Ilocos
Norte Provincial Capitol
Ilocos Norte is located on the northernmost
edge of western
Luzon
. Its boundaries are formed by the Babuyan Channel on the north and its sister
province, Ilocos Norte, on the south. To the west are the tribulent waters of
the South China Sea, while the eastern borders are formed by part of the
Cagayan
Valley
, Abra and the
Mountain
Province
. A well-paved coastal highway connects the province with the rest of the
country.
Ilocos Norte has a total land area of 3,400
square kilometers. It is composed of 22 municipalities with 477 barangays. The
province's population was 514,000 by the census of 2000, and since 1999 its
governor is Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. It was made a separate province in 1818.
The province is noted for being the birthplace of former Philippine President
Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the
later half of his incumbency. Ilocos Norte has always been Marcos territory and
the family enjoy a moderate amount of popularity in the province. Even before
one reaches the capital, traces of the "great Ilocano" are
unmistakable.
Long before the Spanish galleons came to
the
Philippines
, the coastal plane of Ilocos Norte was already flourishing with business
carried out by the Chinese and Japanese traders. The first Spaniards to reach
the region were Juan de Salcedo and his men, who were tasked to explore the
coast of Luzon north of
Manila
in 1572. The largest concentration of people that Salcedo found was in Laoag
along the
Padian
River
, and Salcedo gained their friendship after initial skirmishes. Although the
presence of the Spanish soldiers may have seemed fleeting to the Ilocanos,
Salcedo's exploration marked the beginning of Spanish colonization of the
region.
Agriculture is the main source of
livelihood in the province, all lands for cultivation can be planted with rice,
corn, garlic, onion, sugarcane, tobacco, and cotton. Ilocos Norte is also noted
for its various cottage industries, among which are cloth weaving,
pottery-making, blacksmithing, woodcarving and furniture making. Its ethnic
population is overwhelmingly Ilocano. Unlike the rest of the region, however,
the Roman Catholic Church does not predominate. The
Aglipayan
Church
, Iglesia ni Cristo, and other Protestant groups have strong followings, as well
as, animism and non-religiosity. The climate is characterized by two extremes:
very dry from December to April and very wet for the rest of the year. The
average temperature in Ilocos Norte is 81 deg F. May is the warmest month, with
an average temperature of 83 deg F, and December is the coldest.