Next is the establishment of Bicol province in 1573, a few years later the sub-province of Camarines was created in 1636. Camarines was divided into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur in 1829. During the Spanish regime, the two provinces were merged in between 1854 to 1893 establishing “Ambos Camarines” under one political unit. Then in 1917, the province was divided into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur again. Spanish missionaries also came and Christianized the natives.

On March 3, 1919 by virtue of Act 2809 Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur became two separate provinces.

PROVINCE DEMOGRAPHICS
Camarines Norte has a total land area of 2,200 square kilometers or 220,012 hectares. The province has rolling hills, mountains, fertile plains and valleys along the coast with a population of 458,840. Majority of the population speaks Bikol language, as well as Tagalog and English.

In terms of climate, the province has no dry season but has a very pronounced maximum rain period from November to January.  Camarines Norte is within the typhoon belt, thus typhoons usually affects the area. The typhoon months is usually felt from the months of April, June, July, October, November and December.

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY IN CAMARINES NORTE
The economic revenue of the province comes from manufacturing and processing industries such as Gold Jewelry Production wherein jewelry manufacturers make handcrafted gold filigree in distinctive designs. Majority of the jewelry shops found here in the province belongs to the category of micro and small-scale enterprises with capitalization ranging from 50,000.00 pesos to a maximum of P2.94 Million.

The coconut industry is also an essential factor in the economy of Camarines Norte with various products being made out of coconut such as coco-coir, coconut husk and other by product.  The province has 100,096 hectares of coconut area with 88.12% bearing trees. Pineapples are also widely grown in the province which is also exported to neighboring countries and provinces in the Philippines. Additional revenue also comes from food processing with products ranging from “patis”, other fish sauce, “bagoong” and native anchovies; metal works such as threshers, body building of tricycles, jeepneys, window grills and other construction needs. Furthermore, Camarines Norte ranks high in the mining and quarrying industry due to the billions of MT of metallic and Non-Metallic reserves.

ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE IN CAMARINES NORTE

CAMARINES NORTE PRODUCTS
The province leads in basket production made out of vines, roots and grass. Shell handicrafts are also popular buys in Camarines Norte; as well as garments which are exported such as infant apparel, coverall, overall, playsuit, swim suits, jumpsuit, trousers and shorts.

MUNICIPALITIES OF CAMARINES NORTE
The province is composed of 12 towns and 282 barangays:

Mercedes Fishing Village/Community
Tourists can have the experience of bidding fish catch by whisper. This is a hub of the fishing industry in the province.

Mercedes Group of Island
The islands can be reached in about 30 to 45 minute motorboat ride from Mercedes town proper. The major attractions in these islands are its clean white beaches, corrals, underwater sceneries, rock formations, caves and fish sanctuary, ideal for swimming, bird watching, boating, snorkeling, trekking, scuba diving and other sports activities.

Pineapple Resort
Located in Daet which offers a water park, Y-shape man-made lagoon, fantasy laden pools and water slides.

Vinzons Catholic Church
This is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

Other places to visit:

BY AIR
Camarines Norte can be reached through Pili Airport in Camarines Sur. From the airport you can take a bus or a cab to Daet via Naga City.

BY LAND
Camarines Norte is about six hours drive from Manila. Different transportation companies, such as Philtranco, Superlines, AMDG, and others, have air-conditioned buses plying the Daet-Manila-Daet and Daet-Naga-Legazpi-Daet routes.