Geography of Batanes Province!
The Batanes island group is the smallest province in the Philippines in terms of population and land area. The capital of Batanes, Basco is 280 kilometers north of Aparri, Cagayan (the tip of main island of Luzon) while it is only 190 kilometers south of Taiwan. Batanes lies in the vast waters of the Philippine Sea where the Pacific meets China sea. An area that for generations is almost isolated from the rest of the Philippines. Batanes consist of 10 tiny islands and islets namely: Batan, Sabtang, Itbayat, Mavudis, Siayan, Diogo, North Island and Y'ami. Only the first three islands are inhabited.
The island-province is strewn on a 4,500 square kilometer expanse of territorial waters, the Luzon Strait and Balintang Channel, where the Pacific Ocean merges with the South China Sea, a sealane between the Philippines and the southern parts of Japan, China, Hongkong, and Taiwan. It is bounded on the north by the Bashi Channel, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the south by the Balintang Channel.
Batanes is about 860 kilometers (approx. 525 miles) from Manila. Basco, the capital town, is 280 kilometers north of Aparri and 190 kilometers south of Taiwan.
The province is hilly and mountainous, with only 1,631.50 hectares or 7.10% of its area level and 78.20% or 17,994.40 hectares varying in terms from rolling to steep and very steep. Forty two percent (42%) or 9,734.40 hectares are steep to very steep land. Drainage is good and prolonged flooding is non-existent because of the terrain of the province. The main island of Batan has the largest share of level and nearly level lands, followed by Itbayat and Sabtang, respectively. Itbayat has gently rolling hills and nearly level areas on semi-plateaus surrounded by continuous massive cliffs rising from 20-70 meters above sea level, with no shorelines. Sabtang on the other hand, has its small flat areas spread sporadically on its coasts, while its interior is dominated by steep mountains and deep canyons. Batan Island and Sabtang have intermittent stretches of sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. The terrain of the province while picturesque at almost every turn, has limited the potential for expansion of agriculture in an already very small province.
The weather of Batanes is cool and windy. The province has a semi-temperate climate due to its location. Temperature ranges from 14 degrees centigrade in December and January to 37 degrees centigrade during the humid months of July. Batanes lies along the typhoon belt and gets hit by strong typhoons. It has an average monthly rainfall of 450 mm. March to May are the summer months in Batanes with the least rainfall .