Laoag

Laoag City, the sparkling gem of Ilocandia, is located at the west central part of the province of Ilocos Norte bordering the great China Sea. It is the nerve cent& of trade, commerce, business, industry, education and politics in the province. It is traversed by the national toad and is about 488 kilometers north of the City of Manila.

Its boundaries extend to the towns of San Nicolas on the southeast, Paoay on the southwest, Sarrat on the east, Vintar on the northeast and Bacarra on the northwest. The South China Sea is its boundary on the west.

The city has a total land area of 12,747.35 hectares, which are spread out over residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, religious, edu­cational and open spaces. Hills and mountain ranges border it on the northeast, while wide undulating sand dunes occupy the western side.

Laoag City has the same climate as that of other towns of the province. The short wet season starts from May and ends in the early part of October. The dry season occurs during the rest of the year. The average annual tempe­rature is 27.250C and its relative humidity is 75.55 percent. The coldest months are December, January and February, and the average annual rainfall is 60.3 inches.