Aurora (province)

Aurora
Province

Aurora Provincial Capitol

Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): Land of the Golden Sunrise; Gateway to the Pacific
Motto: Bagong Sigla, Bagong Pag-asa

Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 15°53′N 121°33′E / 15.883°N 121.550°E / 15.883; 121.550Coordinates: 15°53′N 121°33′E / 15.883°N 121.550°E / 15.883; 121.550
Country Philippines
Region Central Luzon (Region III)
Founded 1951 (as sub-province of Quezon)
Province August 13, 1979
Capital Baler
Government
 • Type Province of the Philippines
 • Governor Gerardo A. Noveras (NPC)
 • Vice-Governor Rommel Rico T. Angara (LDP)
Area[1]
 • Total 3,147.32 km2 (1,215.19 sq mi)
Area rank 45th out of 80
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 201,233
 • Rank 70th out of 80
 • Density 64/km2 (170/sq mi)
 • Density rank 76th out of 80
Divisions
 • Independent cities 0
 • Component cities 0
 • Municipalities 8
 • Barangays 151
 • Districts Lone district of Aurora
Demographics
 • Ethnic groups Tagalog (53%), Ilocano (31%), Kapampangan, Kasigurahin, Kankanaey (16%)
 • Languages Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, English
Time zone PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP code 3200 to 3207
Dialing code 42
ISO 3166 code PH-AUR
Website www.aurora.gov.ph

Aurora is a province in the Philippines located in the eastern part of Central Luzon region, facing the Philippine Sea. Its capital is Baler and borders, clockwise from the south, the provinces of Quezon, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Isabela.

Before 1979, Aurora was part of the province of Quezon. Aurora was, in fact, named after Aurora Aragon, the wife of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon, the president of the Philippine Commonwealth, after whom the mother province was named.

History

Spanish era

In 1572, the Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo became the first European to visit the region that would be known as Aurora while he was exploring the northern coast of Luzon. Salcedo reportedly visited the towns of Casiguran, Baler and Infanta.

An old 1918 map of northern Tayabas.

In the early days of the Spanish colonial period, Aurora was ecclesiastically linked to Infanta, which today rests further south, in northern Quezon. The earliest missionaries in the province were the Franciscans, who had established missions in Baler and Casiguran in 1609.[3] Due to lack of available personnel, the region was given to the jurisdiction of the Augustinians and Recollects in 1658, but was returned to the Friars Minor in 1703. Other early missions included Dipaculao, established in 1719, and Casiguran, in 1753.

District of El Principe

The early history of Aurora is linked to Quezon province, of which it formed a part until its establishment as a province, and Nueva Ecija, under which the area was governed as the District of El Príncipe. In 1902, the district was separated from Nueva Ecija and transferred to the province of Tayabas.[3][4]

Separation from Quezon

Aurora became a sub-province of Quezon in 1951 through Republic Act No. 648,[5] and finally attained provincehood during the presidency of Ferdinand E. Marcos, by virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 7 enacted on August 13, 1979.[3][6]

Geography

Aurora is a coastal province in east-central Luzon. To the north, it is bordered by the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park of Isabela, to the west by the central range of the Sierra Madre which contains the Casecnan Protected Landscape and Aurora Memorial National Park, to the south by the Umiray River, and to the east by the Philippine Sea which opens to the Pacific Ocean.

The Dicasalarin Cove at the coast of Baler

The San Ildefonso Peninsula lies in the province's northern portion between the Philippine Sea and the Casiguran Sound.

Topography

The province covers a portion of the Sierra Madre mountain range. As such, the elevation is generally steep to very steep and only about 14% of the province's total area is flat.[3]

Climate

Aurora's climate is classified as Tropical rainforest climate.[7] It experiences significant rainfall throughout the year.[7] Because the coastal province faces the Pacific Ocean, it is frequently visited by typhoons.[3][8]

Administrative divisions

Aurora is politically subdivided into 8 municipalities, all encompassed by a lone legislative district.

 †  Provincial capital
Municipality Area[9] Population
(2010)[9][10]		 Density No. of
barangays		 ZIP
code		 Income
class[9]		 Coordinates

 km2 mi2 /km2 /mi2
Baler
†
 92.55 km2 35.73 sq mi 36,010 390/km2 1,000/sq mi 13 3200 3rd 15°45′34″N 121°33′46″E / 15.7595°N 121.5627°E / 15.7595; 121.5627 (Baler)
Casiguran 715.43 km2 276.23 sq mi 23,865 33/km2 85/sq mi 24 3204 2nd 16°12′15″N 122°02′24″E / 16.2041°N 122.0400°E / 16.2041; 122.0400 (Casiguran)
Dilasag 306.25 km2 118.24 sq mi 15,683 51/km2 130/sq mi 11 3205 3rd 16°23′23″N 122°12′36″E / 16.3898°N 122.2099°E / 16.3898; 122.2099 (Dilasag)
Dinalungan 316.85 km2 122.34 sq mi 10,988 35/km2 91/sq mi 9 3206 4th 16°08′30″N 121°57′22″E / 16.1416°N 121.9560°E / 16.1416; 121.9560 (Dinalungan)
Dingalan 304.55 km2 117.59 sq mi 23,554 77/km2 200/sq mi 11 3207 3rd 15°23′22″N 121°23′34″E / 15.3894°N 121.3927°E / 15.3894; 121.3927 (Dingalan)
Dipaculao 361.64 km2 139.63 sq mi 27,729 77/km2 200/sq mi 25 3203 3rd 15°50′52″N 121°32′12″E / 15.8477°N 121.5367°E / 15.8477; 121.5367 (Dipaculao)
Maria Aurora 426.19 km2 164.55 sq mi 38,128 89/km2 230/sq mi 40 3202 2nd 15°47′54″N 121°28′20″E / 15.7982°N 121.4723°E / 15.7982; 121.4723 (Maria Aurora)
San Luis 623.86 km2 240.87 sq mi 25,276 41/km2 110/sq mi 18 3201 2nd 15°43′09″N 121°31′04″E / 15.7191°N 121.5178°E / 15.7191; 121.5178 (San Luis)

Barangays

The 8 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 151 barangays, with Suclayin in Baler as the most populous in 2010, and Dibalo in San Luis as the least.[9][10]

Further information: List of barangays in Aurora

Demographics

Population census
of Aurora
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 139,573—    
1995 159,621+2.55%
2000 173,797+1.84%
2007 187,802+1.07%
2010 201,233+2.55%
Source: National Statistics Office[2]

Based on the 2000 census survey, more than half of the population is Tagalog 52.85% and about less than 1/3 of the population is Ilocano 31.43%. Other ethnic groups like Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kasiguranin and Kankanaey comprised about 16% of the population.[11]

There are also pockets of Negritos, called Dumagats. Most Dumagats are living in the hillsides or mountains. They are believed to have result from a fusion of Austronesian and Melanesian ancestries, and survive from fishing and hunting. There are three kinds of Dumagats in Aurora province, the Umiray Dumagat, Casiguran Dumagat, and the Palanan Dumagat.

Religion

Baler Church

The people of Aurora are heavily Christianized (large majority being Roman Catholic by 87%) as a result of hundreds of years of Spanish colonization. Some other Christian believers are also present which includes Aglipayan Church, Baptists, Born Again Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo and Seventh-day Adventist while Muslims are also found which presence is traced to migration by some people from some parts of Mindanao.

Economy

Corn crops, rice and other major agricultural crops are grown in Aurora. it has a total of 38, 928 or 13% of provincial Land Area of Agricultural land. also 8,945 hectares of rice plantation that averages 24,000 ton every years.

Aurora Pacific Economic Zone

Casiguran is home to the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority or APECO a special economic zone located in this coastal town. Created in 2007 by virtue of Republic Act No. 9490 through the efforts of Sen. Edgardo Angara and Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, it is expected be a major transshipment hub going to the pacific region. It aims to boost social, economic and industrial developments in Aurora and nearby provinces by generating jobs for the people, improving the quality of their living conditions, advocating an eco-friendly approach to industrialization and enhancing the potential of the community in productivity.

Image gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "List of Provinces". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities" (PDF). 2010 Census and Housing Population. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lancion, Jr., Conrado M.; cartography by de Guzman, Rey (1995). "The Provinces; Aurora". Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces (The 2000 Millenium ed.). Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: Tahanan Books. p. 28. ISBN 971-630-037-9. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  4. ↑ National Historical Commission of the Philippines. "History of Baler". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved 2012-03-09. When military district of El Príncipe was created in 1856, Baler became its capital...On June 12, 1902 a civil government was established, moving the district of El Príncipe away from the administrative jurisdiction of Nueva Ecija...and placing it under the jurisdiction of Tayabas Province.
  5. ↑ "Republic Act No. 648 - An Act Creating the Subprovince of Aurora, Which Shall Comprise the Municipalities of Baler, Casiguran, Dipaculao and Maria Aurora, Province of Quezon". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Batas Pambansa Blg. 7 - An Act Separating the Sub-province of Aurora from the Province of Quezon and Establishing It as an Independent Province". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Climate: Aurora". Climate-data.org. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Iglesias, Iza; Vargas, Anthony; Cueto, Francis Earl A. (17 October 2015). "3 days of heavy rain". The Manila Times. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Province: Aurora". Philippine Statistics Authority - National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "2010 Census of Population and Housing: Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay:as of May 1, 2010 (Central Luzon)" (PDF). National Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "AURORA: HOUSING UNIT OCCUPANCY RATE ALMOST 100 PERCENT". Census.gov.ph. Retrieved 2010-08-24.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aurora.
 Nueva Vizcaya Quirino, Isabela
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