Albay

Albay
—  Province  —
Seal Coat of arms
Map of the Philippines with Albay highlighted
Coordinates:
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region (Region V)
Founded	March 10, 1917
Capital	Legazpi City
Government
- Governor	Joey Salceda (Liberal)
Area
- Total	2,565.77 km2 (990.6 sq mi)
Area rank	56th out of 80
Population (2007)
- Total	1,190,823
- Rank	20th out of 80
- Density	464.1/km2 (1,202.1/sq mi)
- Density rank	10th out of 80
Divisions
- Independent cities	0
- Component cities	3
- Municipalities	15
- Barangays	720
- Districts	1st to 3rd districts of Albay
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	4500-4517
Spoken languages	Bikol, Tagalog

Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Legazpi City and the province borders Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is Lagonoy Gulf.

Mayon Volcano is the symbol most associated with the province. This nearly perfectly-shaped active volcano forms a scenic backdrop to the capital city of Legazpi 15 kilometers to the south.

People and culture

Population Based on the August 2007 census, Albay has a total population of 1,190,823, which makes it the 20th most populous province in the country. There are 208,640 households in the province with an average size of 5.22 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99.

Languages Bikol is the primary language spoken in Albay, being a part of the Bicol Region. There are other dialects spoken in the province, however, such as Bicolano Viejo, Daragueño, Legazpeño or Albayanon, Oasnon and others. The dialects spoken in the coastal areas of the province are similar to that spoken in Camarines Sur while those further inland are similar to each other but differs significantly from the coastal dialect. Majority of the inhabitants also understand Tagalog and English.

Economy

Traditional industries. Agriculture is the main industry in Albay, which produces such crops as coconut, rice, sugar, and abacá. Handicrafts are the major source of rural income. It continuous to provide fairly large share in the small-scale industries of the province. Forestry and papermaking are another source of livelihood. The manufacture of abacá products such as Manila hemp,hats,bags,mats,and slippers is one of the main sources of income in the rural areas. Fishing is also done along both shores of the province. Tourism, primarily because of Mayon Volcano, also draws income for Albay.

Transportation. Albay is also the region's principal trans-shipment point with its ports: Tabaco International, Legazpi National, Pio Duran Provincial, and the Pantao Regional Port.Legazpi City also has its own domestic airport which hopes to serve international flights in the near future.Legazpi Airport serves as Bicol's gateway to Manila and the Visayas.

Geography

The nearly perfectly-shaped Mt. Mayon, serves as the backdrop for the city of Legazpi, Albay.

Albay has a total land area of 2,552.6 square kilometers, which makes it the 26th smallest province. Most of Albay is located on mainland Bicol Peninsula and it has four major islands to the east: Rapu-Rapu, Batan (part of Rapu-Rapu), Cagraray (largely part of Bacacay, with small area as part of Malilipot), and San Miguel (part of Tabaco City).

Lagonoy Gulf borders the province to the northeast, separating it from the province of Catanduanes. Burias Island in the province Masbate can be found to the southwest across Burias Pass.

The province is generally mountainous with scattered fertile plains and valleys. Mayon Volcano, standing at around 2460 meters, is the most famous landform in Albay, and in the whole of Bicol, in fact. This active volcano is nearly perfectly-shaped and is considered by many to be more beautiful than Mt. Fuji in Japan. Other mountains and volcanoes in the province are Catburawan, Masaraga, Malinao, and Pantao.

On January 18, 2008, Albay Governor Joey Salceda and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Estrella Alabastro relaunched one of the country's 4th upper-air receiving equipment in Albay worth P 18-million. The other upper-air receiving stations are in Laoag, Cebu, and Tanay, Rizal.^[1]

Political

Albay is subdivided into 15 municipalities and 3 cities. Three of them, Polangui, Daraga, and Guinobatan are classified as 1st class municipalities and it has 3 congressional districts.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

2010 Local Elections

External links

• Province of Albay Official Website
• goBicol: Online Bicolano Community

References

Political Divisions of the Philippines Capital Manila • National Capital Region Autonomous region Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Provinces Abra • Agusan del Norte • Agusan del Sur • Aklan • Albay • Antique • Apayao • Aurora • Basilan • Bataan • Batanes • Batangas • Benguet • Biliran • Bohol • Bukidnon • Bulacan • Cagayan • Camarines Norte • Camarines Sur • Camiguin • Capiz • Catanduanes • Cavite • Cebu • Compostela Valley • Cotabato • Davao del Norte • Davao del Sur • Davao Oriental • Eastern Samar • Guimaras • Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur • Iloilo • Isabela • Kalinga • La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur • Leyte • Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Mountain Province • Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija • Nueva Vizcaya • Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro • Palawan • Pampanga • Pangasinan • Quezon • Quirino • Rizal • Romblon • Samar • Sarangani • Siquijor • Sorsogon • South Cotabato • Southern Leyte • Sultan Kudarat • Sulu • Surigao del Norte • Surigao del Sur • Tarlac • Tawi-Tawi • Zambales • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga del Sur • Zamboanga Sibugay Other subdivisions Island groups • Regions • Cities • Municipalities • Barangays • Legislative districts Territorial disputes Benham Plateau • North Borneo (Sabah) • Scarborough Shoal • Spratly Islands Luzon · Visayas · Mindanao