Mountain Province – Home of Many Rice Terraces

MOUNTAIN PROVINCE

By Eugene Alvin Villar (seav) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=770305

Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc.

Mountain Province is bounded in the east by Isabela, in the north by the provinces of Kalinga, Apayao, and Abra, in the south of Benguet and Ifugao, and in the west by the province of Ilocos Sur. It has an area of 229,231 hectares with 83% mountainous while 17% make up hills and levels. The province has plenty of rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and caves.

Photo from: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2012/06/bomod-ok-falls-sagada-mountain-province/

Mountain Province is sometimes incorrectly named Mountain in some foreign references. The name is also incorrectly shortened by locals to Mt. Province, which in turn is read by native Anglophones as “Mount Province”. The province was named so for being in the Cordillera Central mountain range found in the upper realms of Luzon island.

Photo from: https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Visiting-the-Agriculture-Land-of-Mountain-Province

Mountain Province was also the name of the historical province that included most of the current Cordillera provinces. This old province was established by the Americans in 1908 and was later split in 1966 into Mountain Province, Benguet, Kalinga, Apayao and Ifugao.

Photo from: https://www.zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=Sabangan,_Mountain_Province,_Philippines

Mountain Province covers a total area of 2,157.38 square kilometers (832.97 sq mi) occupying the central section of the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. The province is bordered on the north by Kalinga, south by Ifugao, southwest by Benguet, west by Ilocos Sur, and northwest by Abra.

Photo from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/313633561536094392/

Situated within the Cordillera Central, Mountain Province is 83% mountainous while 17% make up hills and levels. The province has many rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and caves. The central and western areas of the province are characterized by rugged mountains and steep cliffs, while the eastern portion has generally sloping terrain.

Photo from: http://itinerary.ph/travel-guide-discovering-the-beauty-of-maligcong-in-bontoc-mountain-province/

The province has two (2) seasons – dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year. The maximum rain periods are not very pronounced with a short dry season lasting only from 1 to 3 months.

Photo from: http://www.baktincorporation.com/2014/10/7-things-to-do-in-bontoc-mountain/

The furniture industry is a growing venture in the province. Fixtures and furniture are made from raw materials like pinewood, bamboo and steel. Backstrap weaving which was also an old-age handicraft expanded to use of loom. Colorful costumes are now designed for product lines like bag, purses, tapestry, ethnic costumes, blankets, linen and other fashion accessories.

Text Source: wikipedia.org