Also known as: Lalawigan ng Aurora
Aurora is a province in Region III (Central Luzon). Population 241K (PSA 2024 census), 0 cities + 8 municipalities, 151 barangays total, land area 3,133.4 km². Provincial capital: Baler.
Aurora is a province in Region III (Central Luzon). Its capital is Baler.
No. Aurora is a province in Region III (Central Luzon), outside Metro Manila (the National Capital Region).
Aurora had 240,824 residents in the 2024 census (PSA 2024 Census of Population (POPCEN 2024), reference date July 1, 2024). That is the most recent official count. There is no 2026 census result, so any 2026 population figure is an estimate.
Aurora covers 3,133.4 km², per the PSA Philippine Statistical Yearbook figure used on this page.
Aurora has 0 component cities and 8 municipalities (8 LGUs under the province), per PSA's Philippine Standard Geographic Code (2Q 2026), and 151 barangays.
Aurora has no component cities. Its 8 municipalities are Baler, Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Dingalan, Dipaculao, Maria Aurora and San Luis.
Aurora exists in its current form through two separate laws: Republic Act No. 648 (1951) created it as a sub-province of Quezon comprising four municipalities, and Batas Pambansa Blg. 7 (1978) separated it as an independent province, though it did not formally take effect until August 13, 1979, following a required ratifying plebiscite. It is named after Aurora Aragon Quezon, wife of President Manuel Quezon, also honored in the Aurora Memorial National Park straddling the Aurora-Nueva Ecija boundary.
Key industries: Tourism (Baler, the 'Birthplace of Philippine Surfing'), Agriculture and fishing, The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO)
Baler is popularly credited as the birthplace of Philippine surfing, with the widely-reported account tracing to the 1976-77 filming of Apocalypse Now at Sabang Beach; Republic Act No. 11957 (2023) formally declared it so. In the province's north, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO) grew to 12,923 hectares across three municipalities under a 2010 expansion law, drawing sustained opposition over alleged displacement and Indigenous ancestral-domain claims; the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge in November 2020 on procedural grounds, without ruling on the underlying substantive claims. Aurora's Pacific coast has taken repeated direct typhoon hits, most recently Super Typhoon Fung-Wong's landfall at Dinalungan in November 2025.
Key industries: Tourism (Baler, the 'Birthplace of Philippine Surfing'), Agriculture and fishing, The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO)
More on the regulatory framework: CLUP explainer · RA 7160 explainer · SGLG explainer · full glossary. Working a CLUP review cycle? Run the CLUP readiness self-check or see CLUP compliance monitoring.
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