Region I, more popularly known as the Ilocos Region, is composed of:

• four provinces
  • Ilocos Norte
  • Ilocos Sur
  • La Union
  • Pangasinan
• eight cities
  • Laoag City in Ilocos Norte
  • Dagupan City in Pangasinan
  • San Carlos City in Pangasinan
  • Urdaneta City in Pangasinan
  • San Fernando City in La Union
  • Candon City in Ilocos Sur
  • Vigan City in Ilocos Sur
  • Alaminos City in Pangasinan
• 117 municipalities, and
• 3,265 barangays.

It stretches along the blue waters of the South China Sea which used to be a major trading area with Hong Kong, Japan, China and Taiwan. It is bounded by the Cordillera provinces on the east, by the Central Luzon provinces on the southwest and by the South China Sea on the west. Its regional capital is San Fernando, La Union.

Owing to its vast natural resources and its strategic location along international sea lanes, Region I has become attractive to both local and foreign tourists and investors. The white and gray sandy beaches and the century-old colonial architecture are among the breath-taking tourist spots in the Ilocos Region. The cool seas, mountains and rolling plains make a perfect scenic blend. The region could easily be accessed by land through private and public utility vehicles and by air through Laoag International Airport and the feeder and secondary airports in the region.

The region is slowly shifting its focus of development from the primary agriculture sector to industry and services sectors. New industries have been established indicating that the region is responding to the challenges of industrial development. Industrialization has become a battle cry of the highly skilled and computer literate workforce in the region.

Together with the Southern Benguet, Region I encompasses the Northwestern Luzon Growth Quadrangle (NWLG), dubbed as the country's springboard to Asian economic tigers.

StatWatch: Region I