It is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines.

Calabanga is one of the biggest municipalities in terms of population and land area with an approximate 163.84 km². (16,384 hectares), which constitutes 3.1% of the province’s land area. It is composed of 48 barangays, 14 of which are within the urban area and the remaining 34 barangays are within the rural areas. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 73,333 people.

The origin of the municipality is unfolded from the legends and fables of the old generation. In 1578 when the head Mission of Quipayo was established, Calabanga was only a visita or barrio. At that time, the place had vast forests and swamps and an abundance of wildlife such as monkeys, wild chickens, and forest lizard. Others say, it derived its name from the Bicol word “Calabangan”, the plural term of “labang” or “litag”, meaning a kind of snare for catching wild animals. Another legend says that Calabanga originated from the word “Calagbangan” meaning the wide, long, and straight street spanning from the church through the poblacion, east to west, called locally as “calabaan” or “calacbangan”.

 

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Source:

Wikipedia.org