ISABELA

province, northeastern Luzon, Philippines. It has an area of 4,118 sq mi (10,665 sq km). Its eastern section comprises the rugged, sparsely populated Sierra Madre Mountains, which extend to the Philippine Sea. The province was created and named for Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1856. The economy depends on the agricultural production of the valley of the Cagayan River (q.v.). The province is one of the rice granaries of the Philippines, and it is known for the fine quality of its tobacco. The main towns include Ilagan (the provincial capital), Cabagan, Tumauini, Cauayan, and San Agustin. There is a technological institute in Cabagan and an agricultural college in Echaque. Fuyot Hot Spring National Park, a 2,024-ac (819-ha) recreational area, is in Ilagan. Most of the inhabitants are Illocanos and Ibanags. During the 1960s and 1970s Isabela became a stronghold of Filipino Communists. Pop. (1980) 870,604.