Mimaropa, formally known as theSouthern

Tagalog Islands,[2]is anadministrative regionin

thePhilippines, designated asMIMAROPA Region.
It is one of two regions in the country having no land
border with another region, the other beingEastern
Visayas. The name is anacronymcombination of its
constituentprovinces:Mindoro(divided into
Occidental MindoroandOriental Mindoro),Ma
rinduque,RomblonandPalawan.
Map of the Philippines
History
Occidental Mindorois the 17th largest
province in the Country and lies on the western
part of the island of Mindoro. It is located south
of the province of Batangas in Southern Luzon
and Northwest of the Visayas. The Province is
bounded on the north by the Verde Island
Passage, on the west by South China Sea on
the south by Sulu Sea and on the east by its
sister province, Oriental Mindoro.
Economy/ products/
livelihood
Major Industries:
Farming, Fishing & Aqua Farming, Salt Industry and Food
Processing.

Major Products:
Rice, Corn, Salt, Mangoes.

Sources of Livelihood:
White and Blue Collar Jobs, Farming, Livestock and
Poultry Raising, Trading and Construction.
Oriental Mindoro
The indigenous people of Oriental Mindoro are
theMangyans(ManguianesinSpanish
,MaguianesinOld Tagalog), consisting of
seven distinct tribes. They occupy the interior,
specially the highlands. Mangyans have
inhabited the island since pre-history. They are
believed to have originally traveled from
Indonesia and settled down for good in the
island.
Oriental Mindoro's rich and arable land is suitable for

agriculture. It produces large quantities ofrice,corn,coconut,

vegetablesandfruitslikecalamansi,banana,
rambutan,marangoruloy, lanzones anddurian. For that,
Oriental Mindoro is also known as theRice GranaryandFruit
Basketof Southern Tagalog. It still is theBanana King and
Calamansi Kingof the region. Its total agricultural area is
169,603.34 hectares (419,099.0 acres). Based on agricultural
statistics, 85,244 hectares (210,640 acres) are devoted
topalayproduction while 21,671 hectares (53,550 acres)s to
coconut plantation. The province, for the past years, registered
an average of 1 to 2 million cavans as surplus in rice
production.[citation needed]
Marinduque
Marinduque is an agricultural province, primarily growing rice
and coconuts. Handicrafts from Marinduque are also
exported to dfferent parts of the world, and fishing is
another important part of the economy. Mining was once an
important player in the economy until a mining accident (the
Marcopper Mining Disaster) occurred, bringing the industry to
a standstill on the island and causing enormous damage to
the inhabitants. The provincial government has just recently [
when?]sued Marcopper's parent company,Placer Dome, for

$100 million in damages. Placer Dome was purchased in

2006 byBarrick Gold, who has now been joined in the
lawsuit.
Romblon
Agriculture is the main industry in Romblon.Coconut
is the most cultivated crop with a total planted area
of 58,270.44 hectares (224.9834sqmi). San Agustin
has the most extensive area with coconut plants
followed by Romblon and Cajidiocan.Riceis the next
crop, cultivated particularly in Odiongan, Looc,
Cajidiocan and Santa Fe. Other crops grown include
root crops, vegetables and fruits. Odiongan, Banton
and Magdiwang have the greatest areas planted with
root crops and correspondingly, have the highest
volume of production. Vegetable production is mostly
for home consumption and grown in small scale. [12][
Livestockdevelopment andpoultryproduction is a viable small
scale enterprise for farmers in the province. The provincial
government maintains breeding facilities in strategic locations
province-wide to encourage farmers to engage in livestock and
poultry production to augment their income. Livestock and poultry
management training and seminars is provided to interested
clients.
Due to the geographical condition of the province, crops and
livestock production is generally deficient as compared to the food
requirements of Romblon population. To meet the rice
requirements, Romblon relies on imports from the neighboring
provinces while vegetables, poultry meat, vegetables and fruits
are supplied mostly by Luzon.
Palawan
Palawan's economy is basically agricultural. The three major crops are
palay,cornandcoconut. Mineral resources includenickel,copper,
manganese, andchromite. Logging is also a major industry. Palawan has
one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. About 45% of Manila's
supply of fish comes from here. Having natural gas reserves of
approximately 30,000 trillion cubic feet, the province is the onlyoil-
producing province in the country.[32][33]In addition,tourismis also a
thriving sector.
Pearl divingused to be a significant economic activity for Palawan until the
advent ofplastics.[citation needed]The world's largest pearl, the 240 millimetres
(9.4in) diameterPearl of Lao Tzu, was found off Palawan in 1934.
The economic and agricultural business growth of province is at 20% per
annum.[33]Coconut, sugar, rice, lumber, and livestock are produced here.
[10]