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 Region
I is located in the Northwestern coast of Luzon and the
land area is 12,840.19 square kilometers. On the west is
the China Sea, on the east by the Cagayan Valley and the
Cordillera Administrative Region, on the south is
Central Luzon and on the north is the Bangui Bay. Ilocos
region is composed of four provinces and these are
Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union. San
Farnando City is the regional center which is found in
La Union. The cities that comprises Pangasinan are
Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta and Alaminos. Candon City
and Vigan City are located in Ilocos Sur. Laoag City is
in Ilocos Norte while San Fernando City is in La Union.
The dialect or language that is use in this region are
Ilocano and Pangasinense. Tagalog and English are the
medium of instruction in schools. Ilocano is widely used
by the majority people while Pangasinense is spoken in
the central towns of Pangasinan.
This Region has three (3) distinct groups: Ilocanos,
Pangasinenses and Igorots. Ilocanos occupy the coastal
provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union and
certain parts of Pangasinan. The natives of Pangasinan
are the Pangasinenses. There are also Tingguians who
live in the secluded mountains of Ilocos Sur.
The major industries of this region includes crop
production, fishing, mining, manufacturing and cottage
industries. This region is a leading producer of tobacco
and mangos for export in the country. Region I is a
prime agricultural land. This region produces crops like
tobacco, rice, corn, vegetables, rootcrops and fruits
such as mangoes. Region I is also rich in natural
resources such as limestone for cement, feldspar for
ceramics, fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, and forest
products such as bamboo and rattan. Other mineral
resources include copper, gold, chromite, iron,
manganese and silica. This region is known because of
its longest coastlines and has numerous rivers and
streams that it has extensive fishing grounds and large
fishponds. |
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There is a road
network that links Region I to the other parts of Luzon.
Sea transport facilities are concentrated in the Port of
San Fernando and Currimao. The Salomague Port in Cabugao
has facilities as a containerized transhipment port.
These are primarily for the movement of goods. The Laoag
International Airport is located in Ilocos Norte where
this is the main gateway to Ilocos Region. This
interneaional airport caters international flights from
Hongkong, Guangzhou and Taiwan. It also caters local
flights via Cebu Pacific and Asian Spirit. San Fernando
has also an airport but it only serves Manila - San
Fernando City, La Union - Manila route through Asian
Spirit.
Region I is a well developed Region. 99% of the the
cities, municipalities and barangays have access to
electricity and telecommunications. This region is also
an energy provider where two new large power plants will
be built.
Ilocos Region is hot and dry from November to April and
the rainy season is from May to October. |
