MORIONES FESTIVAL
TRES REYES ISLAND
MOUNT MALINDIG
BATHALA CAVE
MARINDUQUE ACCOMMODATION
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Marinduque Province
General Info about Marinduque
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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