is a
Province of the
Philippines located in the
Bicol Region in
Luzon . Its capital is
Legazpi City and the province borders the
Camarines Sur to the north and
Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is
Lagonoy Gulf leading to the
Philippine Sea , and to the southwest is
Burias Pass .
Mayon Volcano is the symbol most associated with the province. This nearly perfectly-shaped active
Volcano forms a scenic backdrop to the capital city of Legazpi 15 kilometers to the south.
Based on the May 2000 census, Albay has a total population of 1,090,907, which makes it the 22nd most populous province in the country. There are 208,640 households in the province with an average size of 5.22 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99.
Bikol is the primary language spoken in Albay, being a part of the Bicol Region. There are other dialects spoken in the province, however, such as Bicolano Viejo, Daragueño, Legazpeño or Albayanon, Oasnon and others. The dialects spoken in the coastal areas of the province are similar to that spoken in Camarines Sur while those further inland are similar to each other but differs significantly from the coastal dialect. Majority of the inhabitants also understand
Tagalog and
English .
Agriculture is the main industry in Albay, which produces such crops as
Coconut ,
Rice ,
Sugar , and
Abacá . Handicrafts is the major source of rural income. It continuous to provide fairly large share in the small-scale industries of the province.
Forestry and
Papermaking are another source of livelihood. The manufacture of abacá products such as
Manila Hemp , hats, bags, mats, and slippers is one of the main sources of income in the rural areas.
Fishing is also done along both shores of the province.
Tourism , primarily because of
Mayon Volcano , also draws income for Albay.
Of the total 6,369 manufacturing establishments of varied sizes in the
Bicol Region , 48.6% are located in Albay. Bicol's largest industrial sites are in Albay: Tiwi and Manito boast geothermal energy plants, Camalig has the Goodfound Cement Factory, Daraga has its Isarog Pulp and Paper Company, Legazpi City has Bicol Hair, and Legaspi Oil Company and two other large coconut oil milling plants, making Albay top foreign currency earner this part of Luzon.
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Albay is also the region's principal transshipment point with its ports: Tabaco International, Legazpi National, Pio Duran Provincial, and the Pantao Regional Port (under construction in 2003). Legazpi City also has its own domestic airport which hopes to serve international flights in the near future.
Legazpi Airport serves as Bicol's gateway to Manila and the Visayas.
Albay and its surrounding areas were known as ''Ibalon'' when
Juan De Salcedo and 120 soldiers explored it in
1573 . Sawangan, a small settlement by a mangrove swamp, became a town called ''Albay bay'' (which means “by the bay”) in
1616 . The town was first renamed Albay, then Legazpi, as Albay went on to refer to the province.
In ,
Sorsogon became a separate province and
Catanduanes in
1945 . The province of Albay itself was created on
March 10 ,
1917 .
In
1649 , the natives rebelled against their recruitment to
Cavite to build galleons. In
1814 ,
Mayon Volcano erupted, killing 1,200 people and burying the town of
Cagsawa . During the early 19th century,
Abacá Hemp for shipping rope became a source of wealth.
Albay has a total land area of 2,552.6 square kilometers, which makes it the 26th smallest province. Most of Albay is located on mainland
Bicol Peninsula and it has four major
Island s to the east: Rapu-Rapu, Batan (part of Rapu-Rapu), Cagraray (part of Bacacay), and San Miguel (part of Tabaco City).
Lagonoy Gulf borders the province to the northeast, separating it from the province of
Catanduanes .
Burias Island in the province
Masbate can be found to the southwest across
Burias Pass .
The province is generally mountainous with scattered fertile plains and valleys.
Mayon Volcano , standing at around 2460 meters, is the most famous landform in Albay, and in the whole of
Bicol , in fact. This active volcano is nearly perfectly-shaped and is considered by many to be more beautiful than
Mt. Fuji in
Japan . Other mountains and volcanoes in the province are Catburawan, Masaraga, Malinao, and Pantao.
Albay is subdivided into 15
Municipalities and 3
Cities . Three of them,
Tiwi ,
Daraga , and
Legazpi City are classified as 1st class cities/municipalities. Before being converted into a city in
March 2001 , Tabaco City used to be a first class municipality.
