Mabalacat

Mabalacat, officially Mabalacat City (Filipino: Lungsod ng Mabalacat), is a component city in the northern part of the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Also known as Dau (from its largest barangay), the former municipality was officially converted into a city following a referendum on July 21, 2012, and became the third in Pampanga after Angeles City and City of San Fernando. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 215,610 people.

The city's name is derived from the ancient "balacat" trees which were found abundantly in the area.

Mabalacat has a land area of 83.18 square kilometres (32.12 sq mi). Roughly 60% of the Clark Freeport Zone is located in Mabalacat, the rest in nearby Angeles City, where the Clark main gate is located and which is served by the Clark International Airport with its numerous hotels, casinos, golf courses, and resorts.

The soil is charcoal black and shiny, a sign of fertility, and is suitable for growing rice, sugarcane and other rootcrops. Like Porac, Santa Rita, Magalang, and Angeles City, this city never gets inundated by floods from heavy rain because it is situated on an elevated plain known as the "Upper Pampanga".