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 Central
Luzon, or Region III, has a total land area of 1,823,082
hectares.There are six provinces that comprise the
region: Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac
and Zambales. The region is bordered by the provinces of
Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan in the north, Rizal
province and Manila in the south, Aurora and Quezon in
the east, and the China Sea in the west.
Location. The region is predominantly flat with a couple
or more mountains. Some of the mountains in the region
are Mt. Arayat in Pampanga, Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales and
Mt. Samat in Bataan. The long dormant Mt. Pinatubo
erupted in June of 1991 that brought floods, lahar and
ashfall to most provinces in the region.
From November to April, the atmospheric con-dition is
dry and hot, while from May to October, the weather is
mainly rainy.
Products and Livelihood. Farming is still the principal
source of livelihood in the region. Central Luzon is
called the "Rice Bowl of the Philippines". Nueva Ecija
ranks first among the provinces that produce rice for
national consumption and even for export. Pampanga's
farmlands were greatly affected by the eruption of Mt.
Pinatubo.
Government-constructed dams provide the proper
irrigation for the numerous farmlands of the region.
Some of these dams are Angat, Angat-Magat, Ipo and
Pantabangan. The dams not only provide water for the
farms but also hydroelectricity for the region and
nearby provinces.
Aside from the abundant harvest of palay, there is also
a bountiful harvest of corn and sugarcane in the region.
There are sugarcane plantations and mills in Pampanga
and Tarlac.
Some of the provinces lie in the coastal areas and
people mainly live on fishing. These provinces are
Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga and Zambales. |
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There
are also ore mines in the region. Chromite can be mined
in Zambales while in Tarlac, there are copper deposits.
Minerals used in the ceramics and refractory production
can be found in all the provinces. Marble can be found
in Bulacan and can compete with the quality of marble
found in Romblon.
Region III is considered one of the most progressive
regions until the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The
geographical location of Central Luzon is an excellent
one: it is near Metro Manila arid in the midst of
southern and northern Luzon, also considered prosperous
regions. The cities of Cabanatuan and Olongapo and the
capital town of Malolos, Bulacan are the centers of
trade in the region.
The historic spots of the region help in the tourism
industry. The provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva
Ecija and Tarlac were four of the eight provinces that
first rebelled against the Spaniards in 1896. They are
included in the rays of the sun in our flag that depict
the eight provinces.
One of the tourist and historic spots is the Shrine of
Valor in Bataan. It is constructed in honor of the
Filipino soldiers that fought during World War II.
The Barasoain Church is as historic as the
aforementioned, being the place where the First
Philippine Republic was founded in January 23, 1898. It
was also the place where the Malolos Congress opened and
the first Constitution was created. |
