The Ilocos Region Region 1:

Total Area: 13,055 km2 (5,040.6 sq mi)Population (2007) • Total 4,545,906 •  Density 348.2/km2 (901.9/sq mi)

Political Divisions

Province  Capital Population(2007)

Area(km²)

Pop. density(per km²)

Ilocos Norte Laoag City 547,284 3,399.3 151.3

Ilocos Sur Vigan City 632,255 2,579.6 230.3

La Union San Fernando City 720,972 1,493.1 440.7

Pangasinan Lingayen 2,645,395 5,368.2 453.4

Region I is composed of 4 provinces, 9 cities, 116 municipalities, and 3265 barangays

"List of Regions". National Statistical Coordination Board. Archived from the original on 2008-10-27. Retrieved 9 January 2011.

Languages

Ilocano, Pangasinan, Bolinao, Tagalog, English

Religion• The population is predominantly Roman Catholic with strong

adherents of Protestantismsuch as the Aglipayan denomination further north of the country. There are also adherents to other Christian denominations, such as Iglesia ni Cristo, Mormons, and the like. There is also an undercurrent of traditional animistic beliefs especially in rural areas. The small mercantile Chinese and Indian communities are primarily Buddhists, Taoists, and Hindus.

Ilocos Norte

• Founded 1818• Capital Laoag City• Government Province • Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa R. Marcos • Vice Governor Eugenio Barba

Dialects and  LanguagesIlocano, Tagalog, English

• Agriculture - rice, corn, garlic, legumes, root crops, tobacco, and other fruits and vegetables

• Fishery - tilapia and assorted fishes• Livestock - swine and cattle• Cottage industries - loom weaving, furniture,

ceramics, iron works

Ilocos NorteThe province specializes in the following products and industries:

• Manufacturing and food processing –• salt, empanada, bagoong, patis, basi (native Ilocano wine), vinegar,

longganisa, chicharon, bagnet, chichacorn (cornick), jewelry, garments, cereal processing, packaging, mechanized processing equipment

• Wind Power Ilocos Norte's position on the northwest corner of Luzon makes it ideal for wind power generation. There is currently a 25 Megawatt wind farm in Ilocos Norte, and several more wind energy projects are being planned.

• Eco-Tourism

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

Founded 1572 Capital Vigan CityType Province of the Philippines Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson Vice Governor Deogracias Savellano

The people are engaged in farming, producing food crops, mostly rice, corn, vegetable, root crops, and fruits. Non-food crops include tobacco, cotton, and tiger grass. Cottage industries include loom weaving, furniture making, jewelry making, ceramics, blacksmithing, and food processing.

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Founded 1850 Capital San Fernando City Governor Manuel "Manoling" OrtegaArea Total 1,504.0 km2 (580.7 sq mi) Area rank 70th out of 80

• The economy is diversified with service, manufacturing, and agricultural industries spread throughout the province. The Port of San Fernando operates as an increasingly active shipping point, and the former American airbase Wallace Air Station, having been converted into a business and industrial area, helps to facilitate such commercial activity.

• Tourism to the province is driven by airlines and passenger coach bus lines like regionally owned Farinas Transit Company and Partas.

• Tourists often flock to the beaches of Bauang, or to the more secluded ones further north for snorkeling, surfing or other water sports; the more northerly beaches near San Juan specifically cater to both local surfers as well as portions of the world surfing circuit.

La Union

Founded 1580 Capital Lingayen Governor Amado EspinoVice Governor Jose Calimlim, Jr. Area

Total 5,368.82 km2 (2,072.9 sq mi) Area rank 17th out of 80

Population (2007) Total 2,645,395

Pangasinan

• Pangasinan has export earnings of around $5.5 million.Energy• The 1200 megawatt Sual Coal-Fired Power Plant,and 345 megawatt San Roque

Multi-Purpose Dam, located in the municipalities of San Manuel and San Nicolas are the primary sources of energy of the province.

Marine• Pangasinan is a major fish supplier in Luzon, and a major producer of salt in the

Philippines. It has extensive fishponds, mostly for raising bangus, or "milkfish", along the coasts of the Lingayen Gulf and the South China Sea. Pangasinan's aquaculture includes oyster and sea urchin farms.

Pangasinan

Agriculture• The major crops in Pangasinan are rice,

mangoes, corn, and sugar cane. Pangasinan has a land area of 536,819 hectares, and 44 percent of the total land area of Pangasinan is devoted to agricultural production.

Pangasinan

Financial• Pangasinan has 593 banking and

financing institutions.Labor• Pangasinan has a labor force of about

1.52 million, and 87 percent of the labor force are gainfully employed.

InvestmentThe Department of Trade and Industry in

the Philippines has identified the following potential investment areas in Pangasinan:

• Santiago Island Marine Park• Oyster processing facility• Bagoong technology and processing

center• Tannery and leather production center• Oyster and aquaculture farming• Seaweed farming• Bamboo production• Handicraft and furniture making• Manufacture of construction bricks• Tourism development

Pangasinan

Tourist Attractions

Marcos MuseumSinking Belltower, Laoag CityPaoay LakeFort Ilocandia HotelPaoay Golf CoursePaoay ChurchLaoag CathedralAglipay ShrineMalacanang Of The NorthPatapat BridgeIlocos Norte CapitolCape Bojeador LighthouseBangui Windmills

Ilocos Norte Museum

Juan Luna ShrineRicarte Park and ShrineBadoc ChurchSarrat ChurchDap-ayan, Laoag, Ilocos Norte Food Court and Ilocos Norte ProductsLa Paz Sandunes, Laoag, Ilocos Norte Fine SandunesRobinsons Place Ilocos NortePamulinawen HotelPlaza Maestro Complex, Batac CityEverland Resort and Multi-Zipline, Batac City

• Hertiage City of Vigan• Vigan Cathedral• Sinait Church (Sanctuary of Santo

Cristo Milagroso)• Ilocos Sur Capitol• Santa Maria Church (UNESCO World

Heritage Site)• Pinsal Falls (Largest Waterfall of

Region I - Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur)

• Bantay Church and Belltower (Sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de La Caridad)

• Quirino Bridge in Bantay• Plaza Maestro Complex, Vigan City• Tirad Pass• Sundial in Tagudin• Santiago Cove• Paraiso ni Juan in Narvacan

Tourist Attractions

• La Union Capitol• Pindangan Ruins• La Union Botanical Garden• Wallace Air Station• Thunderbird Resort and Casino• La Union Surfing Capital (San Juan)• Bauang Beach• Poro Point (sea port)

Tourist Attractions

• Hundred Islands• Pangasinan Capitol• The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag• San Carlos City Plaza• San Juan River in San Carlos City• Bonuan Blue Beach in Dagupan City• Antong Falls• Cacupangan Cave• Mount Balungao• Manleluag Spring National Park• Sanctuario de Senor Divino Tesoro• Salasa Church• Lingayen Gulf War Museum• Bolinao Museum

• Oceanographic Marine Laboratory• Red Arrow Marker of the WWII 32nd US Infantry

Division• Rock Garden Resort• Umbrella Rocks• Urduja House• St. John Cathedral Garden• Caves in Bolinao• Boat ride in Pantal River• Provincial Capitol• Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center• Hundred Islands Marine Sanctuary• Tondol Beach• Tambobong White Beach• Blue Beach• Pergola Plaza in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan

Tourist Attractions

History• Region 1 was first inhabited by the aboriginal Negritos before they were

pushed by successive waves of Malay immigrants that penetrated the narrow coast. Tingguians in the interior, Ilocanos in the north, and Pangasinense in the south settled the region.

• From the data on the population distribution of Region 1, it is clear that not all the inhabitants are Ilocanos. Around one-third are non-Ilocanos and yet there is a popular misconception that all the inhabitants are Ilocanos. The use of the term Ilocos Region promotes the wrong notion that all the residents of Region 1 are Ilocanos. Before the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, Pangasinan was not a part of the region.

• The Spanish arrived in the 16th century and established Christian missions and governmental institutions to control the native population and convert them to the Roman Catholic Church. Present-day Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province became the bishopric seat of Nueva Segovia. Ilocanos in the northern parts were less easily swayed, however, and remained an area filled with deep resentments against Spain. These resentments bubbled to the surface at various points in the Ilocos provinces' history as insurrections, most notably that of Andres Malong and Palaris of Pangasinan, Diego Silang and his wife Gabriela Silang in 1764, and the Basi Revolt in the 19th century. However, it was the Pangasinenses in the south who were the last to be stand against the Spaniards.

• In 1901, the region came under American colonial rule, and in 1941, under Japanese occupation.

• During 1945, the combined American and the Philippine Commonwealth troops including with the Ilocano and Pangasinese guerillas liberated the Ilocos Region from Japanese forces during the Second World War.

• Several modern presidents of the Republic of the Philippines hailed from the Region: Elpidio Quirino, Ferdinand Marcos, and Fidel V. Ramos.

• Before the formation of the Cordillera Administrative Region, Region 1 also included the provinces of Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet. Before Region 1 was modified by Ferdinand Marcos, Pangasinan was not part of the region.