Zambales (Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Zambales; Ilocano: Probinsia ti Zambales; Sambal: Probinsya nin

Zambales; Kapampangan: Lalawigan ning Zambales; Pangasinan: Luyag na Zambales) is

a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region in the island of Luzon. Its capital is
the Municipality of Iba which is strategically located in the middle of the province. Zambales
borders Pangasinan to the north and northeast, 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 sq mi) (including the independent city of Olongapo), Zambales
is the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon after Nueva Ecija. The province is
noted for its mangoes, which are abundant from January to April.
Zambales does not have a functional airport - the closest functional airport is the Clark International
Airport in the neighbouring province of Pampanga. Subic Bay International Airport, which is located
in Cubi Point (geographically located inside Morong, Bataan) in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is no
longer functional for domestic and international flights.[4]
The Freeport Zone (SBFZ) is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos, parks, malls,
beach-side huts, cottages and resorts, as well as historical sites.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Administrative divisions
 4Barangays
 5Demographics
o 5.1Inhabitants
o 5.2Religion
o 5.3Languages
 6Education
o 6.1Colleges and universities
 7Economy
 8Festivals and events
 9Notable people from Zambales
 10References
 11External links

Etymology[edit]
The province's name came from the word zambal, which is a Hispanized term for Sambali. Zambal
refers to the native language spoken by the early Austronesian inhabitants of the place. A
contending version states that the name was derived from the word samba, meaning worship,
because the Spanish supposedly found the native inhabitants to be highly superstitious; worshipping
the spirits of their ancestors.[5]
It could also originate from the word "Zambo", a term used by the Iberian (Spanish and Portuguese)
empires to distinguish people of African ethnicity/descent. The province is home to the Aetas, the
aboriginal people of the Philippines who share Afro-ethnic similarities.
History[edit]

Zambales map in 1918

Prior to colonization, the Aeta people became the first human population who inhabited what is now
Zambales. Due to Malay migration waves, the Tagalog people displaced the Sambal people in
southern Luzon, which led to the arrival of the Sambal people into present-day Zambales.
The Spanish first explored the area in 1572, led by Juan de Salcedo.[5] Among the earliest towns
founded were Subic (1572), Botolan (1572), Masinloc (1607), Iba (1611), and Santa Cruz (1612).[6]
During the Spanish period, a 1774 map was made, which clearly named Scarborough Shoals
as Panacot Shoal, a feature under complete sovereignty of Spanish Philippines, specifically of
Zambales. The shoal's current name was chosen by Captain Philip D'Auvergne, whose East India
Company East Indiaman Scarborough briefly grounded on one of the rocks on 12 September 1784,
before sailing on to China. When the Philippines was granted independence in the 19th century and
20th century, Scarborough Shoal was passed by the colonial governments to the sovereign Republic
of the Philippines.[7][8]
Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among the last three
towns above during its history before finally settling in Iba, due to its strategic location. Seven of the
province's original northern towns, which included Bolinao, Infanta and Alaminos were later
transferred under the jurisdiction of Pangasinan because of their distance from the capital.[5] The first
civil governor of Zambales during the colonial American era was Potenciano Lesaca from 1901-
1903. During the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, Zambales was one of the most militarized areas
in the Philippines as majority of the people were against martial rule. Many opposition Sambals were
detained, tortured, killed, electrocuted at the genitalia, or were listed as 'missing'.[9][10] The province
was one of the main supporters of the People Power Revolution in Manila, which topped the 21-year
dictatorship and installed Corazon Aquino as president, bringing back democracy to the
country.[11] The province was heavily affected by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Due to this,
the economy of the province weakened for some time, but regained vitality a few years after the
government ordered the revitalization of the province and established growth in its southern towns,
which later became an significant economic zone in the country by 1995.[12][13]
The 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff led to a situation where access to the shoal was restricted by
the People's Republic of China.[14] However, in 2016, following meetings between the Philippine
president Duterte and his PRC counterparts, the PRC allowed Filipino fishermen to access the
shoals for fishing.[15]
In 2018, it was revealed that for every 3,000 peso worth of fish catch by Sambal fisherfolks, China
siphoned them in exchange for 'two bottles of mineral water' worth 20 pesos.[16] The revelations led to
public unrest against China and the Duterte-administered Philippine government. Filipino
president Rodrigo Duterte fired back against his fellow Filipinos, including those from Zambales,
saying that China's acts were 'fine' as they were 'only barter'.[17][18][19] In June 14, 2018, China's
destruction of Scarborough Shoal's reefs surged to an extent which they became visible via Google
Earth and Philippine satellites, as confirmed by the University of the Philippines Diliman.[20]