Palawan, island (1990 pop. 528,287), 4,550 sq mi (11,785 sq km), 5th largest of the Philippines, N of Borneo and between the Sulu Archipelago and the South China Sea. Lumbering is an important industry on Palawan. There is concern that excessive logging and slash-and-burn farming will deplete the island's rain forests. What little arable land exists on the island is devoted largely to subsistence farming. The island has important mercury and chromite deposits. The population includes many Moros, mostly in the south, and the Batah and the Palawan, mostly in the rain forests. During World War II, it was the site of a Japanese massacre of American prisoners.

Island (pop., 2000: 713,539), southwestern Philippines. It is long and narrow and extends northeast to southwest between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. It has a mountainous backbone that runs its entire length, with the highest peak at Mount Mantalingajan (6,839 ft [2,085 m]). The capital is Puerto Princesa. The similarity of Palawan's vegetation with that of Borneo is explained by remnants of a Pleistocene Epoch land bridge that connected the two islands. A coastal plain supports most of the population and is the main agricultural area of Palawan. Scattered settlement and shifting agriculture predominate, with rice as the main food crop. Oil drilling off the northern coast began in 1992.

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