Albay

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Albay Province
Official seal of the Albay Province
Basic data
Region : Bicol region
Capital : Legazpi City
Population : 1,314,826
August 1, 2015 census
Population density : 510 inhabitants per km²
Area : 2,575.77  km²
PSGC : 050500000
structure
 - Highly urbanized cities
 - provincial cities 3
 - municipalities 15th
 - Barangays 720
 - electoral districts 3
Location of the province in the Philippines
map

Coordinates: 13 ° 12 ′  N , 123 ° 36 ′  E Albay is a province of the Philippines . It is located in the south of the island of Luzon in the Bicol Region (Region V).

Its capital is Legazpi City , the governor of the province is Joey Sarte Salceda.

geography

The province is located in the southeastern foothills of the island of Luzon and is bordered by the provinces of Camarines Sur in the north and Sorsogon in the south. The Pacific Ocean stretches to the east, the Gulf of Lagonoy to the north and the Gulf of Albay to the northeast , both of which are part of the Philippine Sea . In the west and south-west, in turn, is the Burias Canal, a sea route that runs between the southern section of Luzon and the island of Burias and marks the border line with the Masbate province .

Mayon volcano

The symbol that the province is most often equated with is the Mayon volcano . The impressive active volcano forms a picturesque backdrop in front of the city of Legazpi City , which extends about 15 km south of it.

Albay has a total land area of ​​2552.6 km², making it the 26th place and one of the smaller provinces of the Philippines. The main part of the provincial area is located on the Bicol Peninsula . Albay also includes four larger islands, which are located in the eastern part of the province in the Pacific: Rapu-Rapu , Batan- (part of the municipality of Rapu-Rapu), Cagraray- (part of the municipality of Bacacay) and San Miguel Island (part of from Tabaco City ).

The provincial profile can generally be described as mountainous, with the mountain ranges being crossed by fertile plains and valleys. The Mayon volcano, with its height of 2,462 m, is the most impressive landscape feature of Albay and the entire Bicol Region. The almost perfectly shaped volcano is equated by many as one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world with Mount Fuji in Japan . Other mountains and volcanoes in the province are the Masaraga , the Malinao , all in the north and the Catburawan in the west of Albay. The wooded Pocdol Mountains are in the southeast of the province.

Demographics and language

According to the August 2007 census, Albay is home to a population of 1,190,823 people, making it the 22nd most populous province in the country in the statistics. This results in a population density of 427 people per km², which makes it 10th in this category. The residents are distributed over a total of 208,640 households, which means that an average of 5.22 people live in one household, slightly more than the national average of 4.99.

The main language of the province is Bikolano . Other popular dialects are varieties of Bikolano such as Viejo, Daragueño, Legazpeño or Albayanon, Oasnon and others. The dialects spoken in the coastal regions are very similar to those in Camarines Sur Province , while the language forms inland are similar to one another. However, they differ significantly from those in coastal areas. There are clear differences in the variety of words as well as in the pronunciations within the different localities. The greatest challenge here are the varied variations that have developed between the individual locations for many words with the same meaning for one and the same object or principle.

The majority of the locals also understand Tagalog and English , which are generally taught at school .

economy

The traditional main industry in Albay is agriculture. In the province, mostly crops such as coconut , rice , sugar cane , wheat and fiber banana , but also pineapple and various types of vegetables are grown. Handcrafted objects, on the other hand, are the main source of income for the village population. Forestry and the paper industry are other important industries in the province. The manufacture of Abacá products such as the Manila hemp, hats, bags, mats and slippers are also significant sources of income that have developed particularly in this region.

The forest areas contain abundant resources of lumber , rattan , pilinus and elemi . In addition, the plains offer wide grassland that is used as pasture for horses, cattle, carabaos , goats and sheep.

The industrial focus of the province is the geothermal power plants in Tiwi and Manito, the Goodfound cement factory in Camalig, the Isarog paper and cellulose factory in Daraga as well as the Legaspi oil company and two other coconut oil mills in Legazpi City, which makes Albay one of the leading industrial areas in Luzon.

On the other hand, along the coasts and on the islands of the province, fishing is the most important industry, while tourism is growing around the Mayon.

With its ports Legazpi National, Pio Duran Provincial and the Pantao Regional Port, the province is an essential transshipment point for goods to and from other ports in the country. Legazpi City also has a provincial airport with regular scheduled flights to Manila and the Visayas . There is a regular rail link between Manila and Ligao City, operated by the Philippine National Railways .

Political structure

Albay is divided into 15 independently administered municipalities and 3 cities. Three of the parishes. Polangui , Daraga and Guinobatan are classified as municipalities in the first income category.

The municipalities and cities are in turn subdivided into a total of 720 barangays (districts).

The province is further divided into three congressional districts .

Cities

Communities

history

Pre-Hispanic Era

Today's Albay and the surrounding area was originally called Ibalon when a Spanish expedition under Luis Enriques de Guzman explored the islands of Masbate and Ticao as well as the area of ​​Ibalon from Panay in 1569 . The Augustinian monk father Alonzo Jimenez promoted the Christianization of the native population of Ibalon, Camarines and Burias. He learned the local dialect Bicolan and composed a catechism in this language.

In July 1573, a group of 120 Spanish soldiers under the leadership of Juan de Salcedo , who founded the village of Santiago de Libong, followed. A small settlement in a swamp surrounded by mangroves was given the name Albay bay around 1616 (which meant something like "near the bay"). The place was later renamed Albay and was eventually named Legazpi after the name Albay had established itself for the entire area.

Spanish and American colonization

In 1649 there was a rebellion of the locals, who rose against their call-up to Cavite , where they were intended to build galleons. In 1814 a devastating Mayon eruption destroyed the town of Cagsawa, killing 1200 people and burning the town down to the ground.

During the early 19th century, the abacá plant was used to manufacture Manila hemp, which was used to make ship ropes and which became one of the most valuable industrial goods in the area.

On September 22nd, 1898, during the Philippine Revolution, a revolutionary government was established within the Albay province, with Anaceto Solano as provincial president.

Although an American-influenced civil government was established in the province on April 22, 1901 under Colonel Harry H. Bandholtz, the commanding officer of the Bicol region, there were constant attacks on the new American rule. In 1901, during the Philippine-American War, after the arrest of the Philippine general Vito Belarmino, the revolutionary Simeon Ola led around 1,000 men in the fight against the American occupation forces. Ola was the last Filipino general to be captured along with six hundred of his men, marking the end of Filipino resistance.

Japanese occupation

In December 1941, combat troops of the Japanese Imperial Army entered the provincial territory. The Japanese Kimura commando occupied Legazpi City on December 12, 1941. The district was only defended by a Filipino police unit under Major Francisco Sandico. On December 19, the entire Bicol peninsula down to Sipocot, Camarines Sur, was in the hands of the Japanese attackers.

In 1945 the province began to be liberated by Filipino guerrillas and American troops, who were soon able to complete the reconquest of the region.

Political development

In 1846 the islands of Masbate , Ticao and Burias were separated from Albay by order of the governor Narciso de Claveria and now formed the comandancia (commandant's office) Masbate. In this context, Albay was divided into four districts: Iraya, Cordillera or Tobacco, Sorsogon and Catanduanes. In 1894 Sorsogon became an independent province and Catanduanes followed in 1945. The province of Albay itself was officially established on March 10, 1917.

climate

Albay has three climate zones. The eastern areas have a temperate climate without a pronounced dry period, with the months of December and January being noticeable with heavier rainfall. In the western areas there are more or less extensive downpours throughout the year, while the central regions are spared this heavy rainfall and instead a short dry season from November to January forms here.

The province is hit by an average of 20 typhoons per year with wind speeds of 60 to 180 km / h. The average amount of precipitation is 233 mm, the average temperature between 33.15 ° C and 22.6 ° C.

Attractions

Web links

Commons : Albay  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Albay History . rdc5.gov.ph. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2010.