Largest and Westernmost Province in the Philippines

Palawan is considered as the largest and westernmost province in the country. It has a total land area of 14,896.3 square kilometers distributed in 1,769 islands and is composed of one city, 23 municipalities and 431 barangays. The next largest provinces in the country are Isabela, with a land area of 10,664 square kilometers; and Cagayan, 9,002 square kilometers.

The Philippine archipelago lies between 4° 40 N and 21° 10N latitude and between 116°40' and 126° 34' E longitude. Palawan lies between 08°30' and 12°45'N latitude and 117°30' to 121°45'E longitude.

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Largest Pearl in the World

The "Pearl of Lao-Tzu" is the the world's largest pearl in a giant Tridacna (mollusk). It weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. It was reportedly collected by a Filipino pearl diver named Etem, on May 7, 1934, at Palawan Island, Philippines. At one time it belonged to Wilburn Dowell Cobb, who allegedly received it as a gift from a chieftan of Palawan after having saved the life of his son. On May 15, 1980, Cobb’s heirs sold it at auction to Peter Hofman, a jeweler from Beverly Hills, California, for US $200,000. In 1966, it was valued at $3.5 million. According to te Guiness Book of Records, the San Francisco Gem Laboratory has valuated it at US $40-42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.