Information about Cagayan Valley

Region II
CAGAYAN VALLEY

Map of the Philippines showing the location of Region II CAGAYAN VALLEY
Regional center	Tuguegarao City
Population	2,813,159
– Density	104.8 per km
Area	26,837.0 km
Divisions
– Provinces	5
– Cities	4
– Municipalities	89
– Barangays	2,311
– Cong. districts	10
Languages	Ilokano, Ibanag, Ivatan, Itawis, Gaddang, others

Cagayan Valley (Lambak ng Cagayan in Filipino) is a region of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is composed of five provinces, namely: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino. Its regional center is Tuguegarao City.

Most of the region lies in a large valley in northeastern Luzon, between the Cordilleras and the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. Cagayan River, the country's longest river runs through its center and flows out to Luzon Strait in the north, in the town of Aparri, Cagayan. The Babuyan and Batanes island groups that lie in the Luzon Strait also belong to the region.

Economy

The Cagayan Valley Region is defined by the Cagayan River, the largest in the Philippines. The Province of Cagayan occupies the lower course of the river, and the northeast corner of the island of Luzon (with a few offshore islets). Cagayan's area is 9,003 sq.km., its population 952,000 (by the 2000 census) in twenty-nine towns, of which Tuguegarao is the capital.

Archaeology indicates that the Cagayan Valley has been inhabited for half a million years, though no human remains of any such antiquity have yet appeared. The earliest inhabitants are the Agta, or Atta, food-gatherers who roam the forests without fixed abode. A large tract of land has lately been returned to them. The bulk of the population are of Malay origin. For centuries before the coming of the Spanish the inhabitants traded with Indians, Malays, Chinese, and Japanese. In the nineteenth century the prosperity found in tobacco cultivation caused many Ilocanos to settle here. Tobacco is still a major factor in the economy of Cagayan, though a special economic zone and free port has been created to strengthen and diversify the provincial economy. Cagayan has much to offer visitors: beaches, swimming, snorkeling, skin-diving, fishing in the river and the sea, hiking in primeval forest, mountain-climbing, archaeological sites, the remarkable collection of the provincial museum, the Callao Caves, and many fine churches. Even here there are fortifications built to protect the inhabitants from raids by the Moros

The Philippine Republic's Region II, Cagayan Valley, contains two landlocked provinces, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya. Both are relatively small in size (3057 sq.km. for Quirino, 4081 sq.km. for Nueva Vizcaya) and population (147,000 and 365,000, respectively, by the 2000 census). Both are ruggedly mountainous and heavily forested. Nueva Vizcaya is the remnant of the southern province created when Cagayan Province was divided in two in 1839. Both are ethnically and linguistically diverse, with a substrate of Agtas, Negritos who are food-gatherers with no fixed abode, overlaid by Ilonggos and others in a number of tribes, some of whom were fierce head-hunters until recently (we are firmly assured that they have given up the practice), with the latest but largest element of the population being Ilocanos. Nueva Vizcaya comprises fifteen towns; Bayombong is the capital. Agriculture in both has until recently consisted of slash-and-burn cultivation of corn and maize, though more stable cultivation of vegetables and fruits is becoming established. Both also produce logs, and are trying to manage their forest resources so that production can be sustained indefinitely. They have deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron. Nueva Vizcaya has sand and clay. At Balete Pass in Nueva Vizcaya the retreating Japanese under General Yamashita dug in and held on for three months against the American and Filipino forces who eventually drove them out; the pass is now called Dalton Pass in honor of General Dalton, USA, who was killed in the fighting.

Nueva Vizcaya was probably named after Vizcaya (English 'Biscay', Basque 'Bizkaia') province in northern Spain. In this case there is some vexillological relationship between them, as the flag of New Biscay bears the arms of Biscay impaled on its seal.

Political Divisions

Province/City		Capital	Population (2000)	Area (km²)	Pop. density (per km²)
	Batanes	Basco	16,467	209.3	78.7
	Cagayan	Tuguegarao City	993,580	9,002.0	110.4
	Isabela	Ilagan	1,287,575	10,664.6	120.7
	Nueva Vizcaya	Bayombong	366,962	3,903.9	94.0
	Quirino	Cabarroguis	148,575	3,057.2	48.6

Component Cities

• Cauayan City, Isabela
• Santiago City¹, Isabela
• Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

¹ Santiago City is an independent component city.

See also

• Super regions of the Philippines

External links

• Executive Order No. 561: FORMATION OF THE "SUPER" REGIONS AND MANDATE OF THE SUPERREGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHAMPIONS
• North Luzon Super Region: Potentials
• North Luzon Super Region: Projects
• Ilocano: Ti Pagsasao ti Amianan
• NAKEM Centennial Conference

•  • [ e] Regions of the Philippines
Luzon	I – Ilocos Region • II – Cagayan Valley • III – Central Luzon • IV-A – CALABARZON • IV-B – MIMAROPA • V – Bicol Region • Cordillera Administrative Region • National Capital Region
Visayas	VI – Western Visayas • VII – Central Visayas • VIII – Eastern Visayas
Mindanao	IX – Zamboanga Peninsula • X – Northern Mindanao • XI – Davao Region • XII – SOCCSKSARGEN • XIII – Caraga • Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

•  • [ e] Philippines
Capital	Manila • National Capital Region
Provinces	Abra • Agusan del Norte • Agusan del Sur • Aklan • Albay • Antique • Apayao • Aurora • Basilan • Bataan • Batanes • Batangas • Benguet • Biliran • Bohol • Bukidnon • Bulacan • Cagayan • Camarines Norte • Camarines Sur • Camiguin • Capiz • Catanduanes • Cavite • Cebu • Compostela Valley • Cotabato • Davao del Norte • Davao del Sur • Davao Oriental • Dinagat Islands • Eastern Samar • Guimaras • Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur • Iloilo • Isabela • Kalinga • La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur • Leyte • Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Mountain Province • Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija • Nueva Vizcaya • Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro • Palawan • Pampanga • Pangasinan • Quezon • Quirino • Rizal • Romblon • Samar • Sarangani • Shariff Kabunsuan • Siquijor • Sorsogon • South Cotabato • Southern Leyte • Sultan Kudarat • Sulu • Surigao del Norte • Surigao del Sur • Tarlac • Tawi-Tawi • Zambales • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga del Sur • Zamboanga Sibugay
Other subdivisions	Island groups • Regions • Cities • Municipalities • Barangays • Legislative districts
Territorial disputes	Sabah • Scarborough Shoal • Spratly Islands