Angeles (locally [ˈaŋhɛlɛs]), officially the City of Angeles (Kapampangan: Ciudad ning Angeles; Filipino: Lungsod ng Angeles), is a highly urbanized city in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 483,452 people.
Angeles is the largest city of Pampanga. While politically independent from the province, it is usually grouped by the Philippine Statistics Authority therewith for statistical purposes.
Central Luzon (Tagalog: Gitnang Luzon; Kapampangan: Kalibudtarang Luzon; Sambal: Botlay a Luzon; Pangasinan: Pegley a Luzon; Ilocano: Tengnga a Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, City of San Fernando serving as the regional center), Tarlac, and Zambales; and two highly urbanized cities, Angeles and Olongapo. San Jose del Monte is the most populous city in the region. The region contains the largest plain in the country and produces most of the country's rice supply, earning itself the nickname "Rice Granary of the Philippines". It is also the region to have the most number of provinces.
Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (Kapampangan: Lalawigan ning Pampanga; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Pampanga), is a province in Central Luzon, Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, Manila Bay to the south, Bataan to the southwest, and Zambales to the west. Its capital is San Fernando, the regional center of Central Luzon. Angeles City is the largest city in Pampanga but is administratively independent. It has been self-governing since receiving its charter in 1964.
The name La Pampanga was given by the Spaniards, who found natives living along the banks (pampáng) of the Pampanga River. It was created in 1571 as the first Spanish province on Luzon (the province of Cebu in the Visayas is older, founded in 1565). The town of Villa de Bacolor briefly served as the Spanish colonial capital when Great Britain occupied Manila during the Seven Years' War. On the eve of the Philippine Revolution in 1896, Pampanga was one of eight provinces placed under martial law for rebelling against the Spanish Empire. It is represented on the Flag of the Philippines by one of the eight rays of the sun.