REGION IV-A
Region IV-A is located east and south of Metro Manila. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea and Bicol Region, on the south by Verde Island Passage, and on the west by Luzon Sea. Its topography is mostly rolling hills with small scattered plains. Parts of Sierra Madre Mountains extend to the province of Rizal and Northern Quezon. There are also mountains in the Bondoc Peninsula of the southern part of Quezon. Highest peak is 2,217-meter Mt. Banahaw in Quezon province. The eastern part of Quezon have rainfall more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. The western part of Quezon, eastern part of Laguna, and the whole province of Rizal experience relative dryness from November to April and relative wetness during the rest of the year. The rest of the region has two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year.
CALABARZON is the most populous region with 11.7 million inhabitants, slightly higher than Metro Manila's 11.5 people. The population is composed mostly of Tagalogs with very few other cultural groups from other regions. Many famous Filipinos hail from this region: Jose P. Rizal from Laguna, Emilio Aguinaldo from Cavite, Apolinario Mabini, Jose Laurel, and Claro M. Recto from Batangas.