LOCATION

Camarines Sur is located in the central part of the Bicol Peninsula, the southeastern part of Luzon Island. It is located between 140 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 Norte, San Miguel Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. On its south is the province of Albay, its east the Lagonoy Gulf, and its west the Ragay Gulf.

TOPOGRAPHY

Camarines Sur is hilly and mountainous with a flat central area known as the 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. The ravines are deep, while steep slopes are covered only by cogon. Mangroves and nipa swamps form 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 Ragay coast, meanwhile, is hilly and rolling. The province has two inactive volcanoes in its central and southern part, namely Mt. Isarog, with an elevation of 1, 976 meters, and Mt. Iriga, with an elevation of 1, 196 meters.

Two mountain ranges also envelope the province. The Tangkong Baka mountain range, which is the lower portion of the Sierra Madre mountain system, and the Calinigan Mountain Range (904 meters), which is located in the Partido area. Other mountains in the province are Mt. Sugutin (366 meters), Mt. Tiis (610 meters), Saddle Peak (1,028 meters), Triple Peak (638 meters), Mt. Putianay (640 meters), Mt. Elizario (508 meters), and Mt. Talitig (385 meters).

HYDROGRAPHY

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

Its inland waters consist of an intricate network or rivers, streams, and creeks that serve as natural drainage, particularly in the basin area. There are also three fresh-water lakes, namely, Lake Bato, Lake Buhi and Lake Baao, with a combined surface area of 5,482 has.

The Bicol River, the largest river in the region, is considered the main drainage channel for the major basin area of the Bicol Plains. With an approximate length of 95 kilometers, it begins at the outlet of Lake Bato and flows across 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.

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 its hills and mountains are covered by primary soils. The soils of the province are divided into 3 general groups, namely:

LAND USE

It is the largest among the six provinces of the Bicol Region, with a land area of 526, 682 hectares. This is 29.87% of the total area of the Bicol Region 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:

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

TOWNS / CITIES AREA (Ha.)