Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island, measuring 450 kilometers (280 mi) long, and 50 kilometers (31 mi) wide.^[3][4]
Palawan is composed of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island. The Calamianes Group of Islands, to the northwest consists of Busuanga Island, Culion Island, and Coron Island. Durangan Island almost touches the westernmost part of Palawan Island, while Balabac Island is located off the southern tip, separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait. In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometers to the west is considered part of Palawan by the Philippines, and is locally called the Kalayaan Group of Islands.
Palawan's almost 2,000 kilometers (1,200 mi) of irregular coastline are dotted with roughly 1,780 islands and islets, rocky coves, and sugar-white sandy beaches. It also harbors a vast stretch of virgin forests that carpet its chain of mountain ranges.

More about the Island

GEOGRAPHY
Palawan is a lush green island with some of the best spots to dive in the country. The dive sites as well as the luxury resorts are located at El Nido at the north end of the island. Go there for seashells butterflies jungle walks and the Tabon Caves an ancient burial site.
Palawan is 500 km southwest of Manila. 
If you are keen on wreck diving be sure to visit Busuanga island north of El Nido. In the midst of the second World War the American army decided to heavily damage the Japanese Imperial supply lines, which they did in the bay of Busuanga island.Don't miss out on the stunning lakes on Coron island, which lies right next to Busuanga. Don't forget to bring insect repellent when visiting the Coron lakes! You can also cruise around the Coron Islands.
Furthermore the island of Palawan remains a tropical paradise, it's rather cheap, lush, densely populated and lacks the effects of mass-tourism.
 The history of Palawan may be traced back 22,000 years ago as confirmed by the discovery of fossils of the Tabon cave man in Quezon, Palawan.

There are several versions regarding the origin of the name "Palawan". Some contend that it was derived from the Chinese word Pa lao yu" meaning" Land of the Beautiful Harbours". Others believe that it came from the Indian word 'Palawas' meaning territory. Still others believe that it was derived from a plant which the natives called 'Palwa'. But the popular belief is that "Palawan" is a corrupted form of the Spanish word "Paragua" because the main island's shape resembles a closed umbrella.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
The province is subdivided into 23 municipalities namely Aborlan, Agutaya, Araceli, Balabac, Bataraza, Brooke's Point, Busuanga, Cagayancillo, Coron, Cuyo, Dumaran, El Nido, Kalayaan, Linapacan, Magsagsas, Marcos, Narra, Quezon, Roxas, San Vicente and Taytay. Furthermore, there are 420 barangays and one city. Twelve municipalities are located in the mainland. The other 18 island municipalities are accessible by motorized bancas and launches plying the neighboring municipalities and the city of Puerto Princesa.

LANGUAGE / DIALECTS
There are 52 dialects in the province, with Tagalog being spoken by 28% of the people. Other major dialects are Cuyono (26.27%) Pinakawan (IIonggo 11.08%) and IIonggo (9.6%).

 Nature at it's Best

The Wildlife Sanctuary in Calauit, Quezon Palawan. Make your journey more exciting when you travel for it. Get there by land or by water. Still a part of Busuanga, so for just an hour, YOU"RE THERE!

 

an eight(8)month old giraffe, huh!

  

Calauit, Palawan Deer

An island near us, maybe a 30 mins boat ride. Take a break, plunge into it.

                                      The wonderful stone ranges of my island!

                                     approaching Coron, Island Palawan

                                            clear island water!

                                         entrance to small lagoon, Palawan Island!

   

                                         Amanpulo island, Pamalican

Island's Delicacies

TAMILOK

Tamilok is a mangrove worm that is not exactly a worm. Although it looks like one, it is actually a mangrove-boring mollusk. Palawan's natural resources boosts of large mangrove areas, especially on the northern part covering municipalities of Taytay, El Nido, Busuanga, Culion, Coron and Linapacan. These are the towns that are also frequently visited by tourists of different nationalities, according to statistics.

TALABA(oyster)

If planning to shell the oysters yourself, place the fresh oysters in their shells in a large shallow basic. Pour enough boiling water to cover. Let stand for 3-4 minutes. Drain. Using a pointed knife, pry the shells open and carefull remove the meat.

Place the shucked oysters in a bowl. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour onto the oysters. Stir a few times. Chill before serving.

Kilawing talaba is a very good appetizer

BANAGAN(lobster)

Nut of the Island

           ONE OF THE MAJOR CROP GROWN IN THE PROVINCE

It is a small evergreen tree growing to 10-12m (~32 ft) tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk. The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4 to 22 cm long and 2 to 15 cm broad, with a smooth margin. The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm long, each flower small, pale green at first then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7 to 15 mm long.

  What appears to be the fruit of the cashew tree is an oval or pear-shaped accessory fruit (sometimes called a pseudocarp or false fruit) that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in Central America as "marañón", it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5–11 cm long. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport.

 The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that grows at the end of the accessory fruit. The drupe develops first on the tree, and then the peduncle expands into the cashew apple. Within the true fruit is a single seed, the cashew nut. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the nut of the cashew is a seed. The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a potent skin irritant chemically related to the more well known allergenic oil urushiol which is also a toxin found in the related poison ivy. Some people are allergic to cashew nuts, but cashews are a less frequent allergen than nuts or peanuts.
   
 Uses as Medicine and industry

 

     salted


The cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), a by-product of processing cashew, is mostly composed of anacardic acids.[2] These acids have been used effectively against tooth abscesses due to their lethality to gram-positive bacteria. They are also active against a wide range of other gram-positive bacteria. Many parts of the plant are used by the Patamona of Guyana medicinally. The bark is scraped and soaked overnight or boiled as an antidiarrheal. Seeds are ground up into powders used for antivenom for snake bites. The nut oil is used topically as an antifungal and for healing cracked heels.
Anacardic acid is also used in the chemical industry for the production of cardanol, which is used for resins, coatings, and frictional materials.

Culinary

 

   roasted and salted

  The cashew nut is a popular snack, and its rich flavor means that it is often eaten on its own, lightly salted or sugared. Cashew nuts are sold covered in chocolate, but due to their higher price compared to peanuts and almonds, cashews are not as common.

 Cashews are a staple in vegan diets. They are used as a base in sauces and gravies. It also can take on sweet properties for frostings and cookies. Raw cashews can also be made into a vegan milk (in a manner similar to almond milk.) They are an excellent source of protein and a raw, natural source of energy.

 In the Philippines, cashew is a known product of Antipolo,and BUSUANGA PALAWAN. Pampanga also has a sweet dessert called turrones de casuy which is cashew marzipan wrapped in white wafer.
 In Busuanga Palawan,which is my hometown, my nanay is known here for decades, making products out of this delicious nut.
Good and enough to make it out of my Blog!