Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest, both in terms of population and land area, among the provinces of the Philippines. The province lies on a group of islands (called the Batanes Islands) in the Luzon Strait and is part of the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Basco and is separated from the Babuyan Islands of Cagayan province by the Balintang Channel and from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel . The northenmost island is Mavudis Island . The other islands are Misanga, Ditarem, Siayan, Itbayat, Dinem, Batan, Sabtang, Vuhus, and Diadekey. Only Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang are inhabited. Batanes is about 190 kilometers south of Taiwan.

People and Culture

The indigenious people here are called Ivatan, who are linguistically, racially and culturally closer to the Taiwanese aborigines than to the Filipinos. The main languages here are Ivatan, Ichbayaten, and Ilocano, of which the former two are of Formosan origin. This accounts for their cultural dissimlarities with the Filipinos.

Economy

Geography

Political

Batanes is subdivided into 6 municipalities.

Municipalities

Physical

Batanes lies on a group of islands collectively called Batanes Islands and they are the northernmost islands of the Philippines. They are located between the Babuyan Islands (belonging to Cagayan Province) and Taiwan. The islands are sparsely populated and subject to frequent typhoons.

The three largest islands are Itbayat , Batan, and Sabtang . The northernmost is Mavudis Island .

History

External links

• Northern Luzon cultures