Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Southeastern Luzon Island.

The
name Bicol first came to be known as the name of the biggest and longest river in the region. The
river comes from the outflow of lakes and springs from the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and
Camarines Norte and form a large stream that exits in the San Miguel Bay, off the shores of
Camarines Sur. The people of the region are called Bikolanos and the language is called Bikol. The
citizens of Albay are called Albayanos. Albay is a province composed of 15 municipalities and 3 cities.
The capital of the province is Legazpi City. It was named after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Spanish
conquistador who came to the Philippines in 1565 and started the massive colonization. The country
became the colony of Spain for the next 300 years. As a result, the Albayanos became devout
Catholics. The symbol most associated with Albay is the Mayon Volcano, a near perfectly-shaped
active volcano, 2,462 meters (8,077 ft.) high, which could be seen throughout its 15 municipalities
and 3 cities as well as in the surrounding provinces of Sorsogon, Masbate and Catanduanes. Albay
has a total land area of 2,554.06 square kilometers (986.13 square miles).