Physical and Socio-Economic Profile
LOCATION AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF REGION IV-A | |||||
Province | Provincial Capital | Number | |||
Congressional Districts | Cities | Municipalities | Barangays | ||
Cavite | Trece Martirez City | 7 | 6 | 17 | 829 |
Laguna | Sta. Cruz | 4 | 5 | 25 | 674 |
Batangas | Batangas City | 4 | 3 | 31 | 1,078 |
Rizal | Antipolo City | 1 | 1 | 13 | 188 |
Quezon | Lucena City | 4 | 2 | 39 | 1,242 |
Total | 21 | 17 | 125 | 4,011 |
The region is located in south-western part of Luzon, just south and east of Metro Manila, on the east by the Philippine Sea and Bicol Region, on the south by Verde Island Passage, and on the west by Luzon Sea. It is practically accessible via all types of land transportation.
CALABARZON consists of five (5) provinces, 21 congressional districts, 17 cities, 125 municipalities, and 4,011 barangays. The thirteen (13) cities of the region are: Bacoor City (Cavite); Cavite City (Cavite); Imus City (Cavite); Trece Martirez City (Cavite); Tagaytay City (Cavite); Dasmariñas City (Cavite); City of Biñan (Laguna); Cabuyao City (Laguna); Calamba City (Laguna); San Pablo City (Laguna); Sta. Rosa City (Laguna); Batangas City (Batangas); Lipa City (Batangas); Tanauan City (Batangas); Antipolo City (Rizal); Lucena City (Quezon); and Tayabas City (Quezon). Quezon province has the most number of municipalities and barangays while Rizal province has the least.
TOPOGRAPHY AND SLOPE
CALABARZON has varied land forms, consisting of flat coastal areas, upland interior areas of slightly moderate rolling or undulating plains and hills, and mountains. Almost sixty percent of the region’s land area has a slope ranging from 0-18. Slope distribution by province is presented below.
DISTRIBUTION OF SLOPE RANGE BY PROVINCE (IN HECTARE) | |||||||
Province | Level to nearly level (0-3%) |
Gently sloping to undulating (3-8%) |
Moderately sloping to rolling (8-18%) |
Strongly sloping to moderately steep (18-30%) |
Steep hills and mountains (30-50%) |
Very steep hills and mountains (>50%) |
Total |
Region | 248,356 | 189,330 | 531,583 | 47,658 | 215,538 | 390,396 | 1,622,861 |
Batangas | 25,253 | 54,624 | 118,490 | 12,810 | 17,750 | 87,654 | 316,581 |
Cavite | 26,603 | 30,438 | 40,330 | 7,644 | 6,154 | 17,586 | 128,755 |
Laguna | 47,194 | 24,460 | 50,487 | 10,558 | 18,658 | 24,616 | 175,973 |
Quezon | 141,976 | 73,360 | 289,044 | 16,314 | 139,026 | 210,940 | 870,660 |
Rizal | 7,330 | 6,448 | 33,232 | 332 | 33,950 | 49,600 | 130,892 |
% to Total Land Area | 15% | 12% | 33% | 3% | 13% | 24% | 100% |
Source: NEDA-CALABARZON, Regional Physical Framework Plan |
Batangas’ lands are mostly elevated; rolling hills, small low flat lands with scattered mountainous areas. Cavite province is characterized by rolling hinterlands punctuated by hills, with shoreland fronting Manila Bay at sea level, and rugged portion at the boundary of Batangas where Dos Picos mountains are located.
Situated at the southern end of the province of Rizal, Laguna is considered as an inland province, as most of its northwestern portion is along Laguna de Bay. It is characterized with rugged terrain, from level to steep slope. The province of Quezon, on the other hand has a rugged terrain with few plains, valleys and swamps. The undulating lowlands along the coast are well drained. The province is very narrow, with average width of about 30 kilometers.
Rizal province’s topography is a combination of valleys and mountains, with flat low-lying areas on the western portion, rugged ridges and rolling hills which form part of the Sierra Madre ranges in the eastern portion.
DEMOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC PROFILE
POPULATION AND POPULATION GROWTH RATE IN CALABARZON FROM YEAR 2000-2007 | |||
Province | Land Area | Population | Population Growth Rate |
Region | 1,622,861 | 11,757,755 | 3.25 |
Cavite | 128,755 | 2,856,765 | 4.59 |
Laguna | 175,973 | 2,473,530 | 3.22 |
Batangas | 316,581 | 2,245,869 | 2.29 |
Rizal | 130,892 | 2,298,691 | 2.03 |
Quezon | 870,660 | 1,882,900 | 4.19 |
Source: NSO CY 2007 Census of Population |
Based on 2007 Census of Population, CALABARZON now has 11.7 million residents, the largest in the country. It is the second most densely populated region with 709 people per square kilometer. Among the five provinces, Cavite has the biggest population, followed by Rizal province. In terms of population growth rate, the region has 3.25% from the period of 2000-2007. The province of Batangas has an average population growth rate of 2.29%, Cavite with 4.59%, Laguna with 3.22%, Quezon has an average of 2.03%, and Rizal with 4.19%. As projected by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), it is expected that by year 2025, the population within Region IV-A will increase up to 16 million.
Per 2009 Gross Regional Domestic Product, CALABARZON’s economy suffered a reversal of 1.6% in Year 2009 from a 1.9% growth in Year 2008 as the Industry and Agriculture, Fishery, and Forestry (AFF) sectors laid-out negative growth rates while services decelerated. The largest share of the region’s economy in 2009 was from the Service sector with 42.9%, even higher than its share of 41.5% the previous year. The share of the Industry sector, on the other hand, was 38.3% , lower than its previous share of 39.7 percent. The AFF’s share of 18.8% was a slight increase of its 18.7% share the previous year.
CLIMATE
Intense variability in climate is currently being experienced all over the country. As a general information, Region IV-A has all the four (4) types of climate: Type I-with two pronounced seasons, dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year; Type II-no dry season with a very pronounced rainfall from November to April and wet during the rest of the year; Type III-seasons are not very pronounced, relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year; and Type IV-rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. The province of Cavite has two (2) distinct seasons: wet from May to November and dry from December to April. Laguna is relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year, specifically in the small portion near the southern boundary. The eastern and southern portions of Laguna province have no distinct season but with evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.
The province of Batangas also has two (2) distinct seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. On the other hand, the province of Rizal is relatively dry from December to May and wet during the rest of the year.
Quezon province has three (3) climatic types: no dry season with very pronounced rainfall from November to January and wet during the rest of the year; not very pronounced season and relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year; and more or less evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.