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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF QUEZON
FAST FACTS
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LOCATION
Quezon stretches like a narrow belt along the eastern coast of Luzon from Desada Point in the north to Bicol in the South. It borders the provinces of Aurora to the north, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to the east, and Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas to the west. Towards the south, the province divides into two. On the west is the Tayabas Isthmus which projects into the Bondoc Peninsula. The other end curves into the east towards the Camarines provinces.
THE LAND
The Sierra Madre mountain range runs the entire length of the northern part of the province; its eastern slopes form a bold and almost inaccessible shoreline. The highest peak, Mt. Banahaw, rises to 2,177 m. the range precipitously dips at the Tayabas Isthmus. Here and in the Bondoc Peninsula, plains dominate the coastal areas while low wooded hills form the interior. There are 34 towns along a coast indented by bays. The province includes the Polilio group of islands in the northeast and Alabat Island.
The province has three types of climate. The eastern portion of the Sierra Madre has no dry season and a very pronounced rain period from November to January. The southern part of the province is relatively dry from November to April and wet the rest of the year. The rest of the province has more or less evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Originally, what now forms part of Quezon was divided among the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, and Nueva Ecija. In 1591, the province was created and called Kaliraya, after the capital town which later became Unisan, About the middle of the 18th century, the capital was transferred to the town of Tayabas, from which the province got its new name. Tayabas was among the first provinces to join the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against Spain.
After the Filipino-American War, a civil government was established in the province in 1901, with Lucena as its capital. On September 7, 1946, Republic Act No. 14 changed the name Tayabas to Quezon, in honor of Manuel L. Quezon, the Commonwealth president who hailed from Baler, one of the province's town. In 1951, the northern part of Quezon was made into the sub-province of Aurora, named after the president's wife. In 1979, Aurora was separated from Quezon as an independent province.
THE PEOPLE
The inhabitants are mostly Tagalogs. The population is concentrated in the flat south-central portion which includes Lucena, Sariaya, and Candelaria. After World War II, the Infanta area received migrants from Manila, Laguna and Batangas. People from Bicol and Marinduque moved to the southern part of the Tayabas Isthmus and the Bondoc Peninsula.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES
Quezon is the country's leading coconut producer. Other major crops are rice, corn, banana, and coffee. Although the province has vast forest lands, timber and other forest products are now available only in very small quantities. Fishing is a year-round activity because of rich fishing rounds, especially in the many bays.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:January 29, 1999.
