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List of the 17 Regions in the Philippines
National - Capital Region ● I - Ilocos ● II - Cagayan ● III - C. Luzon ● IV-A - Calabarzon ● IV-B - Mimaropa ● V - Bicol ● VI - W. Visayas ● VII - C. Visayas ● VIII - E. Visayas ● IX - Zamboanga ● X - N. Mindanao ● XI - Davao ● XII - Soccsksargen ● XIII - Caraga ● XIV - CAR ● XV - BARMM

The Philippines has 81 provinces. The names of the Provinces in the Philippines are listed below:

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 Island • Eastern Samar • Guimaras • Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur • Iloilo • Isabela • Kalinga • La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur • Leyte • Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Mindoro Occidental • Mindoro Oriental • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Mountain • Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija • Nueva Vizcaya • 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

Province of Palawan, Philippines
Palawan is paradise, sanctuary to an amazing variety of fauna and flora found nowhere else in the world. It is blessed with incredibly awesome landscapes that astound even the most indifferent of visitors. Palawan is the country’s biggest province and is composed of 1,768 islands and islets surrounded by a coral shelf with an exceptionally rich marine life. Its steeply sloped mountains are canopied by broad virgin forests. An anchor tourist destination, Palawan is one of the 7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. It is the perfect playground for the adventurous. Information provided by The Department of Tourism. Government of The Philippines.

Geography and bounderies of Palawan

Palawan is a narrow archipelago of 1,780 islands on the western border of the Philippines, with the distinction of having the highest concentration of islands and being the most sparsely populated region in the country.

Geographically, it is more remote from the other provinces in the country -in fact, some of its southern islands are closer to Malaysia than to the rest of the Philippines.

It is bounded by the South China Sea on the west and the Sulu Sea on the east. With a total land area of 1,703,075 hectares that occupies 5% of the national territory, Palawan is the country’s largest province. It has an irregular coastline of almost 2,000 kilometers long, indented by numerous coves and bays. Highland and rolling terrain covered with lush forests create a cool and scenic landscape.

Its provincial limits commence with Busuanga Island, which is 45 nautical miles from Mindoro to the north, the Cuyo Group of Islands in the northeast, Cagayancillo in the East and Spratlys Islands in the west. It ends with Balabac farthest south. The southernmost tip of Balabac, the Mangsee Island, is 48.8 nautical miles from Sabah in North Borneo. Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.

About Palawan

Unique to Palawan is its megadiversity. For a long time, Palawan’s bountiful resources, abundant wildlife and extraordinary natural beauty are known only to the many ethnic communities that thrive in these islands and a few other daring settlers who wanted to live in unpolluted surroundings. The island-province first attracted foreign attention in the 1970’s when it became a United Nations Vietnamese Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in Kenya also saw the transport of endangered animals from its savannas to the plains of Calauit Island. However, it was only a sea accident in 1979 that eventually led to the opening of Palawan into tourism big time.

As the story goes, a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling water and, rising above it, a series of magnificently sculpted jade islands. And thus was how El Nido was discovered.

Ecology awareness is at a high level throughout the province. Puerto Princesa prides itself as the cleanest city in the Philippines. To protect its megadiversity, only eco-friendly programs are adhered to by tourist establishments. And there are strict ordinances against dynamite fishing, with only net and line fishing allowed. Palawan may have opened itself to tourism but it has also taken serious efforts to preserve this last frontier.

The most beautiful place in Palawan is the isolated island of El Nido with its incredibly astonishing seascapes. El Nido is a secluded group of islands east of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital city, and is virtually cut off from the mainland by three bodies of water - Luzon Sea to the north, the China Sea to the east and the Sulu Sea to the west.

Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet above mirror flat emerald waters are El Nido’s most distinguishing feature. This interplay of somber darkness and ethereal light provide the dramatic backdrop for several luxury resorts and dozens of moderately priced diver lodges on the islands. The black marble and limestone cliffs contain large caves with whimsical names like Cathedral Cave and Disco Cave because of their formation. Though they look like barren sheets of inhospitable rock, the cliffs actually spawn the swift, or balinsasayaw, which produces the delectable bird’s nest for soups. And in some of the rock faces, yucca and talisay trees as well as wild flowering begonias do thrive in the crevices.

The town of El Nido in itself exudes a quaint charm with well-tended homes and clean streets. Many of the islands have hidden lagoons sheltered by limestone crags. Schools of fish swarm in the coral reefs, many of which are visible to the naked eye. When in season, divers often encounter the rare sea cow, or dugong.

Only small chartered planes from Manila fly tourists to the upscale resorts. Everybody else takes the sea ferry to this picturesque fishing town. Information provided by The Department of Tourism. Government of The Philippines.

Natural Resources

The drought and civil strife that struck Kenya in 1977 brought some 108 African wild animals to Calauit Island. The Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 3,700 hectares and is home to both endemic and African animals. The imported giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, and gazelles, among others, have successfully bred and graze the preserve undisturbed. They share the land with endangered endemic animals like the Calamian deer, Palawan mouse deer, bear cat, leopard cat, tarsier, Palawan peacock pheasant, scaly anteater, porcupine and monitor lizard. The mangroves are home to the man-eating Philippine crocodile while offshore sea grass beds are the habitat of the rare dugong. Many endemic and migrant birds flock to the area. Safaris can be arranged with the park rangers. Modest accommodations are available for overnight stay. Information provided by The Department of Tourism. Government of The Philippines.

Tourism in Palawan

Palawan presents a visual feast not only above the ground but also below it. St. Paul National Park is Palawan’s most popular attraction and covers 5,349 hectares of lush forest, dark mountains, caves and white beaches. In the deep recesses of the marble and limestone peaks of Mt. St. Paul flow the Underground River, said to be the longest in the world. It is easily navigable for at least four kilometers. The caves are filled with filigree-like sculptures formed by stalagmites and stalactites. Near its mouth is a beautiful lagoon with crystal-clear water that teems with fish. Also within the park is the Monkey Trail, a series of wooden paths that winds into the forest where monkeys, squirrels, lizards and some 60 species of birds are found. The Park is inscribed in the World Heritage List.

Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in Southeast Asia. It is a complex of 200 caves scattered on a 138-hectare museum site reserve, of which 33 have thus far been excavated. Seven of these caves are open to the public as a prehistoric museum where excavations have been left as they are. The caves provide Paleolithic evidence that this is where life in Palawan actually began and have yielded a woman’s skull, fossilized bones and earthenware dating to as far back as 890-710 B.C. The main entrance to the caves offers a panoramic view of a white-sand fringed bay. The caves lie in the mountains of Pipuon Point in the town of Quezon.

Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country’s largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200 hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent islets and open water, and constitutes a unique complete open ocean ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as "rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations, features and areas of exceptional beauty." It is located some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving destination. Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.

Economy of Palawan

Agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture form the economic backbone of the province. Even as Palawan diversifies into other industries, the province strives to maintain its role as one of the centers for food production in the country. Major crops are palay, coconut, cashew, banana, corn, mango, edible bird’s nest, and cassava. Other agricultural products include palm oil, rubber, jatropha, and, banana. In fisheries, an estimated 65 percent of Manila’s total fish consumption comes from Palawan’s 176 fishing grounds. Trade in dry fish and other marine products fuels the local economy in every town. There are about 53 fishing grounds which are among the richest in the country. Aquaculture include tilapia and bangus, among others as well as seaweeds, which is a growing economic activity in Agutaya, Roxas, Magsaysay, Cagayancillo, Balabac, Araceli and Dumaran. These areas have attained the critical mass for seaweeds processing based on the volume marketed raw in Cebu. There is still a vast potential for agriculture in the province, with 45 percent of its farmland remaining uncultivated. To boost the agricultural sector, the provincial government, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture provides farmers and farm cooperatives with new technologies in palay production and integrated pest management and essential farm machinery. Post-harvest facilities such as threshers, dryers, corn shellers, hand tractors and floating tillers are also available to increase farm yield. Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 <!-- Do not edit above this line -->
 Palawan is paradise, sanctuary to an amazing variety of fauna and flora found nowhere else in the world. It is blessed with incredibly awesome landscapes that astound even the most indifferent of visitors. Palawan is the country’s biggest province and is composed of 1,768 islands and islets surrounded by a coral shelf with an exceptionally rich marine life. Its steeply sloped mountains are canopied by broad virgin forests. An anchor tourist destination, Palawan is one of the 7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. It is the perfect playground for the adventurous. <font size=1>Information provided by The Department of Tourism. Government of The Philippines.</font>
+==Geography and bounderies of Palawan==
+Palawan is a narrow archipelago of 1,780 islands on the western border of the Philippines, with the distinction of having the highest concentration of islands and being the most sparsely populated region in the country.
+Geographically, it is more remote from the other provinces in the country -in fact, some of its southern islands are closer to Malaysia than to the rest of the Philippines.
+It is bounded by the South China Sea on the west and the Sulu Sea on the east. With a total land area of 1,703,075 hectares that occupies 5% of the national territory, Palawan is the country’s largest province. It has an irregular coastline of almost 2,000 kilometers long, indented by numerous coves and bays. Highland and rolling terrain covered with lush forests create a cool and scenic landscape.
+Its provincial limits commence with Busuanga Island, which is 45 nautical miles from Mindoro to the north, the Cuyo Group of Islands in the northeast, Cagayancillo in the East and Spratlys Islands in the west. It ends with Balabac farthest south. The southernmost tip of Balabac, the Mangsee Island, is 48.8 nautical miles from Sabah in North Borneo. <font size=1>Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.</font>
 ==About Palawan==
 Unique to Palawan is its megadiversity. For a long time, Palawan’s bountiful resources, abundant wildlife and extraordinary natural beauty are known only to the many ethnic communities that thrive in these islands and a few other daring settlers who wanted to live in unpolluted surroundings. The island-province first attracted foreign attention in the 1970’s when it became a United Nations Vietnamese Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in Kenya also saw the transport of endangered animals from its savannas to the plains of Calauit Island. However, it was only a sea accident in 1979 that eventually led to the opening of Palawan into tourism big time.
@@ Line 31: / Line 40: @@
 Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in Southeast Asia. It is a complex of 200 caves scattered on a 138-hectare museum site reserve, of which 33 have thus far been excavated. Seven of these caves are open to the public as a prehistoric museum where excavations have been left as they are. The caves provide Paleolithic evidence that this is where life in Palawan actually began and have yielded a woman’s skull, fossilized bones and earthenware dating to as far back as 890-710 B.C. The main entrance to the caves offers a panoramic view of a white-sand fringed bay. The caves lie in the mountains of Pipuon Point in the town of Quezon.
-Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country’s largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200 hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent islets and open water, and constitutes a unique complete open ocean ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as "rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations, features and areas of exceptional beauty." It is located some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving destination.    <font size=1>Information provided by The Department of Tourism. Government of The Philippines.</font>
+Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country’s largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200 hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent islets and open water, and constitutes a unique complete open ocean ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as "rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations, features and areas of exceptional beauty." It is located some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving destination.    <font size=1>Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.</font>
+==Economy of Palawan==
+Agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture form the economic backbone of the province. Even as Palawan diversifies into other industries, the province strives to maintain its role as one of the centers for food production in the country.
+Major crops are palay, coconut, cashew, banana, corn, mango, edible bird’s nest, and cassava. Other agricultural products include palm oil, rubber,  jatropha, and, banana.
+In fisheries, an estimated 65 percent of Manila’s total fish consumption comes from Palawan’s 176 fishing grounds. Trade in dry fish and other marine products fuels the local economy in every town. There are about 53 fishing grounds which are among the richest in the country. Aquaculture include tilapia and bangus, among others as well as seaweeds, which is a growing economic activity in Agutaya, Roxas, Magsaysay, Cagayancillo, Balabac, Araceli and Dumaran. These areas have attained the critical mass for seaweeds processing based on the volume marketed raw in Cebu.
+There is still a vast potential for agriculture in the province, with 45 percent of its farmland remaining uncultivated. To boost the agricultural sector, the provincial government, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture provides farmers and farm cooperatives with new technologies in palay production and integrated pest management and essential farm machinery. Post-harvest facilities such as threshers, dryers, corn shellers, hand tractors and floating tillers are also available to increase farm yield. <font size=1>Information provided by The Provincial Government of Palawan.</font>