Ilocandia


Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilocano people.
From the original western strip of Northern Luzon, Ilocandia has spread throughout the Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region, and northern Central Luzon.
Although there are also a large number of Ilocanos in other parts of the Philippines like, Palawan and Mindanao, these are not considered to be a part of Ilocandia, as they are not part of the traditional Ilocano homeland.

Provinces">Provinces of the Philippines">Provinces of the Ilocandia

Today, the first three regions of the Philippines comprise the present-day Ilocandia. Although most of the residents of the Cordillera Administrative Region belong to another ethnic group, the predominance of the usage of Ilocano makes it also a part of the Ilocandia.

Region 1">Ilocos Region">Region 1 or the [Ilocos Region]

The northern portion of Ilocos Region is the original Ilocano homeland. Originally composed of a single province known as Ilocos Province, it used to cover the western part of Northern Luzon. Today, the Ilocos Region includes four provinces, Pangasinan being the home of more than half of the region's population.
It is mistaken to assume that residents of Pangasinan are Ilocano speakers considering that according to the 2000 census, only 44% of Pangasinan population speak Ilocano. Pangasinan cannot even be considered as the original homeland of the Ilocano people since Ilocanos in Pangasinan are either migrants or descendants of migrants from the northern portion of Region 1.
The northern portion of the country is known as the Nuclear Ilocandia since only 66% of Region 1 population are Ilocanos according to 2000 census. A substantial number of Region 1 population are Pangasinan, whose population accounts for 27% of the region's population. Other peoples also live in Region 1 such as the Bago, Agta and Ibaloi.
ProvinceCapitalPopulation
Area
Pop. density
Ilocos NorteLaoag City547,2843,399.3151.3
Ilocos SurVigan City632,2552,579.6230.3
La UnionSan Fernando City720,9721,493.1440.7
PangasinanLingayen2,645,3955,368.2453.4
Dagupan City—149,55437.234017.0

Component Cities">Cities of the Philippines">Component Cities of Region 1">Ilocos Region">Region 1

When the arid lands of the Ilocos Region could no longer support the growing number of Ilocanos, they tried the less chartered Cagayan Valley, which they later on find more suitable to their agricultural way of life. Although not originally a part of the Ilocandia, the Ilocanos have conquered the area, thus making it a part of the Greater Ilocandia.
Province/CityCapitalPopulation
Area
Pop. density
CagayanTuguegarao City993,5809,002.0110.4
IsabelaIlagan City1,177,04410,409.6113
Nueva VizcayaBayombong366,9623,903.994.0
QuirinoCabarroguis148,5753,057.248.6
BatanesBasco16,467219.0175.1
Santiago City—110,531255.50432.6

Component Cities">Cities of the Philippines">Component Cities of Region 2">Cagayan Valley">Region 2

Though a predominantly Kapampangan-speaking, Pangasinan-speaking, and Tagalog-speaking region, Central Luzon acts as fringe-area of Ilocandia. No province in the region is a predominantly Ilocano-speaking area, but some northern municipalities use it as a lingua franca, especially in northernmost Tarlac, Zambales, Aurora, and Nueva Ecija, with the southern parts around Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan leaning more towards Tagalog and Kapampangan.
The table below shows only the provinces that have a significant number of Ilocano speakers:
Province/CityCapitalPopulation
Area
Pop. density
Nueva EcijaPalayan City1,659,8835,284.3314.1
TarlacTarlac City1,068,7833,053.4350.0
ZambalesIba433,5383,714.4116.7
AuroraBaler173,7973,147.368.0
Olongapo City—194,260185.01,050.1

Cities">Cities of the Philippines">Cities

The list below shows the cities of Region 3 where Ilocano is spoken.
Technically, the peoples of the Cordillera Administrative Region belong to another ethno-linguistic group collectively known as the Igorots. Hence, they are not a part of the Original Ilocandia nor the Greater Ilocandia. However, because of the presence of the different ethno-linguistic groups, Ilocano has become the medium of communication between these different tribes.

Component Cities">Cities of the Philippines">Component Cities of CAR">Cordillera Administrative Region">CAR