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Pangasinan

Pangasinan is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen and borders La Union and Benguet to the north, Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija to the east, and Zambales and Tarlac to the south. To the west of Pangasinan is the South China Sea and the province encloses the Lingayen Gulf.

Pangasinan is famous for the Hundred Islands National Park. This is a marine park located off the coast of Alaminos City in the Lingayen Gulf and is composed of some 123 islands, most of which are quite small and uninhabited.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Province of Pangasinan

Region: Ilocos Region (Region I)
Capital: Lingayen
Founded:
Population:
2000 census—2,434,086 (3rd largest).
Density—453 per km² (8th highest).
Area: 5,368.2 km² (15th largest)
Divisions:
Component Cities—4.
Municipalities—44.
Barangays—1,364.
Congressional districts—6.
Languages: Iloko, Pangasinense
Governor: Victor Aguedo E. Agbayani (2001-2004)

Table of contents
1 People and Culture
2 Economy
3 Geography
4 History
5 Tourist Attractions
6 External Links

People and Culture

Economy

Geography

Political

Pangasinan is subdivided into 44 municipalities and 4 cities.

Cities

Municipalities

  • Agno
  • Aguilar
  • Alcala
  • Anda
  • Asingan
  • Balungao
  • Bani
  • Basista
  • Bautista
  • Bayambang
  • Binalonan
  • Binmaley
  • Bolinao
  • Bugallon
  • Burgos
  • Calasiao
  • Dasol
  • Infanta
  • Labrador
  • Laoac
  • Lingayen
  • Mabini
  • Malasiqui
  • Manaoag
  • Mangaldan
  • Mangatarem
  • Mapandan
  • Natividad
  • Pozzorubio
  • Rosales
  • San Fabian
  • San Jacinto
  • San Manuel
  • San Nicolas
  • San Quintin
  • Santa Barbara
  • Santa Maria
  • Santo Tomas
  • Sison
  • Sual
  • Tayug
  • Umingan
  • Urbiztondo
  • Villasis

Physical

History

Provincial Names. The term Pangasinan literally means “place where salt is made” in the Tagalog language. The name referred to salt-making industry of the province. Salt was harvested from the sea through the process of evaporation. Sea water is dried in the sun leaving salt behind.

Another name for the province was Caboloan, though this is no longer used very often today. The term came from boló, which is a type of bamboo that grows in certain places in the province. This bamboo was used in making domestic items like baskets and bilaos (trays).

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, Pangasinan was used to refer to the coastal salt-making areas while Caboloan referred to the interior areas where boló grew abundant.

Arrival of the Spanish. Martin de Goiti first came to the area coming north from Pampanga, in 1571. Then, a year later, the intrepid explorer Juan de Salcedo travelled by sea from the south, entering Lingayen Gulf and landing at the mouth of the Agno River. In 1580, Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñaloza, the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines made Pangasinan into an Alcadia Mayor. Pangasinan was then made into a province in 1611, comprising also the territories of Zambales and some areas of La Union and Tarlac. Lingayen was made the capital of the new province (and still is to this day).

...

World War II. Lingayen Gulf was one of the strategic places during the Second World War. Japanese forces under Gen. Masaharu Homma landed on Pangasinan in December 1941, a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and started the Japanese occupation of the country. In 1945, American troops landed here and started to free Luzon from the Japanese.

Tourist Attractions

Hundred Islands

The Hundred Islands National Park, off the coast of Brgy. Lucap in Alaminos City is composed of some 123 islands in the Lingayen Gulf. Most of the islands are quite small and appear to be rocky outcrops with lush vegetation on top.

Manaoag Shrine

The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag is famous throughout the country for its supposedly miraculous powers. Catholic devotees frequent the shrine especially on the feast days on the first of October and the 18th day after Easter Sunday.

External Links

Ilocos Region: Ilocos Norte | Ilocos Sur | La Union | Pangasinan