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is the vast mass of land in the northeastern region of Luzon.
It is bounded to the west by the Cordillera Mountain Range, to
the east by the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, and bounded by
the Babuyan Island, where the waters of the Pacific Ocean in
the east and the South China Sea in the west meet.
It is composed of five provinces, namely: Batanes, Cagayan,
Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.
It has four cities: industrial center Cauayan City, its regional
center Tuguegarao, its commercial center Santiago City.
Most of the region lies in a large valley in northeastern Luzon,
between the Cordilleras and the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.
Cagayan River, the country's longest river runs through its center
and flows out to Luzon Strait in the north, in the town of Aparri,
Cagayan. The Babuyan and Batanes island groups that lie in the
Luzon Strait also belong to the region.
Cagayan's area is 9,003 km². Its population was 952,000
(by the 2000 census) in 29 towns, of which Tuguegarao is
the capital.
 the Cagayan Valley has been inhabited for half a million
years, though no human remains of any such antiquity
have yet appeared. The earliest inhabitants are the Agta,
or Atta, food-gatherers who roam the forests without fixed
abodes. A large tract of land has lately been returned to
them. The bulk of the population are of Malay origin. For
centuries before the coming of the Spanish, the
inhabitants traded with Indians, Malays, Chinese, and
Japanese. In the nineteenth century the prosperity found
in tobacco cultivation caused many Ilocanos to settle
here. Tobacco is still a major factor in the economy of
Cagayan, though a special economic zone and free port
has been created to strengthen and diversify the
provincial economy.
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Cagayan has much to offer visitors:
beaches, swimming, snorkeling, skindiving, fishing in the river and the sea,
hiking in primeval forest, mountainclimbing, archaeological sites, the
remarkable collection of the provincial
museum, the Callao Caves, and many
fine churches. Even here there are
fortifications built to protect the
inhabitants from raids by the Mara.
Batanes,
 Cagayan,
 Isabela,
 Nueva Vizcaya,
 and Quirino.
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The island-province of
Batanes was created by
a series of volcanic
activities and other
geologic forces millions of
years ago.
The province is home to
the famous Ivatans who
are nationally acclaimed
as the “True Insulares.”
Taiwan as well as
Spaniards who came to
the island in the 16th
century. Being an insular
people, the Ivatans have
kept the purity of their
gene pool through time.
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Batanes lies at the northernmost tip of the Philippines,
where the Pacific Ocean merges with the South
China Sea.
It is composed of three major/largest islands, namely:
Batan which contains the capital town of Basco,
Sabtang, and Itbayat.
Batanes has been identified as the country’s
potential gateway to East China.
Its total land area is 209 sq.km
which makes it the smallest province in the country.
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"The island-province is strewn on a 4,500 square
kilometer expanse of territorial waters, the Luzon Strait
and Balintang Channel, where the Pacific Ocean
merges with the South China Sea, a sealane
between the Philippines and the southern parts
ofJapan, China, Hongkong, and Taiwan.
It is bounded on the north by the Bashi Channel, on
the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the
South China Sea, and on the south by the Balintang
Channel. It is characterized by gently rolling hills, cliffs,
and black and white sand beaches.
They say they
have the rarest
corals in the
world, but
advise against
swimming in the
sea--it's "too
frisky."
 Some islands
are difficult to
reach even by
boat.
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The mother tongue of Batanes is Ivatan,
spoken by 93.94 percent of all
households. The Ilocano dialect is also
spoken while Filipino and English are
generally spoken and understood.
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Major Industries
The province has a total agricultural land area
of 5,438 hectares and has a wide area open
for agricultural expansion. Due to its terrain, it is
a major livestock producer with cattle as its
main stock. Carabaos and goats are also
popularly raised. Another major industry is
fishing which reaches its peak during the
summer months, from March to June, when the
seawater is relatively calm.
*Ivana
 *Basco (Capital)
 *Uyugan
 *Sabtang
 *Mahatao
 *Itbayat.
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The Ivatans The friendly
Ivatans of
Batanes,
considered as
“True Insulares,”
can be found
greeting visitors
and tourists
walking along
the streets of the
island-province.
Known as the spelunker’s, trekker’s,
and game fisher’s paradise rolled into
one, Cagayan provides a neverending adventure with ecotourism in
the forefront of its offering. Both
foreign and local tourists continue to
explore its caves, engage in game
fishing expeditions, trek its mighty
mountains and retreat to its centuriesold churches.
Present day chroniclers say that the
name was derived from the word
“tagay,” a kind of plant that grows
abundantly in the northern part of the
province. Thus, “Catagayan” which
means a place where the tagay
grows abundantly was shortened to
“Cagayan,” the present name of the
province.
The province is bounded by the Pacific Ocean
on the east, on the south is Isabela province,
on the west is the Cordillera Mountain, and on
the north by the Balintang Channel and the
Babuyan Group of Islands.
The province comprises an aggregate land
area of 9,002.70 square kilometers, which
constitutes three percent of the total land area
of the country, making it the second largest
province in the region.
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Tuguegarao City
Symbolism:
TOP STRIPE - SKY BLUE - (The azure
sky) which stands for justice, honor
, and nobility of the people, their
sincerity and their traditionally
peaceful ways;
MIDDLE STRIPE - GOLD - (Color of
the bright sun) which symbolizes
the wealth of the Province;
LOWER STRIPE - GREEN - (the
verdant mountains and plains)
which depicts the fertility of the
soil; it also inspires hope among
the people;
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Languages in the province are Ybanag,
Ytawit, Malaweg, and Ilocano. Other
ethnic groups that migrated to the
province speak their own dialects.
People in places where literacy is high
speak and understand English and
Pilipino.
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Agricultural products are rice, corn,
peanut, beans, and fruits. Livestock
products include cattle, hogs, carabaos,
and poultry. Fishing various species of fish
from the coastal towns is also
undertaken. Woodcraft furniture made
of hardwood, rattan, bamboo, and
other indigenous materials are also
available in the province.
Isabela, the biggest province in the Cagayan
Valley Region, is now one of the premier
provinces of the north. It has been dubbed as
the “Rice Granary of the North” having been
adjudged as the Most Outstanding Province in
Food Security in the Gawad Sapat Ani Awards
2000 conducted by the Department of
Agriculture. It is also home to the famous
Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, a
protected seascape and landscape of
exceptional biodiversity.
Santiago City, the commercial center of Region
2, has been declared an independentcomponent city through a plebiscite on July 3,
1994 under Republic Act 7720.
Cauayan City, the trading center in Isabela, is
also a component city ratified in a majority
vote on March 30, 2001.
Proceeding southward (or in
alphabetical order, or upriver) through
Region II we come to the Province of
Isabela, created in 1856 and named for
Isabela II, then the Queen of Spain.
 Isabela is the biggest (10,665 sq.km.) and
most populous (1,277,000) province in
the Cagayan Valley
 comprises one city Santiago, and thirtysix towns, of which Ilagan is the capital
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The province is divided into three physiographic areas. The
eastern area, straddled by the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, is
rugged and thickly forested. A substantial portion is uncharted
and the unexplored hinterlands are home to a rich variety of
flora and fauna while others are government reservations. The
western area is a sprawling fertile valley hemmed by the Central
Cordillera and is criss-crossed by the mighty Cagayan, Siffu, and
Magat Rivers. Its mountains rise to a peak of about 8,000 feet
and is home to one of the world’s largest remaining low-altitude
rainforests with numerous unknown endemic species of flora and
fauna and exceptional biological diversity. The area is popularly
known as the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park.
Isabela comprises an aggregate land area of 10,665 square
kilometers, representing almost 40 percent of the regional
territory. It is the largest province in the region and the second
largest province in the country in terms of land area.
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Cauayan City
 Santiago City
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The major dialect in Isabela is Ilocano
followed by Ibanag, Yogad, and
Gaddang. People, especially in the
capital and commercial centers, speak
and understand English and Pilipino.
Agriculture is the major industry of the people of Isabela. Farming
is highly mechanized as most of the agricultural lands are
irrigated. With the presence of the Isabela StateUniversity, joint
ventures and other foreign assisted projects are viable while the
Magat Dam Tourism Complex contributes to the high
productivity in agriculture.
 Isabela is acknowledged as the hub of trade and commercial
activities in the region due to its central location in the region.
Furniture making using narra and other indigenous forest
materials/products like Gmelina continue to exist. Potential
investments are in fisheries and tourism. The reservoir of the
Magat Dam is utilized for fishcage operations, particularly tilapia
production. Tourism is relatively a new industry being developed
in the province especially in the coastal areas. Support services
and accommodation facilities are likewise being developed.
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The history of Nueva Vizcaya could still be
reflected from the culture and customs of its
early settlers, which included the Ilongots (now
called Bugkalots), Igorots, Ifugaos, Isinais, and
Gaddangs.
Considered a watershed haven, it is 70 percent
forestland. It is strategically bounded by the
Sierra Madre Mountain Ranges, Caraballo
Mountains, and Cordillera Mountains. It is also
the gateway to the Cagayan Valley Region
and the Banaue Rice Terraces, eighth Wonder
of the World.
Nueva Vizcaya is the remnant of the
southern province created when Cagayan
Province was divided in two in 1839.
 Both are ethnically and linguistically diverse,
with a substrate of Agtas, Negritos who are
food-gatherers with no fixed abode,
overlaid by Ilonggos and others in a
number of tribes with the latest but largest
element of the population being Ilocanos.
 Nueva Vizcaya comprises fifteen towns;
Bayombong is the capital.
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Agriculture in both has until recently consisted of slash-and-burn
cultivation of corn and maize, though more stable cultivation of
vegetables and fruits is becoming established.
Both also produce logs, and are trying to manage their forest
resources so that production can be sustained indefinitely. They
have deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron.
Nueva Vizcaya has sand and clay. At Balete Pass in Nueva
Vizcaya the retreating Japanese under General Yamashita dug
in and held on for three months against the American and
Filipino forces who eventually drove them out;
the pass is now called Dalton Pass in honor of General Dalton,
USA, who was killed in the fighting.
Nueva Vizcaya was probably named after Vizcaya (English
'Biscay', Basque 'Bizkaia') province in northern Spain.
Home of the Isinais, Nueva Vizcaya is located in the
northcentral part of Luzon in Region 2. It is surrounded
by notable mountain ranges such as the Sierra Madre
on the east, Caraballo on the south, and Cordillera
on the west. The province has several principal rivers:
Magat, Matuno, Marang, Sta. Fe, and Sta. Cruz. All
these rivers are tributaries of the Magat River which
flows into the Cagayan River. The province is
bounded on the north and northeast by the province
of Ifugao and Isabela, on the east and southeast by
Qurino and Aurora, on the south by Nueva Ecija, and
on the west by Benguet and Pangasinan.
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The majority of the people speak
Ilocano, comprising 66.9 percent of
households
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The province has basically an agricultural
economy with commerce, trade, and
industry contributing to its growth and
development. Among other major
economic activities are farming and cattle
and swine raising. Primary crops are palay
and corn. Minor crops are rootcrops,
vegetables, and fruits. The province
produces quality onions and vegetables
often sold in Metro Manila. Oranges and
mangoes are now major crops being
exported fresh to Asian countries.
Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya. Both are
relatively small in size (3057 sq.km. for
Quirino, 4081 sq.km. for Nueva Vizcaya)
and population (147,000 and 365,000,
respectively, by the 2000 census).
 Both are ruggedly mountainous and heavily
forested.
 Quirino was set off as a subprovince in 1966,
named in honor of the late Elpidio Quirino,
second President of the independent
Philippine Republic, and raised to the rank
of a province by legislative act of 1971.
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The Sierra Madre Mountain Range provides
a natural barrier on the eastern and
southern border of the province and the
Mamparang Range on the western part.
The province is generally mountainous, with
about 80 percent of the total land area
covered by mountains and highlands. A
part of the province’s comparative
advantage is its accessibility to the town of
Aurora.
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The major dialect is Ilocano, spoken by
71.46 percent of the total populace.
Other dialects are Ifugao, Bugkalot,
Pangasinense, and Kankanai.
They have deposits of gold, silver, copper,
iron, and, in Quirino, marble, limestone, and
guano.
 The marble is turned into tiles and figurines.
 Quirino contains the actual confluence of
three mountain streams that is regarded as
the head of the Cagayan River.
 Its shield shows the mountains from which
the rivers and logs descend, the river
descending to the sea, three trees
symbolizing forest and wood products, and
rice, maize, and tobacco plants.
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Agriculture is the main industry with rice
and corn as major crops. These supply
the demand of neighboring provinces
and the metropolis. Banana as well as
banana chips are major products sold in
Metro Manila and Pampanga. Small
scale industries like furniture making,
basketry, rattan craft, and dried flower
production are prevalent.
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Pattaraday Festival
May 1-5
Santiago City
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Pav-vurulun Festival
August 10-17
Tuguegrao City
Senator Juan Ponce Enrile (senator and
general),
 Freddie Aguilar (musician),
 and Jejomar Binay (vice-presidential
candidate and mayor of Makati).
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God Bless us all  