Batanes facts for kids

Map of the Philippines showing the location of Batanes

The provincial flag of Batanes

The provincial seal of Batanes

Batanes is a special group of islands in the Philippines. It's the northernmost province in the country, meaning it's the closest to the top of the map! It's also the smallest province, both in how many people live there and how much land it covers. The main town and capital is Basco, which is on the island of Batan.

These islands are about 162 kilometers (about 100 miles) north of the big island of Luzon in the Philippines. They are also about 190 kilometers (about 118 miles) south of Taiwan. Batanes is separated from other Philippine islands called the Babuyan Islands by a sea area known as the Balintang Channel. Another sea area, the Bashi Channel, separates Batanes from Taiwan.

Images for kids

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  An Ivatan holding one of many types of traditional Ivatan baskets.

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  A Sinadumparan Ivatan house, one of the oldest structures in the Batanes islands. The house is made of limestone and coral and its roofing of cogon grass.

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  Batanes Hills

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  Batanes Stone house

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  Political divisions
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  An elderly Ivatan woman inside her house.

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  Livestock freely roaming in the green hills in Batanes

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  White sand beach at Sabtang island

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  An old Spanish bridge in Ivana

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  A rocky shore in Batanes

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  Gloomy sky over the lighthouse in Basco