Home | Imprint	Einloggen oder Neu Anmelden
Geography Nation Culture Tourism Gallery

Occidental Mindoro Province Island Group Luzon Region MIMAROPA Capital Mamburao Area 5,865.71 km² Cities 0 Municipalities 11 Population - Total 421,952 - Density/km² 71.94 Income class 2 Location in the Philippines:

Occidental Mindoro

Occidental Mindoro, known as the “Home of the Indigenous Mangyans,” is a province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. The province consists of 11 municipalities with Mamburao as the provincial capital. To the west of the province is the South China Sea and Palawan is located in the southwest, across Mindoro Strait. Batangas is in the north of the province, separated by the Verde Island Passage.

Occidental Mindoro is characterized by mountains, rivers, hills, valleys, wide plains and some small water lakes. The northern part of the province has relatively fewer plains, while the southern parts have wider flatlands. Most of the plains are cultivated fields, with few remaining untouched forests. Mountain ranges converge in the two central peaks of the province, namely Mt. Halcon in the north, and Mt. Baco in the south. The major river systems of Occidental Mindoro are Mamburao River, Pagbahan, Mompong, Biga, Lumintao, Busuanga and Caguray.

Major languages spoken in the province are Tagalog, Ilokano, Visaya, Kapampangan, Bikolano, Mangyan, and other mainstream languages in the country. The indigenous people in the province are the Mangyans, consisting of 7 distinct tribes. They occupy the interior, specially the highlands. Mangyans have inhabited the island since pre-history. They are believed to have originally travelled from Indonesia and settled for good in the island. Today, Mangyans number to only around 80,000 but there is no accurate accounting of them since many still live elusively, avoiding contact with lowlanders.

Occidental Mindoro has two distinct weather types: rainy season and dry season. Rain begins to fall in the province in late May. The months of August and September are the wettest periods, with storms directly passing through the area. On the other hand, the dry season starts in November. March and April are the driest periods, with cloudless skies and parched earth characterizing the general area.

Occidental Mindoro is an agricultural area devoted to the production of food. Rice production is the leading activity and source of seasonal employment in the province, participated by almost 80% of the population, including children. Rice, corn, onions, garlic, salt and fishes are some of the relatively abundant products of the province in exportable quantities. Mangoes, cashew nuts, bananas and some other fruits are grown in upland orchards. Peanuts are also grown in some parts of the province, as well as cassava, sweet potatoes, ginger, and other minor crops.

Forest resources include timber and minerals, among them gold, copper, silver, chrome, and non-metallic minerals such as lime for making cement, and greenstones for ornaments. Timber groups include many species of hardwoods, such as mahogany, and other types of trees in high demand for durability.

The most populous cities and municipalities in Occidental Mindoro are:

City/Municipality	City class	Area in km²	Income class	Urbanisation	Population
					Total	Density/km²
San Jose	Municipality	446.70	1	partly urban	118,807	265.97
Sablayan	Municipality	2,188.80	1	partly urban	70,506	32.21
Mamburao	Municipality	283.51	2	partly urban	34,487	121.64
Rizal	Municipality	242.50	3	partly urban	32,065	132.23
Magsaysay	Municipality	296.70	3	partly urban	30,459	102.66
Santa Cruz	Municipality	681.40	1	partly urban	30,402	44.62
Lubang	Municipality	113.10	4	partly urban	28,267	249.93
Calintaan	Municipality	382.50	3	partly urban	26,779	70.01
Abra De Ilog	Municipality	533.70	2	partly urban	25,152	47.13
Paluan	Municipality	564.50	3	partly urban	13,718	24.30