About

Naga, officially the City of Naga (Bikol: Ciudad nin Naga; Filipino: Lungsod ng Naga; Spanish: Ciudad de Naga) and often referred to as Naga City, is an independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The town was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande, the city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Caceres (New Caceres City), earned its status as the third Spanish Royal City in the Spanish East Indies, after Cebu and Manila. It has a population of 174,931 people, and has 77,784 registered voters. It has a labor force of 60,772 people, with 57,278 employed, and 3,494 are unemployed.[12] Majority of Naga City's population are people 15 years and below.

Naga City is Bicol Region's trade, business, religious, cultural, industrial and financial center.

People from or in Naga City are known as Nagueños.

Naga City is known as the Queen City of Bicol, and as the Heart of Bicol due to its central location in the Bicol Peninsula; and as the Pilgrim City because Naga City is also home to the largest Marian pilgrimage in Asia, the Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Naga City is also known as One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun as stated by Nick Joaquin.

The city is the seat of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, which makes the city Bicol's religious center, whose jurisdiction includes all the suffragan sees of Bicol, the Dioceses of Daet, Legazpi, Libmanan, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Virac.

Moreover, the city is also the seat of the widely venerated Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicol. The image is one of the most popular objects of devotion in the country.

Naga is the core of Metro Naga, an official designation given the city and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council.

Naga City per se generally refers to Naga City, Camarines Sur, as it became quite confusing especially for Cebuanos and nearby towns, since there is also a city in Cebu named Naga City, which is dubbed as the industrial city of Naga.