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Oriental Mindoro shares the eastern half of the large island of Mindoro Island. It is bounded on the north by Verde Island Passage on the east by the Tablas Strait, which separates Mindoro from the islands of Romblon. On the south lie the islands of Semirara and Panay. An exalted mountain range separates the province from Occidental Mindoro. It is called "Mina de Oro" by the Spaniards justifying that the land was a ground of a fable mountain gold.
Coconut, corn, citrus and banana are the province’s primary goods and are also known to be Southern Tagalog Region's prominent rice producers
Fishing is a profitable industry in the province with 13 coastal towns considered to be good fishing grounds producing fishes like tuna, mackarel, snapper, anchovy, and round scad. Numerous forests surround the island, which are best sources of rattan, vines, and buri. There are also minerals such as gold and coal, which are found in the caves of Baco and Bongabon rivers and the mountains of Halcon.
Oriental Mindoro is famous for it's rich marine life and colorful coral reefs. It's fresh environment, tropical climate, agricultural setting and numerous beaches are the most visited and adored in the island. Oriental Mindoro's lakes, rivers, rain forests and wild animals still capture tourists’ attention.
Mountain climbing, hiking, camping and game fishing are just some of the exciting adventures at Oriental Mindoro. It has historical sights like the old Spanish fortress, Kuta, and The Cross at Muelle. Puerto Galera offers a lot of pleasure with its numerous resorts and beaches like the Punta Guarda Beach resort, White Beach resort and the Sabang Beach located east of Puerto Galera. You can also view the country's fourth highest peak, Mt. Halcon in Baco, which is also the home of the rare Tamaraw.
Oriental Mindoro is known for their Sanduguan Festival, held in Calapan every 15th of November. It reenacts the first contact between the natives of Mindoro and traders from China.
Access to Oriental Mindoro from Manila is by a two and a half hour land trip to Batangas City or by a two-hour ferryboat ride either to Calapan or Puerto Galera. Several commercial buses like the BLTB and JAM buses from Manila regularly ply the route to Batangas City. Ferryboats have daily trips from Batangas City to Calapan or Puerto Galera.
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