Palawan is a narrow archipelago of 1,780 islands on the western border of the Philippines, with the greatest concentration of islands and the lowest density population in the country. Geographically, it is more remote from the other provinces in the country - in fact, some of its southern islands are closer to Malaysia than to the rest of the Philippines. It is bounded by the South China Sea on the west and the Sulu Sea on the east. With a land area of nearly 1.5 million hectares, Palawan is the country's largest province. It has an irregular coastline of almost 2,000 kilometers, indented by numerous coves and bays. Highlands and rolling terrain covered with lush forests create a cool and scenic landscape. Except for the northern towns, which are occasionally visited by storms. Palawan is generally typhoon-free. Warm weather prevails from March to May while the coolest months are from December to February. Heavy rainfall is experienced in July and August accompanied by the southwest monsoon.
A melting pot of migrants from various parts of the Philippines and other countries, Palawan has a relatively high population growth rate of 3.64% annually due mainly to the high influx of settlers. Based on the latest official census, Palawan has a population of 755,412.