With a total land area of 3,830.83 square kilometres (1,479.09 sq mi) (including the independent city of Olongapo), Zambales is the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon after Nueva Ecija.

[4] The Freeport Zone (SBFZ) is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos, parks, malls, beach-side huts, cottages and resorts, as well as historical sites.

[6] Off Cape Bolinao (now part of Pangasinan), he and his men liberated a Zambal chieftain and his followers from a Chinese pirate ship.

However, the capital was moved among the last three towns above during its history before finally settling in Iba, due to its strategic location.

Seven of the province's original northern towns, which included Bolinao, Infanta, San Isidro, now Burgos, Anda, Bani, Agno and Alaminos were later transferred under the jurisdiction of Pangasinan because of their distance from the capital.

[17][18] During his bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects.

[33] In Olongapo, the continuation of the Vietnam war through this period meant the arrival of a constantly growing number of U.S.

[34] The policies of the Marcos administration encouraged the growth of the sex-industry[35]: 128  because it increased the flow of higher value currency into the Philippine economy.

[36]: 13  The economy of this part of Zambales evolved from a largely agricultural orientation at the end of the 1960s towards one built around sex industry related businesses such as bars by the mid-1970s.

[35][36] In 1986, the province was one of the main supporters of the People Power Revolution in Manila, which topped the 21-year dictatorship and installed Corazon Aquino as president, bringing back democracy to the country.

The former summit of the volcano was obliterated by the massive eruption and replaced by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide caldera, within which Lake Pinatubo is situated.

A vast portion of the Zambales province acquired desert-like features in 1991,[6] after being buried by more than 20 feet (6.1 m) of lahar.

The northern half of the province typically comprises the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, and Palauig.

The central half of the province consists of the municipalities of Iba (the capital), Botolan, Cabangan, and San Felipe.

When Olongapo City is included for geographical purposes, the province's population is 909,932 people, with a density of 215/km2 (557/sq mi).

The Tagalogs, the Ilocanos, the Sambal, the Kapampangans, and the Pangasinans today constitute the five largest ethnic groups in Zambales; these identities may and do, however, overlap with one another due to intermarriage[51] and other factors.

About 75 percent of the population speaks and understands English to varying degrees of fluency, and road signs are mostly written in that language.

Local and foreign tourist flock its many beaches creating many job opportunities and contributing to the economy.

It has also satellite campuses in the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Botolan, San Marcelino, and Castillejos.

St. Joseph College-Olongapo, a college run by the Roman Catholic Church can be found in Olongapo City.

The Magsaysay Memorial College is also run by the Roman Catholic Church and can be found in San Narciso.