Pampanga Province History
Profile of Pampanga (Geography)
Location –> Central Luzon Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Tarlac, Nueva ecija, Bulacan, Bataan, and Zambales
Capital –> City of San Fernando
Area –> 2,002.20 km2 (773.05 sq mi)
Population –> 2,198,110 (2015 Census) – 9th largest
Terrain –> Lowland with some high mountains in the western part of the province
Industries –> Agriculture, Manufacturing, Trading, Tourism
Major Products –> Rice, Poultry and Egg, Various manufactured products
People/Language –> Kapampangan, Tagalog, English
Cities –> Angeles, Mabalacat, San Fernando
Municipalities (Towns) –> Apalit, Arayat, Bacolor, Candaba, FloridaBlanca, Guagua, Lubao, Macabebe, Magalang, Masantol, Mexico, Minalin, Porac, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana, Santa Rita, Santo Tomas, Sasmuan
Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials of Pampanga.
Pampanga Province History
Pampanga was organized as a province on December 11, 1571, one of the earliest provinces to be organized by the Spaniards who colonized the Philippines. At that time, it included the now province of Bataan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.
The province was subdivided into encomiendas or land awarded to private individuals with the right to collect tributes from the inhabitants. These encomiendas later would evolve into towns or pueblos.
Pampanga was one of the earliest provinces to join the revolution against the Spaniards in the late 1890s and thus represented as one of the eight sun’s rays in the Philippine Flag.
The Americans started to build Clark Air Base in Pampanga in 1903. Later, it became one of their biggest air bases in the world. During World War II, it was heavily bombed by the Japanese. In 1991, it was closed due to the non-extension of the Philippine-American Military agreement.
Go here to see all the famous people from Pampanga Province.
Go see all the candidates and results of the 2019 election in Pampanga.
Go here to read the history of Pampanga in Tagalog.
Economy of Pampanga
Because of its extensive farmlands, the province of Pampanga has been traditionally the main supplier of rice, poultry, Egg, and pork to Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
The closure of Clark Air Base and its conversion to civilian use brought unprecedented economic benefits to the province. Pampanga is now home to Clark International Airport which is being promoted as an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila.
The airport, together with the presence of two important expressways, has made Pampanga attractive to investors both local and foreign. In fact, several industrial estates in the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat have been established and are now the location of many factories producing products for export to many countries.
RELATED: Profile of Aurora Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region