplate Inscription

The Laguna Copperplate inscription is the first written document found in a Languages of the Philippines. The plate was found in 1989 by Alfredo E....
, the first Philippine document written in 900AD, names places in and around Manila bay as well as Medan
Medan

Medan is the capital of the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Located in the northern part of the province along the coast, Medan is the third largest city in Indonesia....
 in Indonesia. These kingdoms were based on leases between village rulers (Datu
Datu

Datu or datto is the title for chieftains and monarchs in the Philippines. Together with sultan and raja, they are also titles of royalty and currently used in Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines and Indonesia....
) and landlords (Lakan
Lakan

Lakan originally referred to a rank in the History of the Philippines Filipino nobility which means "paramount ruler." It has been suggested that this rank is equivalent to that of Rajah, and that different ethnic groups either used one term or the other, or used the two words interchangeably....
) or Rajahs, to whom tributes and taxes were levied. These kingdoms were coastal thalassocracies
Thalassocracy

The term thalassocracy refers to a state with primarily maritime realms?an empire at sea, such as the Phoenician network of merchant cities....
 based on trade with neighboring China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 (of whom they were tributaries), India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Java
Java

Java is an island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city, Jakarta. Once the centre of powerful Hindu kingdoms, The spread of Islam in Indonesia , and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia....
, Okinawa and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. According to sources at the time, the trade in large native Rusun-tsukuri (literally Luzon made in Japanese) clay jars used for storing green tea
Green tea

'Green tea' is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East....
 and rice wine
Rice wine

Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage made from rice. Unlike wine, which is made by fermentation of naturally sweet grapes and other fruit, rice "wine" results from the fermentation of rice starch converted to sugars....
 with Japan flourished in the 12th century, and local Tagalog
Tagalog

Tagalog can mean:* The Tagalog language, the most widely spoken of the Philippines languages.* The Tagalog people, the second-largest Filipino ethnic group....
 and Kapampangan
Kapampangan

Kapampangan or Pampangan may refer to:*Kapampangan people of the Philippines*Kapampangan language...
 potters had marked each jar with Baybayin
Baybayin

Baybayin or Alibata is a pre-Spain Philippine writing system that originated from the Java nese script Old Kawi. The writing system is a member of the Brahmic family and is believed to have been in use as early as the 14th century....
 letters denoting the particular urn used and the locale the jars were manufactured in. Of this flourishing trade, the Burnay jars of Ilocos
Ilocos

Ilocos collectively refers to two Provinces of the Philippines in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano....
 are the only large clay jar manufactured in Luzon today with origins from this time.

The Spanish arrival in the 16th century saw the breaking up of these kingdoms and the establishment of the Philippines with its capital Cebu, which was moved to Manila following the defeat of the local Rajah Sulayman
Rajah Sulayman

Rajah Sulaiman III , was the last native Muslim king of Kingdom of Maynila, a Kapampangan & Tagalog people kingdom on the southern delta of the Pasig River which would later be the site of the capital of the Philippines, Manila....
 in 1570.

Demographics


Ethnic groups


The people of Luzon belong to the Filipino people
Filipino people

Filipino people refers to an ethnic group in the Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia. The name Filipino was derived from Las Islas Filipinas , the Spanish language name given to the Philippines in the 16th century, by Spanish explorer Ruy L?pez de Villalobos....
, and are divided into several ethnolinguistic
Ethnolinguistics

Ethnolinguistics is a field of anthropological linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world....
 groups. These groups inhabit different areas of the island.

Ilocanos
Ilocano people

The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from the word "Iloco" or "Yloco."...
 predominate in the northern portion of Ilocos
Ilocos Region

The Ilocos Region or Region I of the Philippines is located in the northwestern region portion of Luzon. It is bounded by the Cordillera Administrative Region and Cagayan Valley to the east, Central Luzon to the south and by the South China Sea to the west....
 and the region of Cagayan Valley, Pangasinense
Pangasinan people

The Pangasinan are the eight largest Ethnic groups in the Philippines. They are the residents or indigenous peoples of the Pangasinan, one of the provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines, located on the west central area in the island of Luzon along Lingayen Gulf....
 primarily inhabit Pangasinan
Pangasinan

Pangasinan is one of the Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan. Pangasinan is located on the west central area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf....
, while the Kapampangans
Kapampangan people

The Kapampangans or Capampan?gans are the sixth largest Ethnic groups in the Philippines, numbering at about 2,890,000. The original Kapampangans may have descended from Austronesian languages-speaking immigrants to Luzon during the Iron Age....
 primarily live in Pampanga
Pampanga

Pampanga is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga....
, Tarlac
Tarlac

Tarlac is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Tarlac City....
 and the rest of Central Luzon. Meanwhile, Tagalog
Tagalog people

The Tagalog people is the second largest Ethnic groups in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from the native term tagailog, meaning 'people living along the river'....
s are the majority in Bulacan
Bulacan

Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class Provinces of the Philippines of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Super regions of the Philippines....
, CALABARZON
CALABARZON

CALABARZON is one of the Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in Laguna ....
, and Metro Manila
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
, while Bicolanos
Bicolano people

The Bicolanos are the the fifth-largest Ethnic groups of the Philippines....
 predominate in Bicol
Bicol Region

The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 Regions of the Philippines of the Philippines. It occupies the Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island and some other islands....
. Other ethnic groups are also present such as the Aeta
Aeta

The Aeta , Agta or Ayta are an indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of Luzon, Philippines. They are considered to be Negritos, who are dark to very dark brown skinned and tend to have features such as a small stature, small frame, curly hair, small nose, and dark brown eyes....
 of Zambales
Zambales

Zambales is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines. Its capital is Iba, Zambales....
, the Ibanag of Cagayan, and the Igorot
Igorot

Igorot name for the people of the Cordillera Administrative Region region, in the Philippines island of Luzon. The Igorot form two subgroups: the larger group lives in the south, central and western areas, and is very adept at rice-Terrace farming; the smaller group lives in the east and north....
 of the Cordilleras
Cordillera Administrative Region

The Cordillera Administrative Region , Philippines' only Landlocked country region, consists of the Provinces of the Philippines of Abra , Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga Province, Mountain Province and Apayao Province....
.

Due to recent migrations populations of Hindus, Moros, and Chinese have also been present in urban areas. Populations of Spanish, Americans, Japanese, Koreans
Koreans in the Philippines

Koreans in the Philippines, largely consisting of expatriates from South Korea, form the largest Korean diaspora community in Southeast Asia and the seventh-largest in the world, after Korean Australians and before Koreans in Vietnam; as of 2007, statistics of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recorded their population at 8...
, Desi
Desi

Desi refers to the people and culture of the Indian and South Asian diaspora. It includes British people Indians, British people Pakistanis, British people Sri Lankans, Indian-Americans, Pakistani-Americans, Sri Lankan Americans and any other persons of South Asian heritage ? with ancestry from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal or Banglades...
s, Blacks, and Filipino mestizo
Filipino mestizo

Filipino mestizo is a term used in the Philippines to denote Filipino peoples of mixed indigenous Malays and Ethnic groups in Europe ancestry. The word mestizo is itself of Spanish language origin stemming from the Spanish colonial period....
s are also visible. Most Americans have settled in Angeles City
Angeles City

Angeles City , geographically located within the province of Pampanga in the Philippines, is locally classified as a Cities of the Philippines#Classification city....
 and Olongapo City
Olongapo City

The City of Olongapo is an urbanized Philippine city located in the Philippine province of Zambales province, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 194,260 people in 43,107 households....
 due to the presence of the U.S. air and naval bases in Central Luzon.

Languages

Phillanguages
Almost all of the languages of Luzon belong to the Borneo-Philippines
Borneo-Philippines languages

The Borneo-Philippines languages are a branch of the Austronesian languages which includes the languages of the Philippines, much of Borneo, the northern peninsula of Sulawesi, and Madagascar....
 group of the Malayo-Polynesian language
Malayo-Polynesian languages

The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 351 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia....
 branch of the Austronesian language family
Austronesian languages

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia....
. Major regional languages include: Tagalog
Tagalog language

Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. It is a basis for the Filipino language, which is the principal language of the national television and radio, though broadsheet newspapers are almost completely in English....
, Ilocano
Ilokano language

Ilokano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines.An Austronesian languages, it is related to such languages as Indonesian language, Malay language, Fijian language, Maori language , Hawaiian language, Malagasy language , Samoan language, Tahitian language, Chamorro language , Tetum , and Paiwan language ....
, Kapampangan
Kapampangan language

Kapampangan is one of the major languages of the Philippines. It is the major language spoken by the people in Pampanga. The language is also called Pampango, Capampan?gan, Pampangue?o, and Amanung Sisuan....
, Bikol
Bikol language

Central Bicolano , is one of the individual languages of the Bikol language , which in is part of the group of Bikol languages. It belongs to Coastal Bikol....
, and Pangasinan
Pangasinan language

The Pangasinan language is one of the twelve major languages in the Philippines.The language is spoken by more than one and a half million Pangasinan people in the province of Pangasinan alone....
. English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 and Lan-nang-oe
Lan-nang

Lan-nang, or more properly known as L?n-n?ng-oe , is the Philippine variety of Hokkien dialect. The name "L?n-n?ng-oe" means 'our people's language '....
, a variant of Hokkien (Min Nan
Min Nan

The Southern Min language, or Min Nan, refers to a family of Chinese dialects which are spoken in southern Fujian and neighboring areas, and by descendants of overseas Chinese in diaspora....
), is also used by many inhabitants.

Spain ruled the Philippines for 300 years. Spanish was the language of Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution

The Philippine Revolution was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spain colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire....
, and the 1899 Malolos Constitution proclaimed it as the official language. However, its use declined following the American occupation of the Philippines.

Religion


The major religion present in the island is Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 having the major denomination. Other sects include Protestantism
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
, the Philippine Independent Church
Philippine Independent Church

The Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente , is a Christian denomination of the Catholic tradition in the form of a national church....
, and Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo

The Iglesia ni Cristo . The INC says the book contains "outright blasphemy" towards the late founder Felix Manalo by likening the INC to a criminal syndicate....
. Indigenous traditions and rituals are also present.

Sizable communities of Buddhist
Buddhism in the Philippines

is the historical center of Vajrayana Buddhism in Southeast Asia, and not of Theravada BuddhismBuddhism, specifically Vajrayana, gained a foothold in the Philippines with the rise of the Indianized Buddhist Srivijaya Empire centered in Sumatra in the 7th century....
s and Muslim
Islam in the Philippines

Islam is one of the oldest organized religions to be established in the Philippines. Islam reached the islands in the 14th century with the arrival of Indian, Malay and Javanese people merchants, and Arab missionaries from various Sultan#Southeast_.26_East_Asia in the Malay Archipelago, although the Spread_of_islam#Southeast_Asia is due to t...
s have also began to be present in Metro Manila
Metro Manila

Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is the metropolitan area of the city of Manila, the national capital of the Philippines....
 due to migrations of Moros and Chinese

See also

  • Regions of the Philippines
    Regions of the Philippines

    In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions of the Philippines that serve primarily to organize the 81 provinces of the Philippines for administrative convenience....
  • Provinces of the Philippines
    Provinces of the Philippines

    The provinces of the Philippines are the primary administrative divisions of the Philippines of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces, further subdivided into Cities of the Philippines and Philippine municipality....
  • Visayas
    Visayas

    Visayas is one of the three island groups in the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea....
  • Mindanao
    Mindanao

    Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with Luzon and Visayas....
  • Luzon Empire
  • Battle of Luzon
    Battle of Luzon

    The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allies of World War II of the United States and Philippines, against forces of the Empire of Japan....

External links


  • Central Luzon