Titles of Places

What's in a Name?
The Department of Tourism (DoT) has the habit of using titles as a way of endorsing tourist destinations in the country. However, other countries are also using similar titles. Aside from Filipinos, the Japanese also use the phrase "Pearl of the Orient" to refer to their country. While Filipinos describe the Banaue Rice Terraces as the eighth wonder of the world, the Chinese use the same title for the Great Wall of China and the Cambodians for Angkor Wat. According to Filipinos, Mount Mayon has the most beautiful cone figure among all volcanoes in the world, the same way the Japanese view Mount Fuji and Costa Ricans view Arenal volcano. Davao City is reportedly the world's largest city but other cities in the world protest, including Puerto Princesa City of Palawan. Boracay Island is sold as the world's most beautiful beach resort, but Thailand, Indonesia, Latin American countries and several Pacific islands are ready to contest this title.

Aklan - oldest province
Angono, Rizal - town of artists
Antipolo City - picnic area
Apalit, Pampanga - tapayan capital
Baclayon Church, Bohol - oldest stone church
Bacolod City - city of smiles
Bacolor, Pampanga - country's capital in 1762-1763
Baguio City - summer capital
Balabac Island, Palawan - land of Philippine mouse deer
Baliuag, Bulacan - the first town to have election
Banaue Rice Terraces - stairways to the sky
Barasoain Church - headquarters of the Malolos Congress
Basey, Samar - town of mat festival
Batanes - smallest province; northernmost province
Bataan - last stronghold during Japanese occupation
Biak na Bato, San Miguel, Bulacan - site of the Biak na Bato republic
Binondo - known for Chinatown district
Bocaue, Bulacan - firecrackers' capital
Bohol - land of chocolate hills
Boracay Island - world's finest beach resort
Bulacan - land of heroes and beautiful women
Bukidnon - pineapple country
Calamba, Laguna - birthplace of Jose Rizal
Calamian Islands - land of Calamian deer
Calauit Island, Palawan - animal sanctuary
Camiguin - land of volcanoes
Capiz - seafood capital
Catanduanes - land of howling winds
Cebu City - premiere city in the south
Central Luzon - rice bowl
Corregidor Island - island fortress; the rock
Crisologo Street, Vigan - kamestizoan district
Davao City- world's largest city; durian capital
Davao Oriental - easternmost province
Divisoria - bargain capital
Donsol, Sorsogon - sanctuary of whale sharks
Gapan, Nueva Ecija - newest city
General Santos City - most competitive city; tuna capital
Guiginto, Bulacan - cutflower capital
Guimaras - mango capital
Hundred Islands, Pangasinan - actually composed of 400 islets
Iligan City - land of waterfalls
Intramuros, Manila - walled city
Kabayan, Benguet - land of mummies
Kalibo, Aklan - land of ati-atihan
Kawit, Cavite - first independent town
Laguna - resort province
Laguna de Bay - largest lake
Lanao del Sur - center of Islam
Las Pinas City - land of the bamboo organ
Lipa, Batangas - coffee capital
Lubao, Pampanga - the birthplace of Diosdado Macapagal
Lucban, Quezon - Pahiyas town
Luzon - world's 17th largest island
Magallanes, Agusan del Norte - site of the oldest tree
Makati City - financial center
Malolos, Bulacan - site of the First Philippine Republic
Manila - capital city
Maria Cristina Falls, Iligan City - mother of industry
Marikina City - shoe capital
Mexico, Pampanga - formerly known as Masicu
Meycauayan, Bulacan - jewelry capital
Miag-ao Church, Iloilo - fortress church
Mindanao - world's 19th largest island
Mindoro - land of the tamaraws
Mount Apo - highest peak
Mount Arayat - legendary home of Mariang Sinukuan
Mount Mayon - a volcano with nearly perfect cone
Nayong Pilipino - Philippines in miniature. (The theme park was opened in 1972 and closed on June 25, 2002.)
Negros Occidental - sugar capital; sports capital
Pagsanjan Falls - Philippines' el dorado
Palawan - the last frontier; largest province; westernmost province
Pampanga - culinary capital of Luzon
Paete, Laguna - town of wood carvers
Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte - earthquake baroque
Paombong, Bulacan - vinegar capital
Philippine Deep - world's second deepest spot
Philippines - pearl of the orient
Rio Grande de Cagayan - longest river
Romblon - marble country
San Agustin Church, Intramuros - oldest church in Luzon
San Fernando, Pampanga - lantern capital of the world
San Juanico Bridge - longest suspension bridge
San Sebastian Church - the only steel church in Asia
Siargao Island - perfect waves island
Spratleys - the islands claimed by six countries
Sta. Maria, Bulacan - egg nest of the Philippines
Sta. Maria Church, Ilocos Sur - outstanding example of Spanish baroque architecture
Subic Freeport - American town
Taal Volcano - world's smallest volcano
Tagaytay City - the next summer capital
Tangub City - Christmas symbol capital
Tawi-Tawi - southernmost province
Trinidad Valley - land of strawberry and vegetables
Tubbataha Marine Park - world's richest bio-geographic area
Unisan, Quezon - oldest town
University of San Carlos, Cebu City - oldest university
Vigan, Ilocos Sur - Spanish colonial town
Zamboanga Sibugay - newest province

Source: http://www.txtmania.com/trivia

The Philippines Map

Source: www.philisite.net

Minerals and Mineral Wealth

The country have rich deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, manganese, zinc, and other metals as well as coal, cement, asbestos, asphalt, gypsum, clay, marble and other non metallic minerals. Vast reserves oil and gas have been found and exploited both inland and offshore. And the Philippines contains one of the richest potential reserves of seabed mineral nodules, lying at the bottom of the sea.

Philippines is one of Asia's greatest gold producing country. Gold mining is an ancient industry in the Philippines. Copper mining is another old industry in the Philippines. The best known copper district is the Mankayan, where the oldest and the largest copper mine still exists. Other copper deposits are found in Rapu Rapu Island (part of Albay Province) Negros Island and Zambales Province.

Most of the iron deposits are located in Surigao whose iron ore deposits is estimated at 1 billion tons, being one of the riches undeveloped deposits in the world. Other deposits of iron can be found in Angat Bulacan, Camarines Norte and Samar.

High quality of chromite in the world exists in Masinloc, Zambales. While the greatest or the worlds largest deposit of nickle has been discovered in recent years in Nonoc Isle, off the coast of Northern Mindanao.

Lots of deposits of coal are found in Cebu, Polilo Island, Sorsogon, Masbate and Sibuguey Peninsula, Mindanao; oil in Bontoc Peninsula and the Cagayan Valley, Cebu and other Visayan Islands and the coastal area of Plawan and Sulu. Lead and zinc in Masbate; tin and quicksilver in Palawan; asphalt in Leyte; asbestos in Ilocos Norte and Zambales; marble in Romblon and Mindoro; cement in Cebu, Rizal, and La Union; and sulfur in Camiguin Island, Biliran Island and Mt. Apo, Mindanao. There are very vast marble deposits in Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan, Cebu and Bicol.

Although most of its rich mineral resources are still under development, the Philippines is already the largest copper and chromite producer in the Far East.

It was thought that Philippine had little oil or no oil at all. But in the past two decades, offshore oil exploration has tapped highly promising deposits off Palawan, eventually near Borneo and Brunei