Quezon

Quezon ( UK:  /ˈkeɪzɒn/,  US:  /ˈkeɪsɒn, -sɔːn, -soʊn/,[2][3][4][5]  Tagalog:  [ˈkɛson]) is a province of the Philippines in the Calabarzon region of Luzon island. The province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second and first freely Elected President of the Philippines. Lucena is the provincial capital, seat of the provincial government and the most populous city of the province, but is governed independently as a highly urbanized city. To distinguish the province from Quezon City, it is sometimes called Quezon Province.

Quezon is southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by the provinces of Aurora to the north, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas to the west and the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to the east. Part of Quezon lies on an isthmus connecting the Bicol Peninsula to the main part of Luzon. The province also includes the Polillo Islands in the Philippine Sea. Some marine parts of the Verde Island Passage, the center of the center of world's marine biodiversity, are also in the province.

A major tourism draw to the province is Mount Banahaw. The mountain is surrounded by spiritual mysticism with many Anitist adherents, Christian cults, and Christian organizations staying on the mountain. The mountain was also one of the most sacred sites for pre-colonial Tagalog people before the arrival of the Spanish. Numerous pilgrims visit the mountain especially during Holy Week.