Bataan

This article is about the Philippine province. For other uses, see Bataan (disambiguation).

Bataan
Province
Flag Official seal of Bataan Seal
Location in the Philippines
Coordinates:
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Luzon (Region III)
Founded	1754
Capital	Balanga City
Government
• Type	Province of the Philippines
• Governor	Albert S. Garcia (NUP)
• Vice Governor	Efren Dominic E. Pascual, Jr. (LP)
Area
• Total	1,372.98 km2 (530.11 sq mi)
Area rank	72nd out of 80
Population (2010)
• Total	687,482
• Rank	40th out of 80
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
• Density rank	8th out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	1
• Municipalities	11
• Barangays	237
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Bataan
Demographics
• Ethnic groups	Tagalog (88%), Kapampangan (4%), Ilocano (2%), Others (3%)
• Languages	Tagalog, Kapampangan, English
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	2100 - 2114
Dialing code	+63 (0){{safesubst:#property:P473}}
ISO 3166 code	{{safesubst:#property:P300}}
Website	http://{{safesubst:#property:P856}}

Bataan (/bɑːtɑːˈɑːn/) is a province in the Philippines situated in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Balanga. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon, Bataan is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

The Battle of Bataan is famous in history as one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by the Japanese forces in World War II. The Bataan Death March was named after the province, where the infamous march started.

Located within the province is the Philippines' only nuclear power plant, the Bataan.

History

In 1647, Dutch naval forces landed in country in an attempt to seize the islands from Spain. The Dutch massacred the people of Abucay in Bataan.

Historian Cornelio Bascara documents that the province of Bataan was established in January 11, 1757 by Governor-General Pedro Manuel Arandia out of territories belonging to Pampanga and the corregimiento of Mariveles which, at the time, included Maragondon, Cavite across the Manila Bay.

March 1942: burning houses after a Japanese bombing raid in Bataan

World War II

Main article: Battle of Bataan

Bataan featured prominently during World War II. Prior to the 1941 Japanese invasion, the US Army stored nearly 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800 m³) of gasoline there.

Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined US and Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the US. Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points. The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to march more than a 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Bataan to Tarlac, which became known as the Bataan Death March.

Further information: Bataan Death March

Geography

Bataan as seen from Manila Bay

Physical

The province covers the entire Bataan Peninsula, a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains jutting out into the South China Sea, enclosing the Manila Bay. At the northern portion of the peninsula is Mount Natib (elevation 1,253 metres (4,111 ft)) and its surrounding mountains, separated from Mount Samat and the Mariveles Mountains in the south by a pass.

A narrow coastline plain characterizes the eastern portion of the province, while the western coast features many ridges, cliffs and headlands.

Administrative divisions

Bataan is politically subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1 component city.

City or Municipality District Area (km²) Population (2010) Density (per km²) No. of barangays ZIP code Income class Coordinates Abucay 1st 79.72 37,719 473.1 9 2114 3rd Bagac 2nd 231.2 25,568 110.6 14 2107 3rd Balanga † 2nd 111.63 87,920 787.6 25 2100 4th Dinalupihan 1st 92.52 97,275 1051.4 46 2110 1st Hermosa 1st 157 56,997 363 23 2111 1st Limay 2nd 103.6 57,207 552.2 12 2103 1st Mariveles 2nd 153.9 112,707 732.3 18 2105 1st Morong 1st 219.2 26,171 119.4 5 2108 3rd Orani 1st 64.9 61,099 941.4 29 2112 1st Orion 2nd 65.41 51,454 786.6 23 2102 2nd Pilar 2nd 37.6 39,787 1058.2 19 2101 3rd Samal 1st 56.3 33,578 596.4 14 2113 4th  †  Provincial capital and component city      Municipality Coordinates mark the city/town center vicinity, and are sorted according to latitude. Income classifications for cities are italicized.

Demographics

Population census of Bataan
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	425,803	—
1995	491,459	+2.72%
2000	557,659	+2.75%
2007	662,153	+2.40%
2010	687,482	+1.38%
Source: National Statistics Office

Religion

Various religious groups are exercised by the people but Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion comprising 85% of Bataan population, in fact Bataan has some of the most beautiful historical Catholic Churches in the country. Aglipayan as well as several Christian faiths are the minority.

Education

Schools, colleges and universities

2

Tourist attractions

Historical places

• Bataan Death March Marker (Orani)
• Bataan First Line of Defense (Layac, Dinalupihan)
• First Abucay Catholic Church (The 411-year-old Church, 3rd oldest church in the Philippines)
• Mount Samat - Shrine of Valor (Pilar, Bataan)
• Virgen Milagrosa del Rosario del Pueblo de Orani Shrine (Formerly Holy Rosary Parish Church) (Orani)
• Zero Kilometre Death March Marker (Mariveles)

Natural places of interest

2

Notable people from Bataan

2

See also

• Bataan Provincial Expressway
• Geography of the Philippines
• List of radio stations in Bataan
• Petron Corporation (formerly known as Bataan Refining Corporation)
• Provinces of the Philippines
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga

External links

• Geographic data related to Bataan at OpenStreetMap
• Bataan Official Website

1. REDIRECT Template:Administrative divisions of the Philippines