Cavite is a first class province of the Philippines located southwest of Metro Manila. It is part of Region 4a or the so-called CaLaBaRZon Region.

Profile of Cavite Province (Geography)
Location –> Southern Tagalog Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Laguna and Batangas
Capital –> Trece Martires City
Area –> 1,574.17 km2 (607.79 sq mi)
Population –> 3,678,301 (2015 census), the largest out of 81 provinces
Terrain –> Rolling Hills, Coastal Plain
Industries –> Agriculture, Manufacturing, Tourism
Major Products –> Rice, Vegetables, Electronics, various manufactured goods
People/Language –> Tagalog, Other ethnic groups
Cities –> (7) Bacoor, Carmona, Cavite, Dasmariñas, General Trias, Imus, Tagaytay, Trece Martires
Municipalities (Towns) –> (16) Alfonso, Amadeo, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Indang, Kawit, Magallanes, Maragondon, Mendez, Naic, Noveleta, Rosario, Silang, Tanza, Ternate, Gen. Mariano Alvarez

Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials.

Cavite Province History

It is generally believed that the origin of the name of the province was the Tagalog word Kawit meaning hook. This refers to the small peninsula that is trust into Manila Bay. See map below.

This peninsula had been used even prior to the coming of the Spaniards by foreign traders and pirates as the mooring ground for their boats. The importance of this piece of land was not lost to the incoming colonizers who immediately built fortresses to guard Manila. Even then, the port city was the first to be attacked by foreign aggressors such as the Dutch in 1647, the British in 1672, the Americans in 1898, and the Japanese in 1942.

The province was formally organized in 1614. Many haciendas (estates) were established and residents were forced to work in oppressive environments. Abuses and injustices were prevalent resulting in widespread discontentment among the people. Towards the second part of the 19th century, the province of cavite became a social volcano and erupted it did in 1872 in the form of what historians now call as the Cavite Munity. It was easily put down and the aftermath was the execution of the three priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora now collectively called GomBurZa.

The fire of patriotism would flare up again in 1896 when the whole nation rose up in arms to end the more than 300 years of Spanish occupation of the country. Cavite became the foremost bearer of the patriotic torch and so much blood was shed on its soil including the blood of Andres Bonifacio, the founder of the KKK that spearheaded the revolution.

On June 12, 1898, on the balcony of his home in the town of Kawit, President Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippine Independence. For this momentous occasion, the province of Cavite earned to right to be called the birthplace of the Republic.

But the independence was short lived. The Americans bombarded the port of Cavite and after defeating the poorly-equipped and poorly trained Filipino soldiers, occupied the country for 50 years. They reconstructed the Cavite Port, built a huge naval base and called it Sangley Point.

Sangley Point was heavily bombed by the Japanese during World War II. Today, the historic naval base is owned and operated by the Philippine Navy.

The Cavite Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) was created on May 30, 1980 through Presidential Decree 1980 issued by former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Go here to see all the famous people from Cavite Province.

Go here to see all the candidates and results of Cavite Province 2019 election.

Read the history of Cavite in Tagalog here.

Economy of Cavite Province

Although agriculture remains an important economic activity particularly in the western section of the province, manufacturing and services are now the main source of income for many residents in the province. Many of its farms are fast becoming residential, commercial, industrial, and leisure areas.

Being adjacent to congested Metro Manila, the province benefited from the government policy to promote rural development. In the early 1980’s, the town of Rosario was chosen as the site of an export processing zone. Since then, several other industrial estates were established in the province.

The extension of expressways and the Light Railway Transit to the province will accelerate the urbanization and economic development of the province in the coming years.

Cavite is endowed with several natural, historical and man-made attractions and tourism has always been a major source of livelihood for thousands of residents.

RELATED: Profile of Isabela Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region

Cavite Province Map