Ilocos Norte

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Province of Ilocos Norte
Provincial seal of Ilocos Norte
Provincial seal of Ilocos Norte
Map of the Philippines with Ilocos Norte highlighted
Map of the Philippines with Ilocos Norte highlighted
Region Ilocos Region (Region I)
Capital Laoag City
Divisions  
 - Highly urbanized cities 0
 - Component cities 2
 - Municipalities 21
 - Barangays 557
 - Congressional districts 2
Population 48th largest
 - Total (2007) 514,241
 - Density 151/km² (27th lowest)
Area 27th smallest
 - Total 3,399.3 km²
Founded
Spoken languages Ilokano Tagalog
Governor Michael Marcos Keon (Kampi)

Ilocos Norte is a province 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 and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.

Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.

Contents

[edit] People and culture

Most of the people here are Ilocanos.

[edit] Religion

Although Ilocos Norte has some Roman Catholic, several other religious sects have a strong following in this area. Of these, the most notable is the Aglipayan Church, founded by Batac City native Gregorio Aglipay.

Ilocos Norte is home to several famous Roman Catholic churches:

[edit] Economy

Bagoong fermenting in burnay jars in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Bagoong fermenting in burnay jars in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines

The province specializes in the following products and industries:

  • 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
  • Manufacturing and food processing - salt, 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[1].
  • Tourism
  • Pottery

[edit] Political Divisions

Ilocos Norte is subdivided into 557 barangays, 21 municipalities, and 2 cities.

City/Municipality No. of
Barangays
Population
(2000)
Area
(km²)
Pop. density
(per km²)
Adams 1 1,480 159.31 9.3
Bacarra 43 29,668 66.07 449.0
Badoc 31 27,862 66.41 419.5
Bangui 15 14,327 163.59 87.6
Banna (Espiritu) 20 16,704 97.68 171.0
Batac City 43 47,682 161.06 296.1
Burgos 11 8,534 128.90 66.2
Carasi 3 1,154 157.38 7.3
Currimao 23 10,615 33.08 320.9
Dingras 31 33,310 96.00 347.0
Dumalneg 1 1,486 88.48 16.8
Laoag City 80 94,466 101.88 927.2
Marcos 13 15,154 226.38 66.9
Nueva Era 11 6,095 515.02 11.8
Pagudpud 16 19,315 194.90 99.1
Paoay 31 21,745 76.24 285.2
Pasuquin 33 24,739 189.39 130.6
Piddig 23 19,059 121.33 157.1
Pinili 25 15,903 89.48 177.7
San Nicolas 24 31,688 40.18 788.7
Sarrat 24 22,884 57.39 398.8
Solsona 22 21,338 167.91 127.1
Vintar 33 29,031 624.85 46.5

[edit] History

Ilocos Norte was the birthplace of president Ferdinand Marcos (To this day, Marcos's political vehicle, the New Society Movement, retains a strong following in the province).


[edit] External links

[edit] References

Coordinates: 18°10′N, 120°45′E