ZAMBALES
ZAMBALES
ZAMBALES
ZAMBALES
■ It is a province in the Philippines located in the Central
Luzonregion. Its capital is Iba, which is located in the middle
of theprovince. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north
andnortheast, Tarlac to the east, Pampanga to the
southeast,Bataan to the south and the West Philippine Sea to
the west.With a total land area of 3,830.83 square kilometres
(1,479.09 sqmi) (including the independent city of Olongapo),
Zambales isthe second largest among the seven provinces of
Central Luzonafter Nueva Ecija. The province is noted for its
mangoes, whichare abundant from January to April.
■ Zambales does not have a functional airport - theclosest
functional airport is the Clark InternationalAirport in the
neighbouring province of Pampanga.Subic Bay
International Airport, which is located inCubi Point
(geographically located inside Morong,Bataan) in the
Subic Bay Freeport Zone is no longerfunctional for
domestic and international flights.
■ The Freeport Zone (SBFZ) is host to many
touristattractions which include casinos, parks,
malls,beach-side huts, cottages and resorts, as well
ashistorical sites.
HISTORY
■ Prior to colonization, the Aeta people became the first
human population who inhabited what is now
Zambales. Due to Malay migration waves, theTagalog
people displaced the Sambal people insouthern Luzon,
which led to the arrival of the Sambal people into
present-day Zambales. The Spanish first explored the
area in 1572, led by Juande Salcedo. Among the
earliest towns founded were Subic (1572), Botolan
(1572), Masinloc (1607),Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz
(1612).
GEOGRAPHY
■ Zambales lies on the western shores of Luzon island along the West Philippine Sea.
Its shoreline is rugged and features many coves and inlets.The Zambales Mountains
in the eastern length of the province occupiesabout 60% of the total land area of
Zambales. Subic Bay, at the southernend of the province, provides a natural harbor,
and was the location of theU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay until its closure in 1992. The
summit and crater lake of Mount Pinatubo lies within Botolan municipality in
Zambales, nearthe tripoint of Zambales, Pampanga and Tarlac provinces. This
volcano,once considered dormant, erupted violently in June 1991. The formersummit
of the volcano was obliterated by the massive eruption andreplaced by a 2.5 km (1.6
mi) wide caldera, within which Lake Pinatubo issituated. With an average depth of
800 m (2,600 ft), Lake Pinatubo is thedeepest lake in the Philippines. The highest
point of the caldera rim is 1,485m (4,872 ft) above sea level, some 260 m (850 ft)
lower than the pre-eruption summit. A vast portion of the Zambales province
acquired desert-like features in 1991,after being buried by more than 20 feet (6.1 m)
of lahar.
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Pastillas
• Popular dubbed by
locals as linga, this is
actually sesame
candies. Zambales is
one the very few
producers of sesame
seeds and Zambalenos
in Botolan have
created their own
adaptation of sesame
seeds at its ideal
Botolan sweetest.