Central Luzon region.  Its capital is the City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Pampanga is bordered by the provinces of Bataan and Zambales to the west, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija to the north, and Bulacan to the southeast. Pampanga also lies on the northern shore of Manila Bay.

 

The name "La Pampanga" was given by the Spaniards who found the early natives living near the river banks. It also served as the capital of the archipelago for two years from 1762-1764 during the British invasion of Manila. The word pampang, from which the province's name originates, means river bank. Its creation in 1571 makes it the first Spanish province in the Philippines. The Province of Pampanga is the culinary capital of the Philippines.

 

Mt. Pinatubo, which erupted in 1992 is also located in the North West corner of Pampanga Province which resulted in the 2nd largest volcanic event in the 20th Century.  During that time many lives were lost and the entire province was devastated. We are still in the process of rebuilding from that disaster.

 

During the Cold War era, Pampanga was the home of Clark, Air Base which was the largest U.S. Military base in the world at that time.  Today, the Clark Field houses  Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, and the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City, some 16 kilometers north of the provincial capital.

 

Pampanga was also the scene of the Batan Death march during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in WWII. The Batan Memorial Park is there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March