Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City and it is the largest province in terms of land area. The islands of Palawan stretches from Mindoro to Borneo in the southwest. It lies between the South China Sea in the northwest and Sulu Sea in the southeast.

Palawan is considered to be the Philippines' "last frontier". The province boasts of many splendid beaches and has two World Heritage Sites : Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

The vast majority of Palawan residents subsist as laborers or farmers, while others work in the limited industries of the area, including tourism (mostly catering to German and other European tourists) and silicon mining. Logging was a major industry, until it was banned in 1992.

Palawan consists of the long and narrow Palawan Island, plus a number of other smaller islands surrounding the main island. The Calamian Group, to the northwest consists of Busuanga Island, Culion Island, and Coron Island. Durangan Island almost touches the westernmost part of Palawan Island, while Balabac Island is located off the southern tip, separated from Borneo by the Balabac Strait . In addition, Palawan covers the Cuyo Islands and Cagayan Island in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands , located a few hundred kilometers to the west is considered part of Palawan by the Philippines, and is locally called the Kalayaan Group of Islands .