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MARINDUQUE |
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Marinduque
General
Info
Marinduque Island lies
approximately 170 kms southeast of Manila, and covers an
area of some 960 sq km. Located between longitude 121.45
and 121.15 east, and latitude 13.10 to 13.35 north, it
is bound by Tabayas Straits to the west, and the Sibuyan
Sea to the south.
The island was formed by
volcanic activity, and subsequent coral deposition. It
is mainly mountainous and has extensive rainforest
covering the foothills, with only the lowlands around
the coastline having been settled to any extent. This
area is mainly put down to rice paddy and coconut
plantation. The area to the north and northeast are
mangrove, whilst to the south and southeast, the
mountain slopes drop straight into the sea.
On
some of the offshore islets, giant clams as much as a
metre across, can be found entombed in the larval plugs,
while others contain absolutely deserted white sand
beaches, visited only by the regions wildlife and the
occasional passing fishermen. The island has huge scope
for many outdoor activities, for example mountaineering,
hiking, orienteering, pony or bike trekking, camping,
caving, etc., although presently there are few organized
facilities covering such sports.
The
accommodations on Marinduque are nice native style
beachfront cottages and it is very pleasant. The waters
around Marinduque offer a full range of excellent
diving, drifts, wrecks, drop-offs, caves and reefs.
Marinduque has 83 chartered dive sites on its agenda,
that is, between Marinduque and Romblon. Day trips
provide the best diving, because the better sites are 45
min to two hours away.
In the 16th century,
Marinduque was part of the province of Batangas. During
the 17th century, Mindoro was separated from Batangas
with Marinduque as an integral part. In 1902, Mindoro
was abolished as a province and made part of Marinduque.
After five months, Mindoro was again a province while
Marinduque was annexed to Quezon province. Finally, on
1917, Marinduque was officially declared a separate
province. The province is famous for its Moriones Lenten
Festival.
Marinduque is an agriculture province
with palay, coconut, banana, corn and cassava as its
principal crops. The province is the top producer of
copper in the region. Its major economic activities
include mining, fishing, farming, trading, cottage
industries and services. The bodies of water around
Marinduque are rich fishing grounds for both commercial
and deep-sea fishing.
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