Luzon

Luzon(/luːˈzɒn/loo-ZON,Tagalog:[luˈson]) is the largest and most populousislandin thePhilippines. Located in the northern portion of thePhilippine archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city,Manila, as well asQuezon City, the country's most populous city. With a population of 64 million as of 2021,it contains 52.5% of the country's total population and is the4th most populous islandin the world.It is the15th largest islandin the world byland area.
Luzonmay also refer to one of the three primaryisland groups in the country. In this usage, it includes the LuzonMainland, theBatanesandBabuyangroups of islands to the north,Polillo Islandsto the east, and the outlying islands ofCatanduanes,MarinduqueandMindoro, among others, to the south.The islands ofMasbate,PalawanandRomblonare also included, although these three are sometimes grouped with another of the island groups, theVisayas.
The nameLuzonis thought to derive fromᜎᜓᜐᜓᜅ᜔lusong, aTagalogword referring to a particular kind of large woodenmortarused in dehuskingrice.A 2008 research paper by Eulito Bautista and Evelyn Javier provides an image of a lusong, explaining:
In old Latin, Italian, and Portuguese maps, the island is often calledLuçoniaorLuconia.
Luções,[luˈsõjʃ](alsoLuzonesinSpanish) was ademonymused byPortuguesesailors in Malaysiaduring the early 1500s, referring to theKapampanganandTagalog peoplewho lived inManila Bay, which was then calledLusong(Kapampangan:Lusung,Portuguese:Luçon), from which Luzon was also derived.The term was also used for Tagalog settlers inSouthern Tagalogregion, where they created intensive contact with the Kapampangans.Eventually, the term "Luzones" would refer to the settlers of Luzon island, and later on, would be exclusive to the peoples ofCentral Luzon.
Before 1000 CE, theTagalog,Kapampangan, andPangasinanpeoples of south and central Luzon had established several major coastalpolities, notablyMaynila,TondoandNamayan. The oldest known Philippine document, written in 900, is theLaguna Copperplate Inscription, which names places in and aroundManila Bayand also mentionsMedan, a place in Indonesia.These coastal Philippine kingdoms werethalassocracies, based on trade with neighboring Asian political entities, and structured by leases between chiefs or lords (Datu) and paramount lords (Lakan) orRajahs, by whom tributes were extracted and taxes were levied.
There was also a Buddhist polity known asMa-ior Maidh, described in Chinese and Bruneian records in the 10th century, although its location is still unknown and scholars are divided on whether it is in modern-dayBay, LagunaorBulalacao,Mindoro.
According to sources at the time, the trade in large nativeRuson-tsukuri(literallyLuzon-made, Japanese:呂宋製) clay jars used for storinggreen teaandrice winewith Japan flourished in the 12th century, and localTagalog,KapampanganandPangasinanpotters had marked each jar withBaybayinletters denoting the particular urn used and the kiln the jars were manufactured in. Certainkilnswere renowned over others; prices depended on the reputation of the kiln.Of this flourishing trade, theBurnayjars ofIlocosare the only large clay jar manufactured in Luzon today with origins from this time.
In the early 1300s the Chinese annals,Nanhai zhi, reported that Hindu Brunei invaded or administeredSarawakandSabahas well as the Philippine kingdoms ofButuan,Sulu, and in Luzon:Ma-i(Mindoro) and Malilu 麻裏蘆 (present-dayManila);Shahuchong沙胡重 (present-day Siocon orZamboanga), Yachen 啞陳Oton(Part of theMadja-asKedatuan), and 文杜陵 Wenduling (present-dayMindanao),which would regain their independence at a later date.
In 1405, theYongle Emperorappointed a Chinese governor of Luzon, Ko Ch'a-lao, duringZheng He'svoyages.China also had vassals among the leaders in the archipelago.China attained ascendancy in trade with the area in Yongle's reign.
Afterwards, some parts of Luzon wereIslamizedwhen the former Majapahit province of Poni broke free, converted toIslam, and importedSharif Ali, a prince fromMeccawho became the Sultan ofBrunei, a nation that then expanded its realms from Borneo to the Philippines and set up theKingdom of Maynilaas its puppet-state.The invasion of Brunei spread Chinese royal descent likeOng Sum Ping's kin and Arab dynasties too into the Philippines like the clan of SultanSharif Ali. However, other Luzon kingdoms resisted Islam, likePangasinan. It had remained a tributary state of China and was a largelySinifiedkingdom, which maintained trade with Japan.ThePolity of Caintaalso existed as a fortified city-state, armed with walls and cannons.
ThePortuguesewere the first European explorers who recorded it in their charts asLuçoniaorLuçon, calling the inhabitantsLuções.Edmund Roberts, who visited Luzon in the early 19th century, wrote that Luzon was "discovered" in 1521.
Many people from Luzon were employed within Portuguese Malacca. For example, thespice magnateRegimo de Raja, based in Malacca, was highly influential and was appointed asTemenggong(Sea Lord)—a governor and chief general responsible for overseeing of maritime trade—by the Portuguese. AsTemenggong, de Raja was also the head of anarmadawhich traded and protected commerce in theIndian Ocean, theStrait of Malacca, theSouth China Sea,and themedieval maritime principalities of the Philippines.His father and wife carried on his maritime trading business after his death. Another important Malacca trader was Curia de Raja who also hailed from Luzon. The "surname" of "de Raja" or "diraja" could indicate that Regimo and Curia, and their families, were of noble or royal descent as the term is an abbreviation of Sanskritadiraja.
Fernão Mendes Pintonoted that a number of Luções in the Islamic fleets went to battle with the Portuguese in the Philippines during the 16th century. The Sultan of Aceh gave one of them (Sapetu Diraja) the task of holding Aru (northeast Sumatra) in 1540. Pinto also says one was named leader of the Malays remaining in the Moluccas Islands after the Portuguese conquest in 1511.Antonio Pigafettanotes that one of them was in command of the Brunei fleet in 1521.However, the Luções did not only fight on the side of the Muslims. Pinto says they were also apparently among the natives of the Philippines who fought the Muslims in 1538.
OnMainland Southeast Asia, Lusung/Luções warriors aided the Burmese king in his invasion of Siam in 1547. At the same time, Lusong warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the Burmese king in the defence of the Siamese capital at Ayutthaya.Luções military and trade activity reached as far asSri LankainSouth Asiawhere Lungshanoid pottery made in Luzon were discovered in burials.
Scholars have thus suggested that they could be mercenaries valued by all sides.
In 1569, a Spanish expedition dispatched byMiguel Lopez de Legazpiled by Luis Enriquez de Guzman and Augustinian friar Alonso Jimenez first set foot in Albay. They arrived on the coastal settlement calledIbalonin present-dayMagallanes, Sorsogonafter exploring the islands ofMasbate,TicaoandBuriasand proceeded inland as far as present-dayCamalig, Albay.TheSpanisharrival in the 16th century saw the incorporation of the Luções people and the breaking up of their kingdoms and the establishment of theLas Islas Filipinaswith its capitalCebu, which was moved toManilafollowing the defeat of the localRajah Sulaymanin 1570.Martín de Goiti, having been dispatched by Legazpi to Luzon, conqueredMaynila. Legazpi followed with a larger fleet comprising both Spanish and a majorityVisayanforce,taking a month to bring these forces to bear due to slow speed of local ships.This large force caused the surrender of neighboringTondo. An attempt by some local leaders, known as theTondo Conspiracy, to defeat the Spanish was repelled.
Legazpi renamed MaynilaNueva Castilla, and declared it the capital of the Philippines,and thus of the rest of theSpanish East Indies,which also encompassed Spanish territories inAsiaand thePacific.Legazpi became the country's first governor-general. Under Spain, Luzon also came to be known as theNueva Castillaor theNew Castile. The population of Luzon at the time of the first Spanish missions is estimated as between 1 and 1.5 million, overall density being low.Moros from western Mindanao and theSulu Archipelagoalso raided the coastal Christian areas of Luzon and the Visayas. Settlers had to fight off theChinesepirates (who lay siege to Manila, the most famous of which wasLimahongin 1573).
after the successful expedition and the exploration of the North, Juan de Salcedo founded "Villa Fernandina de Vigan" in honor of King Philip II's son, Prince Ferdinand, who died at the age of four. From Vigan, Salcedo rounded the tip of Luzón and proceeded to pacifyCamarines,Albay, andCatanduanes. As a reward for his services to theKing of Spain, Salcedo was awarded theold province of Ilocos, which consisted of the modern provinces ofIlocos Norte, Ilocos Sur,Abra,La Unionand part ofMountain Provinceas hishacienda(estate), and was accorded the title ofJusticia Mayor de esta Provincia de Ylocos(Province Mayor of Ilocos).
In Spanish times, Luzon became the focal point for trade between the Americas and Asia. TheManila Galleonsconstructed in theBicol regionbroughtsilvermined fromPeruandMexicoto Manila. The silver was used to purchase Asian commercial goods like Chinesesilk, Indiangemsand Indonesianspices, which were then exported back to the Americas. The Chinese valued Luzon so much, in that when talking about Spain and the
Spanish-Americas, they preferred to call it as "Dao Lusong" (Greater Luzon) while the original Luzon was referred to as "Xiao (Small) Lusong" to refer to not only Luzon but the whole Philippines.
Luzon also became a focal point for global migration. The walled city ofIntramuroswas initially founded by 1200 Spanish families.The nearby district ofBinondobecame the center of business and transformed into the world's oldestChinatown.There was also a smaller districtreserved for Japanese migrantsinDilao.Cavite Cityalso served as the main port for Luzon andmany Mexicansoldiers and sailors were stationed in the naval garrisons there.When the Spanish evacuated fromTernate, Indonesia; they settled thePapuanrefugees inTernate, Cavitewhich was named after their evacuated homeland. After the shortBritish Occupation of Manila, the IndianSepoysoldiers that mutinied against their British commanders and joined the Spanish, then settled inCainta, Rizal.
Newcomers who were impoverished Mexicans and peninsulares were accused of undermining the submission of the natives. In 1774, authorities from Bulacan, Tondo, Laguna Bay, and other areas surrounding Manila reported with consternation that discharged soldiers and deserters (from Mexico, Spain and Peru) were providing Indios military training for the weapons that had been disseminated all over the territory during the British war.There was also continuous immigration ofTamilsandBengalisinto the rural areas of Luzon: Spanish administrators, native nobles, and Chinese businessmen imported them asslave laborduring this period.
In the 1600s, Fr. Joaqin Martinez de Zuñiga, conducted a census of the Archdiocese of Manila which held most of Luzon under its spiritual care, and it had the following number of tributes, with each tribute representing a family of 6-7, and he reported 90,243 native Filipino tributes;10,512 Chinese (Sangley) and mixed Chinese Filipino mestizo tributes;and 10,517 mixedSpanish Filipinomestizo tributes.Pure Spaniards are not counted as they are exempt from tribute. Out of these, Fr. Joaqin Martinez de Zuñiga estimated a total population count exceeding half a million souls.
People from the Philippines, primarily from Luzon, were recruited byFrance(then in alliance withSpain), first to defend Indo-ChineseconvertstoChristianitybeing persecuted by their native governments. Eventually, Filipino mercenaries helped the FrenchconquerVietnam and Laos and to re-establish Cambodia as a French Protectorate. This process culminated in the establishment ofFrench Cochinchina, centered inSaigon.
A great number of infrastructure projects were undertaken during the 19th century that put the Philippine economy and standard of living ahead of most of its Asian neighbors and even many European countries at that time. Among them were arailway systemfor Luzon, a tramcar network for Manila, and Asia's first steel suspension bridge Puente Claveria, later calledPuente Colgante.
After many years of Spanish occupation and resistance to reform, theAndres Novalesuprising occurred and it was inspired by theLatin American Wars of Independence. Novales' uprising was primarily supported by Mexicans living in the Philippinesas well as immigrant Latinos from the now independent nations ofColombia,Venezuela,Peru,Chile,ArgentinaandCosta Rica.Although the uprising failed it inspired theCavite Mutiny, the suppression of which, lead to the martyrdoms of Priests,Gomburzaand the subsequent execution of the reformist and hero,Jose Rizal. Reeling against this, thePhilippine Revolutionagainst Spain erupted in Cavite and spread all throughout Luzon and the Philippines. Consequently, theFirst Philippine Republicwas established inMalolos, Bulacan. In the meantime,Spainsold the Philippines to the United States and the First Philippine Republic resisted theUnited Statesin thePhilippine–American Warwhich the Republic's forces lost due to its diplomatic isolation (no foreign nation recognized the First Republic) as well as due to the numerical superiority of theAmerican military.The Americans then set up the cool mountain city ofBaguioas a summer retreat for its officials. The Americans also rebuilt the capital, Manila, and established American military bases inOlongapoandAngelescities mainlyClark AirbaseandSubic Naval Base.
During thePacific War, the Philippines were considered to be of great strategic importance because their capture by Japan would pose a significant threat to the U.S. As a result, 135,000 troops and 227 aircraft were stationed in the Philippines by October 1941. Luzon was captured byImperial Japanese forcesin 1942 during theircampaign to capture the Philippines.GeneralDouglas MacArthur—who was in charge of the defense of the Philippines at the time—was ordered to Australia, and the remaining U.S. forces retreated to theBataan Peninsula.
A few months after this, MacArthur expressed his belief that an attempt to recapture the Philippines was necessary. The U.S. Pacific CommanderAdmiralChester NimitzandChief of Naval OperationsAdmiralErnest Kingboth opposed this idea, arguing that it must wait until victory was certain. MacArthur had to wait two years for his wish; it was 1944 before acampaignto recapture the Philippines was launched. The island ofLeytewas the first objective of the campaign, which wascapturedby the end of December 1944. This was followed by theattack on Mindoroand later, Luzon.
The end of the World War necessitateddecolonizationdue to rising nationalist movements across the world's many colonies. Subsequently, the Philippines gained independence from the United States. Luzon then arose to become the most developed island in the Philippines. However, the lingering poverty and inequality caused by the long dictatorship of US-supported dictator,Ferdinand Marcos, gave rise to the Philippine diaspora and many people from Luzon have migrated elsewhere and had established large overseas communities; mainly in the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore andSaudi Arabia. Eventually, thePeople Power Revolutionled byCorazon AquinoandCardinal Jaime Sin, removed Marcos and his cronies from power and they fled toHawaiiwhere the US granted them asylum. The following administrations are subsequently managing the political and economic recovery of the Philippines with the particular aim of spreading development outside of Luzon and into the more isolated provinces of theVisayasandMindanao. During the administration of Ferdinand Marcos' son,Bongbong Marcos, Luzon became a destination of American and Japanese investments, it being the location of the Luzon Economic Corridor.
Luzon island alone has an area of 109,964.9 square kilometres (42,457.7 sq mi),making it theworld's 15th largest island. It is bordered on the west by theSouth China Sea(Luzon Seain Philippine territorial waters), on the east by thePhilippine Sea, and on the north by theLuzon Straitcontaining theBabuyanChannel andBalintang Channel. Themainlandis roughly rectangular in shape and has the longBicol Peninsulaprotruding to the southeast.
Luzon is roughly divided into four sections; Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Southeastern Luzon.
The northwestern portion of the island, which encompasses most of theIlocos Region, is characterized by a flat terrain extending east from thecoastlinetoward theCordillera Central mountains.
The Cordillera mountain range, which feature the island's north-central section, is covered in a mixture oftropical pine forestsandmontane rainforests, and is the site of the island's highest mountain,Mount Pulag, rising at 2,922 metres. The range provides the upland headwaters of theAgno River, which stretches from the slopes ofMount Data, and meanders along the southern Cordillera mountains before reaching the plains ofPangasinan.
The northeastern section of Luzon is generally mountainous, with theSierra Madre, the longest mountain range in the country, abruptly rising a few miles from the coastline. Located in between the Sierra Madre and the Cordillera Central mountain ranges is the largeCagayan Valley. This region, which is known for being the second largest producer of rice and the country's top corn-producer, serves as thebasinfor theCagayan River, the longest in the Philippines.
Along the southern limits of the Cordillera Central lies the lesser-knownCaraballo Mountains. These mountains form a link between the Cordillera Central and the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, separating the Cagayan Valley from theCentral Luzonplains.
The central section of Luzon is characterized by a flat terrain, known as the Central Luzonplain, the largest in the island in terms of land area. The plain, approximately 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi) in size, is the country's largest producer of rice, and is irrigated by two major rivers; theCagayanto the north, and thePampangato the south. In the middle of the plain rises the solitaryMount Arayat.
The western coasts of Central Luzon are typically flat extending east from the coastline to theZambales Mountains, the site ofMount Pinatubo, made famous because of its enormous1991 eruption. These mountains extend to the sea in the north, formingLingayen Gulf, and to the south, forming theBataan Peninsula. The peninsula enclosesManila Bay, a naturalharborconsidered to be one of the best natural ports in East Asia, due to its size and strategic geographical location.
TheSierra Madremountain range continues to stretch across the western section of Central Luzon, snaking southwards into theBicol Peninsula.
Southern Luzon is dominated byLaguna de Bay(Old Spanish, "Lake ofBaytown"), the largestlakein the country. The 949-square-kilometre (366 sq mi) lake is drained intoManila Bayby thePasig River, one of the most important rivers in the country due to its historical significance and because it runs through the center ofMetro Manila.
Located 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Laguna de Bay isTaal Lake, acrater lakecontaining theTaal Volcano, the smallest in the country. The environs of the lake form theuplandTagaytay Ridge, which was once part of a massive prehistoric volcano that covered the southern portion of the province ofCaviteand the whole ofBatangasprovince.
South of Laguna Lake are twosolitarymountains,Mount MakilinginLagunaand Batangas provinces, andMount Banahaw, the highest in the region ofCalabarzon.
The southeastern portion of Luzon is dominated by theBicol Peninsula, a mountainous and narrow region extending approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast from theTayabas IsthmusinQuezonprovince to theSan Bernardino Straitalong the coasts ofSorsogon. The area is home to severalvolcanoes, the most famous of which is the 2,460-metre (8,070 ft) high symmetrically shapedMayon VolcanoinAlbayprovince. TheSierra Madrerange has its southern limits at Quezon province.Ultra-prominentmountains dot the landscape, which includeMount IsarogandMount IrigainCamarines Sur, andMount BulusaninSorsogon.
Thepeninsula's coastline features several smaller peninsulas,gulfsandbays, which includeLamon Bay,San Miguel Bay,Lagonoy Gulf,Ragay Gulf, andSorsogon Bay.
Several outlying islands near mainland Luzon are considered part of theLuzon island group.
The largest includePalawan,Mindoro,Masbate,Catanduanes,Marinduque,RomblonandPolillo.
The island is covered by 8administrative regions, 30provincesand, as of 2014, 68cities(8 regions, 38 provinces and 71 cities ifassociated islandsare included).
Table note(s):
Luzon is part of thePhilippine Mobile Belt, a fast deforming plate boundary zone (Gervasio, 1967) hemmed in between two opposing subduction zones, the west-dippingPhilippine Trench-East Luzon Trenchsubduction zone, and the east-dipping north–south trendingManila Trench-NegrosTrench-Cotabato Trench.ThePhilippine Sea Platesubducts under eastern Luzon along the East Luzon Trench and the Philippine Trench, while theSouth China Seabasin, part of theEurasian Plate, subducts under western Luzon along the Manila Trench.
The North-Southeastern trending braided left-lateral strike-slipPhilippine Fault Systemtraverses Luzon, fromQuezon provinceandBicolto the northwestern part of the island. This fault system takes up part of the motion due to the subducting plates and produces large earthquakes. Southwest of Luzon is a collision zone where the Palawan micro-block collides with SW Luzon, producing a highly seismic zone nearMindoroisland. Southwest Luzon is characterized by a highly volcanic zone, called the Macolod Corridor, a region of crustal thinning and spreading.
Using geologic and structural data, seven principal blocks were identified in Luzon in 1989: the Sierra Madre Oriental, Angat,Zambales,Central Cordillera of Luzon, Bicol, andCatanduanes Islandblocks.Using seismic and geodetic data, Luzon was modeled by Galgana et al. (2007) as a series of six micro blocks or micro plates (separated by subduction zones and intra-arc faults), all translating and rotating in different directions, with maximum velocities ~100 mm/yr NW with respect to Sundaland/Eurasia.
As of the 2015 census, the population of Luzon Island is 57,470,097 people,making it the4th most populated island in the world.
Metro Manilais the most populous of the3 defined metropolitan areasin the Philippines and the11th most populousin the world. as of 2007, census data showed it had a population of 11,553,427, comprising 13% of the national population.Including suburbs in the adjacent provinces (Bulacan,Cavite,Laguna, andRizal) ofGreater Manila, the population is around 21 million.
Seven majorPhilippineethnolinguisticgroups predominate Luzon.IlocanosandPangasinensesdominate northern Luzon, particularly in theIlocos Regionto parts of theCagayan Valley, whileKapampangans,Tagalogs, Ilocanos, andSambalspopulateCentral Luzon.Tagalogsdominate theNational Capital Region,Calabarzonand the island provinces ofMarinduque,Mindoroand extending to parts ofPalawanand northernBicol Peninsula, whileBicolanospopulate theBicol peninsula.Visayans, such asMasbateños,Romblomanons,WaraySorsogonons,Cuyunons, mainly populate in the southernBicol peninsulaand island provinces ofMasbate,Romblon, andPalawan.
Other ethnic groups lesser in population include theAetasofZambalesandBataan, theIbanagsofCagayanandIsabela, theGaddangofNueva Vizcaya, theIgorotof theCordilleras, and theMangyansofMindoro.
Due to historical centuries-old migrations, populations of ethnicChinese Filipinos,Spanish Filipinos,Japanese Filipinos,Indian Filipinos, and MuslimMorosfromMindanaohave also been present in urban areas. Historicalmixed mestizopopulations, particularlyChinese mestizos (mestizo de Sangley)andSpanish mestizos, and more recent mixed mesitzos ofAmericans,Japanese,Koreans,Indians(mostlyPunjabis),andArabsare also occasionally present. The historicalSangley Chineseand theirpureandmixed-mestizo descendantsare spread all across Luzon of several generations across the centuries. According to old Spanish censuses, around 1/3rd of the population of Luzon aremestizoadmixed with either or bothSouthern HanChinese(mostly fromManilatoPampanga) and/orHispanic(SpanishorLatino) descent (Mostly in Cavite and Manila).Most Americans have settled in Central Luzon's highly urbanized cities ofAngelesandOlongapodue to the former presence of the U.S. air and naval bases (Clark&Subic) there, while a majority of the Koreans and Japanese have mainly settled in the major cities and towns like Koreatown inAngeles CityandBaguioandSubic.
Almost all of the languages of Luzon belong to thePhilippinegroup of theMalayo-Polynesianbranch of theAustronesian language family. Major regional languages include:Tagalog,Ilocano,Central Bikol,Kapampangan, andPangasinan.
Englishis spoken by many inhabitants. The use ofSpanishas anofficial languagedeclined following theAmerican occupation of the Philippines. Almost inexistent among the general populace, Spanish is still used by the elderly of some families of great tradition (Rizal, Liboro...).
Like most of the Philippines, the major religion in Luzon isChristianity, withRoman Catholicismbeing the majordenomination. Other major sects includesJehovah's Witnesses,Protestantism, thePhilippine Independent Church(Aglipayans), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and theIglesia ni Cristo.Indigenous traditions and rituals, though rare, are also present.
There are also sizable communities ofSikhs,Hindus,BuddhistsandMuslimsinMetro Manilaand in other, especially, urban areas due to the immigration ofIndians,Japanese,Koreans,Chinese,Morosand Muslims from other countries to the island.
The economy of the island is centered inMetro ManilawithMakatiserving as the main economic and financial hub. Major companies such asAyala,Jollibee Foods Corporation,SM Group, andMetrobankare based in the business hubs ofMakati Central Business District,Ortigas Center, andBonifacio Global City. Industry is concentrated in and around the urban areas of Metro Manila while agriculture predominates in the other regions of the island producing crops such as rice, bananas, mangoes, coconuts, pineapple, and coffee.Other sectors include livestock raising, tourism, mining, and fishing.