Calabarzon

For the historical region, see Southern Tagalog.

Calabarzon
Southern Tagalog
Region
Clockwise (from the top): Aguinaldo Shrine in Cavite, Taal Volcano in Batangas, Malagonlong Bridge in Quezon, Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna and Pililla Wind Farm in Rizal
Motto: 
Calabarzon sa Habang Panahon! (Calabarzon Forever!)
Location in the Philippines
Location in the Philippines
OpenStreetMap
Map
Coordinates: 14°00′N 121°30′E / 14°N 121.5°E / 14; 121.5
Country Philippines
Island groupLuzon
Regional centerCalamba
Largest cityAntipolo
Area
 • Total16,873.31 km2 (6,514.82 sq mi)
Highest elevation
(Mount Banahaw)
2,170 m (7,120 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[1]
 • Total16,195,042
 • Density960/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ISO 3166 codePH-40
Provinces
5
Independent cities
1
Component cities
21
Municipalities120
Barangays4,019
Cong. districts19
Languages
GDP (2023)₱3.44 trillion
$61.77 billion[2]
Growth rateIncrease (5.2%)[2]
HDIIncrease 0.795 (High)
HDI rank2nd in the Philippines (2019)

Calabarzon (officially stylized in all caps;[3] English: /kɑːlɑːbɑːrˈzɒn/; Tagalog: [kalɐbaɾˈsɔn]), sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog[4] (Tagalog: Timog Katagalugan[5]) and designated as Region IV‑A,[a] is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urbanized city, Lucena. It is the most populous region in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), having over 16.1 million inhabitants in 2020,[6] and is also the country's second most densely populated after the National Capital Region.[6] It is situated southeast of Metro Manila, and is bordered by Manila Bay and South China Sea to the west, Lamon Bay and the Bicol Region to the east, Tayabas Bay and the Sibuyan Sea to the south, and Central Luzon to the north. It is home to places like Mount Makiling near Los Baños, Laguna, and Taal Volcano in Batangas. Calamba is the regional center while Antipolo is the most populous city in the region.

Prior to its creation as a region, Calabarzon, together with the Mimaropa region, the province of Aurora, and several parts of Metro Manila, formed the historical region known as Southern Tagalog, until they were separated in 2002 by virtue of Executive Order No. 103.[3]

The history of the area now known as Calabarzon dates back to early historic times.[7] Local historians[8] believe that three of the 10th century place-names mentioned in the Philippines' earliest known written document, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, pertain to regions or polities (Tagalog: "bayan") along the shores of Laguna de Bay;[9] and some Filipino-Chinese scholars believe the 10th century trading polity known as Ma-i may actually have been the predecessor of the present day town of Bay, Laguna.[10] Since the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the region has served as home to some of the most important Philippine historical figures, including the Philippine national hero, José Rizal, who was born in Calamba.

  1. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region IV-A (Calabarzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "2021 to 2023 Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP)". openstat.psa.gov.ph. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Executive Order No. 1 – Dividing Region IV Into Region IV-A and Region IV-B, Transferring the Province of Aurora to Region III and for Other Purposes". Official Gazette (Philippines). Office of the President of the Philippines. May 17, 2002. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Sources using Calabarzon and Southern Tagalog interchangeably:
    • Nepomuceno, Priam (January 18, 2021). "3 NPA fronts in Southern Tagalog dismantled". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved May 10, 2023. The military has dismantled three New People's Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts in the Southern Tagalog region... The dismantling of these fronts has put an end to the NPA's terroristic activities in most parts of Region 4-A (Calabarzon).
    • "Malacañang vows probe on deaths of activists in Calabarzon". CNN Philippines. March 8, 2021. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2023. Malacañang assured the public an investigation is underway on the deaths of activists in the Southern Tagalog region... In his briefing on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the government is obligated to probe the killings, which happened during simultaneous police operations in Calabarzon over the weekend.
    • "Moderate to heavy rains expected in Metro Manila, Calabarzon". ABS-CBN News. October 22, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2023. Moderate to heavy rains are expected over Metro Manila and southern Tagalog due to the effect of shearline and trough of a low pressure area (LPA)... In its 11 p.m. weather advisory, PAGASA said moderate to heavy with at times intense rains may persist over Metro Manila and Calabarzon.
  5. ^ Andal, Rudy (August 2, 2018). "Libong OFWs dumagsa sa DOLE" [Thousands of OFWs flock to DOLE]. Pilipino Star Ngayon (in Tagalog). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Census of Population (2020). Table B - Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality - By Region. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. ISBN 971-550-135-4.
  8. ^ Tiongson, Jaime F. (November 29, 2006). "Pailah is Pila, Laguna". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  9. ^ Dery, Luis Camara (2001). A History of the Inarticulate. Quezon City: New Day Publishers. ISBN 971-10-1069-0.
  10. ^ Go, Bon Juan (2005). "Ma'I in Chinese Records - Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a Historical Puzzle". Philippine Studies. 53 (1). Ateneo de Manila Press: 119–138. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013.


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