CALABARZON

ItisformallyknownasSouthern Tagalog MainlandanddesignatedasRegion IV,isanadministrative

regioninthePhilippines.Theregioncomprisesfiveprovinces:Cavite,Laguna,Batangas,Rizal,andQuezon,
andoneHighlyUrbanizedCity,Lucena.Thenameoftheregionisanacronymofitsfivecomponent
provinces.ItsregionalcenterisCalambaCityinLaguna.CALABARZONisthemostpopulousregioninthe
Philippines,having14,414,774inhabitantsin2015,andisalsothecountry'ssecondmostdenselypopulated
afterNCR.Itisnotjustrichinhistoryandnaturalresources.Theregionalsohasaninterestingculinary
heritageasseeninitsuniquedelicaciesandspecialtydishes.
 DEMOGRAPHICS
Calabarzonhasapopulationof14.4millionpeople,thelargestofalltheregionsinthe
Philippines.Thepopulationgrowthratebetween2000and2010of3.07%decreasedfromthegrowthrate
between1990and2000of3.91%,atrendwhichcoincidedwiththerestofthenation.Lifeexpectancyfor
meninCalabarzonis68.9yearsand75.2yearsforwomen.Thereareanestimated356,000OverseasFilipino
WorkersoriginallyfromCalabarzon.
 GEOGRAPHY

CALABARZONisthe12thlargestregioninthePhilippines,withanareaof16,873.31km2.Theregion
itselfisrelativelyflat,butalsoconsistsofcoastalareasandhighlands.CALABARZONisborderedbyManila
Bayinthewest,MetroManila,Bulacan,andAurorainthenorth,LamonBayandBicolintheeast,and
theIslaVerdePassageinthesouth.Eachprovinceintheregioniscomposedofdifferentenvironments,
rangingfromlowcoastalareastoruggedmountainousones.
Caviteischaracterizedbyrollinghinterlandspuncturedbyhills,withashorelineborderingManila
BayandaruggedportionborderingBatangasnearMountPicodeLoro.TheTagaytayislocatedinCavite,
borderingAlfonso,Silang,Calamba,andSantaRosa.MountSungayisthehighestpeakintheprovinceand
canbefoundinTagaytay.TherearenineislandsinCavite,mostnotableofwhichistheisland
ofCorregidor.Historicallyasiteofgreatstrategicimportance,CorregidorisfoundatthemouthofManila
BayandisunderthejurisdictionofCaviteCity.
Lagunahasruggedterrain,withnarrowplainsneartheshoresofLagunadeBayandmountainous
rangesfurtherinland.LagunadeBayisthelargestlakeinthePhilippines,andisnamedafterthetown
ofBay.LagunaisalsohometoMountMakiling,adormantvolcanonearLosBanosreputedforitsmystical
properties.TherearealsoalotofhotspringsneartheMakilingarea,especiallyinSanPablo.Another
famouslandmarkinLagunaarethePagsanjanFalls,inCavinti.ThewaterfromthePagsanjanFallscomes
fromtheBumbunganRiver.MountBanahawbordersLagunaandQuezon,andissimilarlyconsideredtobe
aholymountainlikeMakiling.
 TheBatangas areaismostlyelevated,withsmalllowflatlandsandscatteredmountainareas.
BatangasisalsohometotheTaalVolcano,acomplexvolcanoandoneofthe16DecadeVolcanoes.The
TaalVolcanoissituatedwithinTaalLake,makingTaalathird-orderisland,andpossiblyoneofthelargestin
theworld.OtherislandsinBatangasareVerdeIsland,neartheIslaVerdePassage,andFortune
IslandinNasugbu.BatangasbordersCaviteviaMountPicodeLoro,knownfortheviewsthatcouldbe
foundinitssummit.MountMakulotandMountBatulaocanalsobefoundinBatangas.
Rizal issituatednorthofLagunadeBay,andiscomprisedofamixturesofvalleysandmountain
ranges,withflatlow-lyingareasinthewesternportionoftheprovincenearManila.Theeasternportionof
RizalhashillsandridgeswhichformpartoftheSierraMadrerange.TalimIsland,thelargestislandin
LagunadeBay,isunderthejurisdictionoftheprovinceofRizal.
Quezonismountainous,withfewplainsandswamps,andthetail-endoftheSierraMadrerunning
throughit.Quezonisanarrowprovince,withtheTayabasIsthmuscomprisingthesouthernpartofthe
provinceandconnectingittotheBicolPeninsula.ThesouthernpartalsoconsistsoftheBondocPeninsula,
sandwichedbetweentheTayabasBayandRagayGulf.ThelargestislandsinQuezonare
theAlabatandPolilloislands,whicharebothlocatedinLamonBay.LagunasharesaborderwithQuezon
viaMountBanahaw.
 NATURAL/FOOD RESOURCES
Theregionstillhasalargeagriculturalbase.Asof2002,theregionhad282,700farms,covering
588,500hectares(1,454,000acres),or36.3%oftheregion'stotallandarea.Cavitealonehasalmost
70,500hectares(174,000acres)ofagriculturalland.LagunaishometotheInternationalRiceResearch
Institute,whichcanbefoundwithintheUniversityofthePhilippinesLosBaos,whosemaingoalisfind
sustainablewaystohelpricefarmers.Batangas,meanwhile,ishometoalargepineappleandcoconut
industry,whichisusedtomakeBarongTagalogsandnativeliqueurssuchaslambanogandtubainTayabas
City.Quezonisthecountry'sleaderincoconutproductssuchascoconutoilandcopra.Rizalisknownfor
itspiggeries.RegionIV'sagriculturalbase,however,isslowlydecreasing.Duetotheirproximitytolarge
bodiesofwater,LagunaandBatangasalsohavesizablefishingindustries.TaalLakeisalargesourceof
freshwaterfishesforthecountry.
 LOCAL DISHES
Buko Pie
Astapleintheregion,coconutisoneofthemostimportantingredientsinCalabarzon's
populardelicacies.Amongthesedelicaciesisthefamousbukopie,whichoriginatedfromthe
coconutcapitalofthecountry,Quezon.
Kuwalong Puso ng Saging
SulyapGallery,atwo-storeySpanishcolonialhouseinKabang, Quezon,isoneofthepriceless
jewelsoftheregion.IthasbeentransformedintoabedandbreakfastthatservesLaguna'sfamous
KulawongPusongSaging--bananaheartscookedincoconutmilk.
Minaluto of Angono
Knownforexoticdisheslikecow'sballsoupandbeetlelarvaeinmilksoup,Balaw
BalawSpecialtyRestaurantaservesaspecialtypaellacalledMinaluto,whichfeatures
lechonkawali,friedchicken,crispysquid,fish,saltedeggs,broiledandfriedveggies,and
choicerice(sticky,binagoongan,garlic,seafood,black,andplain).
Pancit Habhab or Pancit Lucban
IsapancitversionthatoriginatedfromtheQuezonprovince.Thisnoodledishmight
looklikethetraditionalPancit Canton,buttherearesomenotabledifferences.
Bulalo in Batangas

Isprobablythemostbasicandsimplestversionofbulalo.Ifyouarenotfamiliarwith
thisdish,itisatypeofFilipinobeefshanksoupinclearbroth.Vegetablessuchascabbageand
bokchoyarealsoaddedtothedish,whilethereareversionsthatevenusesweetcorn.
Bacalao in Cavite
ApopularsaltedcodfishdishpresentineveryCaviteeanhouseeveryLenten
seasonmostespeciallyonGoodFriday.Thisisonethemanydishweinheritedfromthe
Portuguesegalleontradersthatpre-datesSpanishoccupation.
THATS ALL THANKYOUUU!