Isabela is the second largest province in the Philippines, is situated in the northeastern part of Luzon. It is bounded on the north by the province of Cagayan, on the east by the Pacific Ocean,

on the south by the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Aurora and on the west by the provinces of Kalinga, Apayao,Mt. Province and Ifugao. Its capital town, Ilagan, 398 kilometers north of Manila, can be reached in forty-five (45) minutes air travel.

The province of Isabela, considered the “Queen of the North”, has 35 municipalities and 2 cities. It has an aggregate area of 1,066,456 hectares (10,664.56 sq. kilometers) representing 39.74 percent of the regional territory . Isabela is divided into three physiographical areas.

Eastern Isabela is rugged and thickly forested. The massive Sierra Madre Mountain range straddles the entire length of the province from north to south. There is a vast natural park, home to variety of wildlife. It is also where Isabela’s best timber can be found.

Coastal Isabela which is generally flat to rolling is distinguished by 113 kilometers shoreline facing the Pacific Ocean. Found here are the province’s vast fishing ground, beautiful bays, caves, small islands and white beaches.

Western Isabela is a vast, sprawling, fertile valley hemmed in by the Sierra Madre on the east and the Cordillera Central on the west. This flat and rolling area is subdivided into little valleys and sub-plains by the Cagayan River, the longest river in the Philippines at 301 kilometers long.

»Water & Power Supply

Magat Dam, Asia’s biggest dam is located in Ramon, Isabela. The 540-megawatt dam provides irrigation to the province and supplies electricity to the entire Region 02 and other parts of the country. It also serves as fishing ground of sweet tasting Tilapia (St. peter’s fish). Isabela’s power supply is being provided by the National Power Corporation and distributed by two local electric cooperatives, namely: ISELCO I and ISELCO II.

»Getting To & Around Isabela

By Air…
Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines and Asian Spirits service Cagayan Valley. Other domestic airlines offer chartered service from Manila to Cagayan and vice-versa. Flying time from Isabela to Hongkong, Singapore and Taiwan is approximately one and one-half hours while Japan is less than four hours.

By Land…
The buses (air-conditioned and ordinary) plying from Isabela to Manila routes are province and region-based. Other transport facilities operating in the province are vans, jeeps, mini-buses and tricycles which provide linkages to the different towns, except in going to the coastal towns (Palanan, Divilacan and Maconacon) where means of transportation is by plane through the Cauayan and Tuguegarao Airports or by boat via Cagayan province.

»Climate

The average monthly temperature in Isabela is recorded at 27.1 degrees centigrade. The province has tow types of climate. The eastern and coastalareas experience moderate rainfall more or less distributed throughout the year. The western part has a pronounced wed and dry seasons.