Atlas Trail
Fourteen Philippine Provincial Capitals in Order of 2024 Population, from Lagawe to San Fernando
Every stop on this path is the capital of a Philippine province, ordered by the population recorded for it in the 2024 census, from Lagawe with 19,124 people to San Fernando in La Union with 124,809. The order shows that provincial seats range from small highland municipalities to chartered cities, and each stop note gives the founding fact its page records.
Stop 1 of 14.
Cities
Lagawe, the capital of Ifugao, recorded 19,124 people in 2024, the smallest count on this path. It was founded in 1961 and lies at an average elevation of 667 meters, about 350 kilometers from Manila.
Stop 2 of 14.
Cities
Bontoc, capital of Mountain Province, recorded 23,466 people in 2024. Founded in 1908, it hosts the annual Lang-ay Festival and the Alab petroglyphs, rock carvings tentatively listed by UNESCO.
Stop 3 of 14.
Cities
San Jose, capital of Dinagat Islands, recorded 26,735 people in 2024. It was created on November 15, 1989 through Republic Act No. 6769 and named for its pioneer Jose Ecleo.
Stop 4 of 14.
Cities
Cabarroguis, capital of Quirino, recorded 34,720 people in 2024. It was established on June 21, 1969 under Republic Act No. 5554 and named for the Nueva Vizcaya congressman Leon Cabarroguis.
Stop 5 of 14.
Cities
Jordan, capital of Guimaras, recorded 40,647 people in 2024. It separated from Buenavista in 1918 and holds the island wharf closest to Iloilo City.
Stop 6 of 14.
Cities
Palayan, capital of Nueva Ecija, recorded 47,883 people in 2024, the least populated city in the Philippines by that census. It was established on June 19, 1965 as one of seven planned cities, replacing Cabanatuan as provincial capital.
Stop 7 of 14.
Cities
Tubod, capital of Lanao del Norte, recorded 50,395 people in 2024. It separated from Kolambugan on October 17, 1946 and became the provincial capital in 1982 when the government relocated from Iligan City.
Stop 8 of 14.
Cities
Boac, capital of Marinduque, recorded 54,365 people in 2024. Founded on December 8, 1622 on the western coast of the island, it is a principal venue of the annual Moriones Festival.
Stop 9 of 14.
Cities
Bayombong, capital of Nueva Vizcaya, recorded 72,890 people in 2024, the most populous town in its province. It was formally founded on April 12, 1739, and its name comes from the Gaddang word Bayongyong, meaning the confluence of rivers.
Stop 10 of 14.
Cities
Catarman, capital of Northern Samar, recorded 97,738 people in 2024, the most populous municipality in Eastern Visayas. It is one of the original thirteen Spanish era pueblo settlements on Samar Island.
Stop 11 of 14.
Cities
Masbate City, capital of Masbate, recorded 104,011 people in 2024. Founded as a town in 1864, it became a city on September 30, 2000 under Republic Act 8807 and is the province chief seaport.
Stop 12 of 14.
Cities
Lingayen, capital of Pangasinan, recorded 108,510 people in 2024. Founded in 1614 by Augustinian missionaries on the shore of Lingayen Gulf, it was the site of a large Allied amphibious landing on January 9, 1945.
Stop 13 of 14.
Cities
Tabuk, capital of Kalinga, recorded 122,771 people in 2024. Established as a municipality on June 16, 1950 and chartered as a city in 2007, it covers 700.25 square kilometers.
Stop 14 of 14.
Cities
San Fernando, capital of La Union, recorded 124,809 people in 2024, the largest count on this path. It was founded on May 6, 1786 as a renaming of the earlier settlement Pindangan and was chartered as a city in 1998.
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