Oriental Mindoro is a province that occupies the eastern part of the Mindoro island. The province encompasses 4,364.72 square kilometers, has 14 municipalities and one city. The municipalities are Puerto Galera, Mansalay, San Teodoro, Pinamalayan, Baco, Naujan, Victoria, Pola, Socorro, Bansud, Bongabong, Gloria, Roxas and Bulalacao. The provincial capital is Calapan City. Oriental Mindoro has varied topography including rugged mountains and valleys.
The name Mindoro originated from the Spanish term "mina de oro" which translates to gold mine. According to the official website of Oriental Mindoro, early Spanish navigators called the island a gold mine after discovering buried gold threads, silverware, jars and porcelain in Mindoro. The treasure was a cargo from China as the earliest inhabitants of the island are known to have traded with the Chinese. On November 15, 1950, the island was divided into two provinces: the Oriental Mindoro on the eastern section and Occidental Mindoro on the western side.
Tourists flock to the island to lounge by the white sand beaches and to play a multitude of water sports like water skiing, scuba diving, boating, windsurfing, snorkeling and swimming. The province is home to many beachfront resorts like Villa Sabang Beach Resort in Sabang Beach. Villa Sabang offers waterfall tours, island-hopping boat trips, golf excursions and diving trips. To get to Oriental Mindoro, tourists can board the daily ferry from the International Port of Batangas or fly from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The main language spoken in Oriental Mindoro is Tagalog, but other dialects are also spoken including Cebuano, Ilocano and Mangyan. Agriculture is the main industry of the province with crops like corn, rice, citrus, coconut and other fruits. Farming, fishing, poultry and rubber planting are some of the most common occupations in the province. An end-of-harvest festival is held yearly at the municipality of Pinamalayan. The Bahaghari Festival is held to celebrate the harvest season and to honor the rainbows that frequent the island.
