Ifugao is a landlocked province in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in Northern Luzon, Philippines. It is often called the 'Home of the World-Famous Rice Terraces' because of its spectacular Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The province covers 2,618.01 square kilometers and is composed of 11 municipalities and 176 barangays. The capital of the province is Lagawe.

History

Ifugao’s history is deeply tied to its rice terraces, believed to be over 2,000 years old and built by the ancestors of the Ifugao people using stone and mud walls carved into the mountains. During the Spanish colonial period, the Ifugaos resisted colonization and were never fully subdued, preserving much of their indigenous culture. When the Americans came in the early 1900s, Ifugao was placed under the Mountain Province, and later became a separate province on June 18, 1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4695. Today, Ifugao is celebrated for its UNESCO World Heritage rice terraces, cultural heritage, and identity as one of the major indigenous groups of the Cordillera region.