ILOCOS NORTE

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DEMOGRAPHICS

Demographic Information Location and boundaries Ilocos Norte is located off the northwestern coast of the Philippines, between Luzon Strait on the north and Region III on the south. The China Sea and the Cordillera region border its western and eastern limits, respectively. The capital is Laoag City, which is 463 kilometers away from Manila, 8 hours by land. Travel time by air is 1 hour from Manila, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and less than 2 hours from Singapore, Thailand, Japan and South Korea. Major tourist attractions Marcos Museum and Mausoleum Malacanang of the North Sinking Bell Tower Fort Ilocandia Geography Ilocos Norte has a land area of 3,622 sq. km., bordered by Ilocos Sur (south), Abra (southeast), Cagayan (east) and the South China Sea (west) Cities 1 - Laoag City Towns 22 - Adams, Bacarra, Badoc, Bangui, Banna, Batac, Burgos, Carasi, Currimao, Dingras, Dumalneg, Marcos, Nueva Era, Pagudpud, Paoay, Pasuquin, Piddig, Pinili, San Nicolas, Sarrat, Solsona and Vintar Proximity By air - 45 minutes from Manila, 40 minutes from Kaoshiung, 75 minutes from Hong Kong, 3 hours from Japan and Korea By land - 8 hours from Manila, 4 hours from Baguio Seasons Dry - November to April Wet - May to October Climate Average temperature - 26.8 C (end 1997) Population Total - 491, 312 (end 1997) Average annual growth (1990-1995) - 0.84% per annum Language Iloko (Ilocano) - common language English and Filipino - are also used Religion Roman Catholic - 63% Aglipay - 20% Others - 17 % (end 1997) Largest Area Vintar - 624.85 sq. km. pop. - 27, 460 (end 1995) Nueva Era - 515.02 sq. km. pop. - 6, 224 Marcos - 226.38 sq. km pop. - 13, 688I
HISTORY      Long before the coming of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region (consisting of the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union) renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to trade gold with beads, ceramics and silk. The inhabitants of the region, believed to be of Malay origin, called their place "samtoy", from "sao mi toy", which literally meant "our language"       In 1591, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer.  Legaspi's grandson, Juan De Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with 8 armed boats and 45 men, the 22 year old voyager headed north.  On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in Vigan and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves ("looc") where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region "Ylocos" and its people "Ylocanos".      As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracks of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of "bajo las campanas". In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out. The Spanish colonization of the region, however, was never completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many Augustinian friars, a number of Ilocanos revolted against their colonizers. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt (San Nicolas, 1660). In 1762, Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocanos from the Spanish yoke. When he died from an assassin's bullet, his widow Gabriela continued the cause. Unfortunately, she too was captured and hanged. In 1807, the sugar cane ("basi") brewers of Piddig rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicated Gregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Sen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Unperturbed, he established the "Iglesia Filipina Independiente". Aglipayân's movement and the nationalist sentiment it espoused helped restore the self-respect of many Filipinos.      In an effort to gain more political control and because of the increasing population of the region, a Royal Decree was signed on February 2, 1818 splitting Ilocos into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Soon thereafter, the provinces of La Union and Abra likewise became independent.
	pop. - 13, 688