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Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos Norte ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is a
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of the Philippines located in the
Ilocos Region Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
. Its capital is
Laoag City Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...
, located in the northwest corner of
Luzon Island Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, ...
, bordering
Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, coverin ...
and
Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Apayao; fil, Lalawigan ng Apayao), is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao serves as its capital. The provincial ca ...
to the east, and Abra to the southeast, and
Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital ...
to the southwest. Ilocos Norte faces the
West Philippine Sea West Philippine Sea ( fil, Karagatang Kanlurang Pilipinas; abbreviated as WPS) is the official designation by the government of the Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The ...
to the west and the
Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an i ...
to the north. Ilocos Norte is noted for its distinctive geography and culture. This includes numerous examples of well-preserved Spanish colonial era architecture, particularly Saint William's Cathedral in Laoag with its sinking bell tower done in the
Earthquake Baroque Earthquake Baroque or Seismic Baroque is a style of Baroque architecture found in the Philippines and Guatemala, which suffered destructive earthquakes during the 17th century and 18th century, where large public buildings, such as churches, were ...
style, the St. Augustine Church in Paoay which is one of UNESCO's
World Heritage Sites in the Philippines The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has designated six World Heritage Sites in the Philippines. The UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in ...
and the
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a cultural heritage structure in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, that was established during the Spanish Colonial period in the Philippines. The lighthouse was first lit on March 30, 1892, and ...
. Famous geographical features include the
La Paz Sand Dunes The La Paz Sand Dunes is an protected sandy coastal desert and beach located in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipina ...
, the beaches of
Pagudpud Pagudpud, officially the Municipality of Pagudpud ( ilo, Ili ti Pagudpud; fil, Bayan ng Pagudpud), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,098 people. It i ...
, and the eroded
calcarenite Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported) sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter), carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either corals, shells, oo ...
Kapurpurawan rock formation in
Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
.Callejo, Gretchen & Fernando, Allan Gil & Silva, Leopoldo. (2015). New Age Dates of the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation in Burgos, Ilocos Norte based on Foraminifera Assemblage. It is the birthplace of several notable Philippine leaders including former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Philippine Revolutionary War general
Artemio Ricarte Artemio Ricarte y García (October 20, 1866 – July 31, 1945) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He is regarded as the ''Father of the Philippine Army'', and the first Chief of Staff ...
and
Iglesia Filipina Independiente , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
founder
Gregorio Aglipay Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayán ( la, Gregorius Aglipay; Filipino: ''Gregorio Labayan Aglipay Cruz''; 5 May 1860 – 1 September 1940) was a former Filipino Catholic priest who became the first head of the '' Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' ...
. Three
wind farms Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few h ...
are located in Ilocos Norte. They are located in
Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...
,
Pagudpud Pagudpud, officially the Municipality of Pagudpud ( ilo, Ili ti Pagudpud; fil, Bayan ng Pagudpud), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,098 people. It i ...
and
Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Uban ...
with the latter being the first wind power generation plant in the Philippines.


History


Early history

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards there existed an extensive region consisting of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to trade gold for beads, ceramics and silk. The Austronesian inhabitants of the region called their place ''samtoy'', from ''sao mi toy'', which literally meant "our language".


Spanish colonial era

In 1571, the Spanish conquistadors had Manila under their control and they began looking for new sites to conquer.
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disambi ...
's grandson
Juan de Salcedo Juan de Salcedo (; 1549 – March 11, 1576) was a Spanish- Novohispanic conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompa ...
volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with 8 armed boats and 45 men the 22-year-old voyager headed north. On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in present-day
Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people. L ...
then proceeded to
Laoag Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...
,
Currimao Currimao, officially the Municipality of Currimao ( ilo, Ili ti Currimao; fil, Bayan ng Currimao), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,215 people. It i ...
and
Badoc Badoc, officially the Municipality of Badoc ( ilo, Ili ti Badoc; tl, Bayan ng Badoc), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,530 people. It is the birt ...
. As they sailed along the coast they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves (''looc'') where the locals lived in harmony. They named the region ''Ylocos'' and its people ''Ylocanos''. As the Christianization of the region grew so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracts of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of ''bajo las campanas''. In the
town plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. Indigenous peoples living in the Ilocos Region, such as the Yapayao and Isneg, were slowly pushed into living in the sparsely populated but resource-rich mountains, which would expose them to conflicts with developers in later eras, such as during
Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos At 7:17 pm on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the entirety of the Philippines under martial law. This marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule that would effectively last ...
. Spanish colonization of the region was not completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many Augustinian
friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
s a number of Ilocanos revolted. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and the Pedro Almasan revolt (San Nicolas, 1660). In 1762
Diego Silang Diego Silang y Andaya (; December 16, 1730 – May 28, 1763) was a Filipino revolutionary leader who allied with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano state. His revolt was ...
led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocano. When he died from his friendly fire his widow Gabriela continued his cause. She too was captured and executed. In 1807 the sugar cane (''basi'') brewers of
Piddig Piddig, officially the Municipality of Piddig ( ilo, Ili ti Piddig; fil, Bayan ng Piddig) is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,475 people. The town is k ...
rose up in arms to protest the government's
monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
of the wine industry. In 1898 the church
excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
Gregorio Aglipay Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayán ( la, Gregorius Aglipay; Filipino: ''Gregorio Labayan Aglipay Cruz''; 5 May 1860 – 1 September 1940) was a former Filipino Catholic priest who became the first head of the '' Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' ...
for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...
. Unperturbed, he helped established the ''
Iglesia Filipina Independiente , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
''. In an effort to gain political control and because of the increasing population of the region, a Royal Decree was signed on February 2, 1818, splitting Ilocos into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Soon thereafter
La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...
and Abra became independent provinces.


World War II

After the fall of Corregidor and the subsequent occupation of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan, a number of small guerilla groups formed in the area of Ilocos Norte, some of which resorted to banditry. Governor Roque Ablan Sr., with the help of Philippine Army Lt. Feliciano Madamba, was able to put together a guerilla unit to engage the Japanese forces and to rally the other guerilla groups into a common force. The leaders were assigned specific sectors using a system for distributing news and orders.


Martial law era

Ilocos Norte gained additional prominence in December 1965 when
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
became president, and again when he won a second term in 1969, boosted by debt-driven infrastructure spending that created
economic crises A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and man ...
and massive
social unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficulty ...
at the beginning of the 1970s. Facing the end of his constitutionally allowed presidential terms, he declared martial law in 1972 and became
dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in time ...
under a system of
constitutional authoritarianism Ferdinand Marcos developed a cult of personality as a way of remaining President of the Philippines for 20 years,Root, Hilton L., Three Asian Dictators: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (January 16, 2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2716732M ...
for fourteen more years. His
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
and cronies were accused of stealing an estimated US$5 billion to US$10 billion during the 1980s, when the Philippine economy went into a nosedive until Marcos was deposed by the civilian-led
People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...
of February 1986. Various
human rights violations Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...
were documented in the Ilocos Norte region during the Marcos martial law era, despite public perception that the region was supportive of Marcos' administration. Various farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos, and Piddig were documented to have been tortured, and eight farmers in Bangui and three indigenous community members in Vintar were " salvaged" in 1984. There were also various protests against the Marcos administration at the time, with Aurora Park in the Laoag Plaza being one of the favored places to stage protests. One of the prominent victims of the Martial Law era who came from Laoag was Catholic layperson and social worker
Purificacion Pedro Purificacion Pedro (September 22, 1948 – January 23, 1977), also known by her nickname as "Puri Pedro," was a Filipino social worker and Roman Catholic layperson who was killed by soldiers under the dictatorship of former Philippine president Fe ...
, who volunteered in organizations protesting the
Chico River Dam Project The Chico River Dam Project was a proposed hydroelectric power generation project involving the Chico River on the island of Luzon in the Philippines that locals, notably the Kalinga people, resisted because of its threat to their residences, ...
in the nearby Cordillera Central mountains. Wounded while visiting activist friends in Bataan, she was later killed by Marcos administration soldiers while recuperating in the hospital. Another prominent opponent of the martial law regime was human rights advocate and Bombo Radyo Laoag program host
David Bueno David Triunfante Bueno (April 14, 1956 – October 22, 1987) http://www.bantayog.org/bueno-david-triunfante/ was a Filipino human rights lawyer and radio show host from Ilocos Norte, best known his work as the most prominent human rights lawyer in I ...
, who worked with the
Free Legal Assistance Group The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) is a nationwide organization of human rights lawyers in the Philippines. It was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada and Joker Arroyo during the martial law era under former Preside ...
in Ilocos Norte during the later part of the Marcos administration and the early part of the succeeding Aquino administration. He would later be assassinated by motorcycle-riding men in fatigue uniforms on October 22, 1987 – part of a wave of assassinations that coincided with the 1986-87 coup d'état that tried to unseat the democratic government set up after the
1986 People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of ...
. Both Bueno and Pedro were later honored among the first 65 people to have their names inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance of the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship, and Pedro was listed among Filipino Catholics nominated to be named
Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
.


Bangui Wind Farm

In 2005, NorthWind Power Development Corp. began commercial operation of the
Bangui Wind Farm Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The wind farm uses 20 units of high Vestas V82 1.65 MW wind turbines, arranged in a single row stretching along a shoreline off Bangui Bay, facing the South China Sea ...
in the Municipality of Bangui, having initiated and developed the project in response to a 1996 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) which identified Bangui as one of the viable sites for wind energy sites in the Philippines. Connected to the Luzon
Grid Grid, The Grid, or GRID may refer to: Common usage * Cattle grid or stock grid, a type of obstacle is used to prevent livestock from crossing the road * Grid reference, used to define a location on a map Arts, entertainment, and media * News ...
, the project was the first wind farm in Southeast Asia, supplying 40% of Ilocos Norte's electricity needs, and becoming a major tourist site for Bangui. AC Energy, the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, acquired the controlling shares of Northwind and of the Bangui Wind Farm in 2017.


Recent history

Ilocos Norte was among the provinces affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has resulted in, as of , reported cases, resulting in reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was i ...
, reporting its first three cases of COVID-19 on March 31, 2020, including a male patient each from Batac and Paoay, and former senator
Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. ( , , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM, is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a sen ...
, who had arrived from travel to Spain. Ilocos Norte experienced surges in cases in 2021, with the spike reported in August 2021 being attributed to the Delta variant of the virus.


Geography

Ilocos Norte covers a total area of occupying the northern tip of the
Ilocos Region Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
in
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
. The province is bordered by
Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, coverin ...
to the extreme northeast,
Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Apayao; fil, Lalawigan ng Apayao), is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao serves as its capital. The provincial ca ...
to the east, and Abra to the southeast,
Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital ...
to the southwest, the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
to the west, and the
Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an i ...
to the north.


Administrative divisions

Ilocos Norte comprises 21
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
and 2 component cities, further subdivided into 559
barangays A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
. There are two
legislative districts An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...
in the province. Updated classification of municipalities in Ilocos Norte
Updated Income Class of Ilocos Norte Municipalities


Barangays

Ilocos Norte has 559
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
s comprising its 21 municipalities and 2 cities. The most populous barangay in the province is Barangay No. 1, San Lorenzo ''(Poblacion)'' in the City of Laoag with a population of 4,391 in the 2010 census. If cities are excluded, Davila in the municipality of
Pasuquin Pasuquin, officially the Municipality of Pasuquin ( ilo, Ili ti Pasuquin; tgl, Bayan ng Pasuquin), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,678 people. Pa ...
has the highest population, at 3,900. The least populous is Sapat in the municipality of
Pasuquin Pasuquin, officially the Municipality of Pasuquin ( ilo, Ili ti Pasuquin; tgl, Bayan ng Pasuquin), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,678 people. Pa ...
, with only 32.


Demographics

The population of Ilocos Norte in the 2020 census was 609,588 people, with a density of .


Religion

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and the
Aglipayan Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
are the two major religions in the province. Among the major
Roman Catholic churches The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Ilocos Norte include: *
Paoay Church Paoay, officially the Municipality of Paoay ( ilo, Ili ti Paoay; fil, Bayan ng Paoay), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,001 people. The town is hom ...
— named a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 1993. * St. William's Cathedral in
Laoag Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...
— known for its Sinking Bell Tower * Santa Monica Church in
Sarrat Sarrat, officially the Municipality of Sarrat ( ilo, Ili ti Sarrat; fil, Bayan ng Sarrat), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,186 people. The town is ...
— documented to be the biggest church in the
Ilocos Region Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...
. * Bacarra Church — destroyed during an intensity VII (on the Rossi-Forel scale) earthquake on August 17, 1983, reconstructed and re-inaugurated in 1984. Ilocos Norte is the home of the Aglipay Shrine (
Aglipayan Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
) where the church's first supreme leader was buried. There are also increasing members of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also minor but steadily increasing members of Iglesia ni Cristo.
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
is also practiced by Mindanaoan traders and immigrants.


Languages

Aside from the national language and English, there are three indigenous languages in Ilocos Norte. There are the dominant ''Ilokano language'', the ''Isnag language'' of the east, and the ''Faire Atta language'' in Currimao. The ''Faire Atta language'' is listed as one of the 15 endangered languages of the Philippines according to the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
''Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages''. The Faire Atta language is listed as ''Severely Endangered'', with less than 300 speakers remaining. All remaining speakers of the language are part of the community's elders. Without a municipality-wide teaching mechanism of the Faire Atta language for the youth, the language may be extinct within 3-5 decades, making it a language in grave peril unless a teaching-mechanism is established by either the government or an educational institution in Currimao and nearby municipalities.


Economy


Products and industries

The province specializes in the following products and industries: *
Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
— rice, corn, garlic, legumes, root crops, tobacco, and other fruits and vegetables *
Fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...
tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...
and assorted fishes *
Livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...
— swine and cattle *
Cottage industries The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but t ...
weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
, furniture, ceramics, iron works *
Manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
and
food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex in ...
— salt, empanada,
bagoong ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The p ...
, patis, basi (native Ilocano wine), vinegar, longganisa, chicharon, bagnet, chichacorn (cornick), jewelry, garments, cereal processing, packaging, mechanized processing equipment *
Wind Power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...
— Ilocos Norte's position on the northwest corner of Luzon makes it ideal for wind power generation. There is currently a 25
Megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
wind farm in Ilocos Norte, and several more wind energy projects are being planned *
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
*
Pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...


Culture and the arts


Prominent artists

Ilocos Norte has given birth to numerous artists that have received national acclaim - perhaps the most notable being Philippine Revolution era activist and leader
Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogni ...
, who was born in
Badoc Badoc, officially the Municipality of Badoc ( ilo, Ili ti Badoc; tl, Bayan ng Badoc), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,530 people. It is the birt ...
. The province is also home to at least one
National Artists of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...
- National Artist for Theater
Severino Montano Severino Montano (January 3, 1915 – December 12, 1980) was a playwright, director, actor and theater organizer with an output of one novel, 150 poems and 50 plays in his 65-year lifetime. Through the foundation of the Arena Theater, Montano ...
who was conferred the honor in 2001. Another influential artist was Ricarte Puruganan, one of the Philippines' influential "Thirteen Moderns," who broke away from the painting style of Conservatives, led by Fernando Amorsolo, during the first half of the 20th century. In the folk arts, the Philippines also recognizes
Magdalena Gamayo Magdalena Gamayo (born 13 August 1924) is a Filipino weaver who is a lead-practitioner of the Ilocano tradition of ''pinagabel''. Background Magdalena Gamayo, a native of Pinili, Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte, officially the Province of Ilocos ...
of Pinili. Ilocos Norte as one of its National Living Treasures for textile weaving, preserving the
Inabel Inabel, sometimes referred to as Abel Iloco or simply Abel, is a weaving tradition native to the Ilocano people of Northern Luzon in the Philippines. The textile it produces is sought after in the fashion and interior design industries due to its ...
weaving tradition of Northern Philippines.


Damili

The town of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte is known for its Terra Cotta pottery, called Damili after the Ilocano language word for pottery. San Nicolas' pottery tradition has been declared part of the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts' School of Living Traditions program


Inabel

Ilocos Norte is a center of the
Inabel Inabel, sometimes referred to as Abel Iloco or simply Abel, is a weaving tradition native to the Ilocano people of Northern Luzon in the Philippines. The textile it produces is sought after in the fashion and interior design industries due to its ...
weaving tradition, whose cloths are well known for being soft but sturdy, with a wide range of pattern designs drawn from Ilocano culture and experience


Cuisine

Preeminent Philippine culinary historian
Doreen Fernandez Alicia Dorotea Gamboa Fernández (October 28, 1934–June 24, 2002), better known as Doreen Fernandez, was a noted Filipino writer, teacher, cultural historian, food critic and scholar who wrote extensively about Philippine theatre and Filipino c ...
notes that Bitterness as a flavor principle is a uniquely prominent in Ilocano culture, quoting fellow food critic Edilberto Alegre saying the bitter "Ilocos Norte mystique" is best represented in Papait, a meat variant of Filipino Kilawin characterized by its Bitter flavors.


Government

Term of Office: June 30, 2022 - June 30, 2025


Tourism

Ilocos Norte is a tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, hotel, resort and casino. Built between 1981 and 1983 by the
Philippine Tourism Authority The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), formerly the Philippine Tourism Authority ( fil, Pangasiwaang Pilipino sa Turismo), is an agency of the Philippine national government under the Department of Tourism responsibl ...
, the Spanish-Moroccan Villa was designed by Architect Jeorge Ramos. The golf course on Paoay Lake was built by Marcos in 1977 and was designed by
Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
. Also of note are the
La Paz Sand Dunes The La Paz Sand Dunes is an protected sandy coastal desert and beach located in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipina ...
, Malacañang of the North,
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a cultural heritage structure in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, that was established during the Spanish Colonial period in the Philippines. The lighthouse was first lit on March 30, 1892, and ...
,
Bangui Wind Farm Bangui Wind Farm is a wind farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The wind farm uses 20 units of high Vestas V82 1.65 MW wind turbines, arranged in a single row stretching along a shoreline off Bangui Bay, facing the South China Sea ...
, Saud Beach in
Pagudpud Pagudpud, officially the Municipality of Pagudpud ( ilo, Ili ti Pagudpud; fil, Bayan ng Pagudpud), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,098 people. It i ...
and the
Early Pliocene Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * ...
calcarenite Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported) sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter), carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either corals, shells, oo ...
Kapurpurawan Burgos Formation which was sculpted by wind and waves.


References


External links

* *
Ilocos Norte Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilocos Norte Provinces of the Philippines States and territories established in 1818 1818 establishments in the Philippines