Ilocos Norte

This article does not citeany references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this articleby adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiablematerial may be challenged and removed.

Province of Ilocos Norte
Provincial seal of Ilocos Norte
Map of the Philippines with Ilocos Norte highlighted Region Ilocos Region(Region I) Capital Laoag CityDivisions - Highly urbanized cities0 - Component cities2 - Municipalities21 - Barangays557 - Congressional districts2 Population 48th largest - Total (2007) 514,241 - Density 151/km² (27th lowest) Area 27th smallest - Total 3,399.3 km² Founded — Spoken languages Ilokano TagalogGovernor Michael Marcos Keon (Kampi)

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.

Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.

1 People and culture
2 Religion
3 Economy
4 Political Divisions
5 History
6 External links
7 References

People and culture

Most of the people here are Ilocanos.

Religion

Although Ilocos Norte has some Roman Catholic, several other religious sects have a strong following in this area. Of these, the most notable is the Aglipayan Church, founded by Batac City native Gregorio Aglipay.

Ilocos Norte is home to several famous Roman Catholic churches:

Paoay Church (St. Agustine Church) - named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
St. William's Cathedral in Laoag - famous for its Sinking Bell Tower, found 85 meters away.
St. Monica Church in Sarrat - biggest church in the Ilocos Region.
Bacarra Church - destroyed during an intensity 7.8 earthquake in 1983, reconstructed and reinaugurated in 1984.

Economy

Bagoong fermenting in burnay jars in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines

The province specializes in the following products and industries:

Agriculture - rice, corn, garlic, legumes, root crops, tobacco, and other fruits and vegetables
Fishery - tilapia and assorted fishes
Livestock - swine and cattle
Cottage industries - loom weaving, furniture, ceramics, iron works
Manufacturing and food processing - salt, bagoong, patis, basi (native Ilocano wine), vinegar, longganisa, chicharon, bagnet, chichacorn (cornick), jewelry, garments, cereal processing, packaging, mechanized processing equipment
Wind Power Ilocos Norte's position on the northwest corner of Luzon makes it ideal for wind power generation. There is currently a 25 Megawatt wind farm in Ilocos Norte, and several more wind energy projects are being planned[1].
Tourism
Pottery

Political Divisions

Ilocos Norte is subdivided into 557 barangays, 21 municipalities, and 2 cities.

City/MunicipalityNo. of
BarangaysPopulation
(2000) Area
(km²) Pop. density
(per km²) Adams1 1,480 159.31 9.3 Bacarra43 29,668 66.07 449.0 Badoc31 27,862 66.41 419.5 Bangui15 14,327 163.59 87.6 Banna (Espiritu)20 16,704 97.68 171.0 Batac City43 47,682 161.06 296.1 Burgos11 8,534 128.90 66.2 Carasi3 1,154 157.38 7.3 Currimao23 10,615 33.08 320.9 Dingras31 33,310 96.00 347.0 Dumalneg1 1,486 88.48 16.8 Laoag City80 94,466 101.88 927.2 Marcos13 15,154 226.38 66.9 Nueva Era11 6,095 515.02 11.8 Pagudpud16 19,315 194.90 99.1 Paoay31 21,745 76.24 285.2 Pasuquin33 24,739 189.39 130.6 Piddig23 19,059 121.33 157.1 Pinili25 15,903 89.48 177.7 San Nicolas24 31,688 40.18 788.7 Sarrat24 22,884 57.39 398.8 Solsona22 21,338 167.91 127.1 Vintar33 29,031 624.85 46.5

History

Ilocos Norte was the birthplace of president Ferdinand Marcos (To this day, Marcos's political vehicle, the New Society Movement, retains a strong following in the province).