Land of the Golden Mine

Mindoro is the next big island to the south of Manila. It is divided into the provinces of Mindoro Occidental, which is the western part, and Mindoro Oriental, the eastern part. Only the coastal strip is heavily populated. In the jungles and mountains inland there are various groups of the Mangyan tribes.
Fishing and the cultivation of rice and coconuts are the main economic activities, with some cattle-raising around San Jose. While the name Mindoro is a contraction of the Spanish Mina de Oro ('gold mine'), no major gold discovery has been made. The difficult terrain has also limited Mindoro's potential for copper and iron-ore mining, the main mining activity being the quarrying of marble. There has, however, been some promising oil prospecting in the south-west. The tourist route is from Puerto Galera to Roxas and Mansalay, via Calapan. Around Puerto Galera there are popular beaches and coral reefs. Roxas is the starting point for boat trips to Tablas and Boracay Islands.