GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Central Luzon is a combination of towering mountains, extinct and active volcanoes, lush, verdant
farmlands, and natural sea harbors. It is one of the leading growth regions in the Philippines, strategically
located at the heart of Asia. Region III lies between Manila and Northern Luzon. It is composed of seven
provinces, twelve cities and 118 municipalities. Its 7 provinces are Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija,
Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. Its 12 cities are Balanga from Bataan, Malolos and San Jose del
Monte from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Gapan, Muoz, Palayan and San Jose from Nueva Ecija; Angeles and
San Fernando from Pampanga, Tarlac from Tarlac; and Olongapo from Zambales.
It includes all land area north of Manila Bay from the tip of Bataan peninsula on the west, and all the lands
north of the Caraballo mountains on the east. It is the longest contiguous area of lowlands, and is
otherwise known as the Central Plains of Luzon. The region produces one third of the countrys total rice
production, thus is also called the Rice Granary of the Philippines.
Located adjacent to the National Capital Region (NCR), it has benefited from the spillover from Metro
Manila. It is a part of the National Industrial Core Region, together with NCR and Region IV or the
Southern Tagalog Region. The Core Region contributed 70% of manufacturing value added in 1988. It
has emerged as an alternative area for investment to Region IV, but is still overcoming the effects of the
Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991.
Only 66 kilometers away from Metro Manila, Central Luzon contains the largest plain in the country and is
the gateway to the Northern Luzon regions. It covers a total land area of 21,470 square kilometers. The
City of San Fernando, in Pampanga, is the regional center. Aurora was transferred from Region IV to
Region III through Executive Order No. 103 in 2002.
In terms of population, Region III was the third largest region, containing 10.50 percent of the 76.5 million
human beings of the country as recorded in Census 2000. Located at the crossroads of Asia-Pacific,
Central Luzon is one of the dynamic and vibrant regions in the Philippines. It caters to European and
American business organizations desiring to penetrate Asia.