PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The province is geographically located in the central part of the Bicol peninsula which forms the southeastern part of the Bicol peninsula which forms the southeastern part of the island of Luzon. It is about 450 kilometers from Manila and is located between 14O 10' and 130 15' North Latitude and between 1240 10' and 1220 40' East Longitude. It is bounded on the north by the province of Quezon and Camarines Sur Norte, San Miguel Bay and the Pacific Ocean; on the south by the province of Albay ; Lagonoy Gulf on the east; and on the west by Ragay Gulf.

TOPOGRAPHY

Camarines Sur is generally hilly and mountainous with flat central area known as Bikol plain. It is generally flat at the midsection between mountain ranges with other small coastal plains on the northeastern coast.  These areas are circumscribed by rolling hills. Mangroves and nipa swamps fro along both coasts of the province. The Caramoan peninsula is rough and mountainous with an elevation as high as 904 meters above sea level.

The ravines are deep and steep slopes are covered only by cogon. The Ragay coast is hilly and rolling. Mt. Isarog with an elevation of 1, 976 meters and Mt. Iriga with 1, 196 meters, in the central and southern parts are inactive volcanoes. Also there is the Tangkong Baka mountain range which is the lower portion of the Sierra Madre mountain system and the Calinigan Mountain Range (904 meters) in the Partido area. Other mountains in the province are: Mt. Sugutin- 366m, Mt. Tiis- 610 m, Saddle Peak- 1,028m, Triple Peak- 638m, Mt. Putianay- 640m, Mt. Elizario- 508m, Mt. Talitig- 385m.

The province has three fresh-water lakes, namely: Lake Bato, Lake Buhi and Lake Baao which has an areas of 5,482 has. The area is likewise traversed by rivers, streams, and creeks that serve as natural drainage particularly in the basin area. The Bicol River, the largest in the region with an approximate length of 95 kilometers, begins at the outlet of Lake Bato and flows across through the plain to San Miguel Bay. Its tributaries have formed the famous Bicol River Basin which comprises 312, 000 hectares of fertile agricultural lands including 185, 000 hectares of watershed area.

HYDROGRAPHY

The province's water resources, both ground and surface waters are very abundant and could very well meet the various demands of development. It was also observed that there are numerous hydo-electric potential resources and also large areas for irrigated area development and expansion.

The province's inland waters consist of an intricate network or rivers, streams, and lakes. The network serves as natural drainage. The Bicol River is the largest river in the region and considered the main drainage channel for the major basin area of the Bicol Plains. The lakes consist of another vital inland water resources for the province. The more important ones include Lakes Bato, Baao and Buhi.

SOIL

Soil texture ranges from clayey to gravelly. The Bicol plain consists of loam, clay loam and deposits with silt materials along the banks of the Bicol River . Generally, the surface is moderately dense and compact. The plains and valleys of Camarines Sur are covered by secondary soils, while the hills and mountains are of primary soils. The soils of the province are divided into 3 general groups namely:

LAND USE

The province is the largest among the six provinces of the Bicol Region with a land area of 526, 682 hectares which is 29. 87% of the total regional area, and 1.75% of the total area of the Philippines.

LAND AREA

The existing land use of the province may be classified into 5 main categories which are:

The existing land use of Camarines Sur is still predo- minantly agricultural. The next biggest land use in terms of land area is grassland/shrubland.

TOWNS / CITIES AREA (Ha.)