Abra

Abra (Ilokano: Probinsia ti Abra; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Abra) is a landlocked province of

the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bangued, and is
bordered by Ilocos Norte on the northwest, Apayao on the northeast, Kalinga on the mid-
east, Mountain Province on the southeast, and Ilocos Sur on the southwest.

Geography

Abra is situated in the mid-western section of the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. It is
bordered by the provinces of Ilocos Norte on the northwest, Apayao on the northeast, Kalinga on the
mid-east, Mountain Province on the southeast, and Ilocos Sur on the southwest. Abra has a total
land area of 4,165.25 square kilometres or 1,608.21 square miles[6].
The province is hemmed in by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the west and
the Cordillera Central in the east. The Abra River runs from the south in Benguet to the west and
central areas, bisecting the whole Abra Valley. It is joined by the Tineg River originating from the
eastern uplands at a point near the municipality of Dolores.

History
Pre-colonial period
The first inhabitants of Abra were the ancestors of the Bontocs and the Ifugaos. These inhabitants
eventually left to settle in the old Mountain Province. Other early inhabitants were the Tingguians,
or Itnegs, as they are also known.

Spanish era
In 1598, a Spanish garrison was established in Bangued to protect Christian Ilocanos from
Tingguian raids. Originally the area was called El Abra de Vigan ("The Opening of Vigan"). During
the British Occupation of the Philippines, Gabriela Silang and her army fled to Abra from Ilocos and
continued the revolt begun by her slain husband, Diego Silang. She was captured and hanged by
the Spanish in 1763.
In 1818, the Ilocos region, including Abra, was divided into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. In 1846,
Abra was created as a political-military province with Lepanto as a sub-province. It remained so until
the arrival of the Americans in 1899.

American period
In 1908, the Philippine Commission again annexed Abra to Ilocos Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's
financial difficulties. On March 9, 1917, the Philippine Assembly re-established Abra as a province.[4]

World War II
In 1942, the Japanese forces occupied the Philippines and entered Abra.
Abra was liberated by the Philippine Commonwealth forces and local Cordilleran guerrillas during
the Battle of Abra in 1945, at the end of the Second World War.

Economy
As of 1990, there were 743 cottage industries in Abra, of which 208 are registered with
the Department of Trade and Industry. 59% are engaged in bamboo and rattan craft making, both
leading industries in the area.
Abra's economy is agriculture-based. Its major crops are rice, corn, and vegetables, root crops;
commercial products include coffee, tobacco, and coconut. Extensive grassland and pasture areas
are used for livestock production.

Demograhics

The population of Abra in the 2015 census was 241,160 people,[2] with a density of 58 inhabitants per
square kilometre or 150 inhabitants per square mile.
Abra's inhabitants are mostly descendants of Ilocano settlers and members of the Tingguian tribe.
Based on the 2000 census survey, Ilocanos comprised 71.94% (150,457) of the total provincial
population of 209,146. Tingguians came in second at 18.7% (39,115), while other ethnic groups in
the province were the Ibanag at 4.46% (9,334), Itneg at 3.17% (6,624),
and Tagalog at 0.42% (869).[8]
The predominant languages are Ilocano[9] and Itneg.

Tourist spots

 Kili falls and hotsprings

 Kaparkan falls
 Apao rolling hills
 Piwek rock formations
 Bangued
 Don Mariano Marccos bridge
 Tayum church and heritage house
 Gourd hats in San Quintin
 Abel loom weaving in La Paz

Festival
 Kawayan festival
 Dapil festival
 Arya abra festival
Pangasinan

Pangasinan (Pangasinan: Luyag na Panggasinan; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Pangasinan) is

a province in the Philippines. Its provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is on the western area of
the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf and West Philippine Sea. It has a total land area of
5,451.01 square kilometres (2,104.65 sq mi).[2] According to the 2015 census, it has a population of
2,956,726 people.[3] The official number of registered voters in Pangasinan is 1,651,814.[4] The
western portion of the province is part of the homeland of the Sambal people, while the central and
eastern portions are the homeland of the Pangasinan people. Due to ethnic migration, Ilocano
people have settled in some areas of the province.
Pangasinan is the name for the province, the people, and the language spoken in the province.
Indigenous Pangasinan speakers are estimated to number at least 2 million. The Pangasinan
language, which is official in the province, is one of the officially recognized regional languages in
the Philippines. In Pangasinan, there were several ethnic groups who enriched the cultural fabric of
the province. Almost all of the people are Pangasinans and the rest are descendants of Bolinao and
Ilocano, who settled the eastern and western parts of the province.[5] Pangasinan is spoken as a
second-language by many of the ethnic minorities in Pangasinan. The secondary ethnic groups are
the Bolinaos (who are essentially Sambal people) and the Ilocanos.

History

The name Pangasinan (pronounced "Pang-ASINan") means "place of salt" or "place of salt-making";
it is derived from the prefix pang, meaning "for", the root word asin, meaning "salt”, and suffix an,
signifying "location". At present it is pronounced "Paŋgasinan" based on the Spanish pronunciation.
The province is a major producer of salt in the Philippines. Its major products
include bagoong ("salted-krill") and alamang ("shrimp-paste").
Pangasinan was first founded by Austronesian peoples who called themselves Anakbanwa by at
least 2500 BC. A kingdom called Luyag na Caboloan, which expanded to incorporate much of
northwestern Luzon, existed in Pangasinan before the Spanish conquest that began in the 16th
century.[6] The Kingdom of Luyag na Kaboloan was known as the Wangdom of Pangasinan in
Chinese records. The ancient Pangasinan people were skilled navigators and
the maritime trade network that once flourished in ancient Luzon connected Pangasinan with other
peoples of Southeast Asia, India, China, Japan and the rest of the Pacific. The ancient kingdom of
Luyag na Caboloan was in fact mentioned in Chinese and Indian records as being an important
kingdom on ancient trade routes.

Geography
Pangasinan is located on the west central area of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is
bordered by La Union to the north, Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya to the northeast, Nueva Ecija to the
southeast, and Zambales and Tarlac to the south. To the west of Pangasinan is the South China
Sea. The province also encloses the Lingayen Gulf.
The province has a land area of 5,451.01 square kilometres (2,104.65 sq mi).[18] It is 170 kilometres
(110 mi) north of Manila, 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Baguio City, 115 kilometres (71 mi) north of
Subic International Airport and Seaport, and 80 square kilometres (31 sq mi) north of Clark
International Airport. At the coast of Alaminos, the Hundred islands have become a famous tourist
spot.
The terrain of the province, as part of the Central Luzon plains, is typically flat, with a few parts being
hilly and/or mountainous. The northeastern municipalities of San Manuel, San
Nicolas, Natividad, San Quintin and Umingan have hilly to mountainous areas, situated at the tip of
the Cordillera mountains. The Zambales mountains extend to the province's western towns
of Labrador, Mabini, Bugallon, Aguilar, Mangatarem, Dasol, and Infanta forming the mountainous
portions of those towns.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported several inactive
volcanoes in the province: Amorong, Balungao, Cabaluyan, Cahelietan, Candong, and Malabobo.
PHIVOLCS reported no active or potentially active volcanoes in Pangasinan. A caldera-
like landform is located between the towns of Malasiqui and Villasis with a center at about 15° 55′ N
and 120° 30′ E near the Cabaruan Hills.
Several rivers traverse the province. The longest is the Agno River, which originates from
the Cordillera Mountains of Benguet, eventually emptying its waters into the Lingayen Gulf. Other
major rivers include the Bued River, Angalacan River, Sinocalan River, Patalan River and the
Cayanga River.

Administrative divisions[edit]
For a more comprehensive list, see Administrative divisions of Pangasinan.
The province of Pangasinan is subdivided into 44 municipalities, 4 cities, and 1,364 barangay (which
means "village" or "community"). There are six congressional districts in the province.

Political map of Pangasinan

The capital of the province is Lingayen. In ancient times, the capital of Pangasinan was
Binalatongan, now San Carlos City.

Religion

Religion
The religion of the people of Pangasinan is predominantly Christianity with Roman Catholicism as
the overwhelming majority at 80% affiliation in the population. The second major denomination in the
province is the Aglipayan Church with at least 15% of the population. Other religious denominations
are divided with other Christian groups such as Members Church of God International, Iglesia Ni
Cristo, Baptist, Methodist, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Jehovah's
Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventist. Few are strict believers and continue to practice their
indigenous anito beliefs and rituals, like most of the people of the Philippines.
Economy

Commercial salt industry in Dasol

The province's economy is mainly agricultural due to its vast fertile plains. More than 44 percent of
its agricultural area is devoted to crop production. Aside from being one of the Philippine's rice
granaries, Pangasinan is also a major producer of coconut, mango and eggplant, Pangasinan is the
richest province in Ilocos Region of the Philippines.[23]

Energy
The 1200 megawatt Sual coal-fired power plant, and 345 megawatt San Roque multi-purpose dam,
in the municipalities of Sual and San Manuel respectively, 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.
Salt is also a major industry. In salt evaporation ponds seawater is mixed with sodium
bicarbonate until the water evaporates and the salt remains. This is their ancient tradition inspired
from Egypt.

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[citation needed] of the total land area of Pangasinan is devoted to
agricultural production.

Financial
Pangasinan has 593 banking and financing institutions.[citation needed]

Labor
Pangasinan has a labor force of about 1.52 million, and 87 percent of the labor force are gainfully
employed.
Top attractions in pangasinan

 Patar beach
 Balingasay beach
 Hundred island
 Bolinao falls (1)
 Enchanted cave
 Bolinao falls (2)
 Tondol beach
 Cape bolinao light house
 Tondaligan beach
 St. Thomas the great parish church