Laguna is a province of CaLaBaRZon or Region 4-A, Philippines.

Profile of Laguna Province (Geography)
Location –> Southern Tagalog Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Rizal, Quezon, Batangas, Cavite
Capital –> Santa Cruz
Area –> 1,917.85 km2 (740.49 sq mi)
Population –> 3,035,081 (2015 census), 3rd largest out of 81 provinces
Terrain –> Mountainous and hilly in the east, lowland in the west
Industries –> Agriculture, Manufacturing
Major Products –> Rice, Coconut, Other fruits and Vegetables, Vehicles, Electronics, Other manufactured items
People/Language –> Tagalog, Various ethnic groups

Cities –> (6) Binan, Cabuyao, Calamba, San Pablo, San Pedro, Santa Rosa
Municipalities (Towns) –> (24) Alaminos, Bay, Calauan, Cavinti, Famy, Kalayaan, Liliw, Los Banos, Luisiana, Lumban, Mabitac, Magdalena, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Paete, Pagsanjan, Pakil, Pangil, Pila, Rizal, Sta. Cruz, Santa Maria, Siniloan, Victoria

Government Officials

* Go here to see the elected officials of Laguna Province.

Laguna Province History

Towards the end of the 16th Century, the colonization of the province by the Spaniards was complete with many parishes established along the shore of Laguna Lake from where the province got its name. The town of Bay was the capital of the province until 1688, when it was moved to Pagsanjan and later in 1852, to Sta. Cruz.

Laguna was one of the centers of the sugar industry even during the colonial times and many “hacienderos” became very rich. One of them was the family of Jose Rizal who came from the town and now city of Calamba.

As one of the eight provinces to join the revolution against Spain in 1896, Laguna is represented in rays of the sun on the Philippine Flag.

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

Read the history of Laguna Province in Tagalog here.

Economy of Laguna Province

Laguna is one of the richest provinces in the Philippines. Thanks to its location next to Metro Manila. However, the economic development of the province is so unbalanced with the western part acting as a catch basin to the spillover of urbanization and industrialization of Metro Manila. On the other hand, the eastern part remains an agricultural area.

Photo above shows handicraft products of Liliw – a municipality in the eastern part of the province.

The former sugar plantations has been converted into subdivisions, townships, and industrial estates. Santa Rosa is now considered as the Detroit of the Philippines due to the concentration of vehicle manufacturers while the town Los Banos, the location of the University of the Philippines (UP) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), remains the center of agricultural research.

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

Laguna Province Map