Canigao Island
Canigao is an islet located in the Philippines, near the municipality of Matalom, Leyte. The area is known for abundant fishing grounds and scenic coral reef areas suitable for diving.
Canigao Island is uninhabited, featuring a lighthouse as its only significant man-made structure. The beaches have white sand, with tropical sea creatures and extensive coral reef in the surrounding waters. The climate is tropical and similar to that found in other areas of the Philippine islands. These natural features often attract tourists and scuba divers, who arrive at the island by traveling from Matalom (in the province of Leyte). The western and northern part of Canigao island is placed under nature protection as a sanctuary. Due to this, activities such as swimming, diving, fishing, snorkeling, and boating in the protected areas are limited by law.
Calaguas group of islands
The Calaguas is located in the Philippine province of Camarines Norte. It includes the major islands of Tinaga Island and Guintinua Island, the minor Maculabo Island, as well as several other minor islands. Most of the islands are under the administrative jurisdiction of Vinzons, while the minor island of Maculabo is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Paracale. Recently, the island of Tinaga where the well-known long beach called Mahabang Buhangin is located is experiencing an influx of tourists despite the absence of accommodation. Campers and backpackers visit Mahabang Buhangin to experience its powdery white sands.
The recent popularity of Calaguas Island has brought many tourists and travelers, especially during the summer. This has worried some of the natives and locals that increased tourism might lead to the detriment of the island's peace and serenity. This is why the local government has created a program that will hold everyone responsible for taking care of Calaguas Island With the local community's effort is to safeguard and protect the well-being of the island. Big and small tour operators are encouraged to preserve the quiet and peaceful nature of Calaguas Island. Most small and local tour island operators such as Calaguas Local and other tour operators are helping the community move towards better local eco-tourism in the island.
Palawan
Palawan is the largest island of the province of Palawan in the Philippines and the fifth largest island of the country. The northern coast of the island is along the South China Sea, while the southern coast forms part of the northern limit of the Sulu Sea. This island is very undeveloped and traditional. Abundant wildlife, Jungle Mountains, and white sandy beaches attract many tourists.
As of 2016, the main island of Palawan is rated the "Most Beautiful Island in the World" as voted by respective readers of rival travel publications Conde Nast Traveller and Travel + Leisure.[2][3] It is the second year running that Palawan has won the Conde Nast Traveller award, as well as the second time in four years that it has occupied Travel + Leisure's top spot (2013). El Nido, located at the northern tip of the island, is also currently rated the "Most Beautiful Beach in the World" by Conde Nast Traveller readers. In 2007, National Geographic Traveler magazine rated Palawan the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region, having "incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes. One of the most biodiverse (terrestrial and marine) islands in the Philippines. The island has had a Biosphere Reserve status since early 1990s, showing local interest for conservation and sustainable development".
Boracay Island
Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315 km south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards from numerous travel publications and agencies. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak in the municipality of Malay, in Aklan Province. The island is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan. Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation. It is also emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife. Boracay was awarded as the 2012 best island in the world from the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure. In 2014, the resort island was at the top of the Best Islands in the World list published by the international magazine Condé Nast Traveler. In 2016, Boracay headed the magazine's list of Top 10 destinations to watch.
The name Boracay is attributed to different origins. One story says that it is derived from the local word "borac" which means white cotton with characteristics close to the color and texture of Boracay's white sugary and powdery sand. Another credits the name to local words "bora," meaning bubbles, and "bocay," meaning white. Yet another version dating back to the Spanish era says the name is derived from "sagay," the word for a shell, and "boray," the word for seed.
The first settlers of Boracay were a Negrito people called the Ati, and who spoke a Visayan language called Inati. Later settlers brought other languages to the island, including Aklanon (as Boracay is part of Aklan province), Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), Capiznon, Kinaray-a, other Visayan languages, Filipino and English.
Bantayan Island
Bantayan Island is an island located in the Visayan Sea, Philippines. It is situated to the west of the northern end of Cebu island, across the Tañon Strait. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 125,726. The island area is 110.71 square kilometres (42.75 sq mi). The island is mostly covered with coconut palms; the elevation is mostly below 30 metres (100 ft), with only one taller hill, at 60 metres (200 ft), in barangay Atop-atop.
Bantayan is the main and largest island of the Bantayan island group that lies close to the geographical centre of the Philippine archipelago. The island group includes numerous smaller islands (some uninhabited or uninhabitable), mostly around the southwest corner of the island. About 20 of these islets stretch for about 8 kilometres (5 miles) southwest from Bantayan municipality port area, with some nearer ones being accessible on foot from the main island at low tide. The islands are beside the busy shipping lanes for ships and ferries coming from Mindanao or Cebu City on their way to Manila. The islands are all small and green and low, virtually indistinguishable one from another.
Siquijor
Siquijor is a 5th provincial income class island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor. To the northwest of Siquijor are Cebu and Negros, to the northeast is Bohol and to the south, across the Bohol Sea, is Mindanao. Siquijor is the third smallest province in the country, in terms of population as well as land area (after Camiguin and Batanes). For a time it was part of Negros Oriental. During the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the Spaniards called the island Island of Fire. Siquijor is commonly associated with mystic traditions that the island's growing tourism industry capitalizes on.
Siquijor was popularly known for traditional folk healing and bewitching myths of sorcery. Aside from its mystical charm, Siquijor is home to tempting beaches, multi-tiered waterfalls, old spiritual structures and mountains. You can even ask the locals to point you to a faith healer.
The island of Siquijor has 2 sea ports capable of servicing cargo and passenger sea crafts, and an airfield capable of handling smaller and mostly privately owned airplanes. he literacy rate of 92.5% is one of the highest in the country.
Batan Island
Batan Island is the main island of Batanes, an archipelagic province in the Philippines. It is the second largest of the Batanes Islands, the northernmost group of islands in the country. Four of the six municipalities of Batanes are located on the 20-kilometer (12 mi) long island including the provincial capital of Basco. The other municipalities are Ivana, Mahatao and Uyugan.
Batan is a dumbbell-shaped volcanic island, part of the Luzon Volcanic Arc. The northern part of the island is dominated by the 1,009-meter (3,310 ft) high active volcano, Mount Iraya, which last erupted in 1454. The lower portion of the island is the inactive volcano Mount Matarem, about 405 meters (1,329 ft) tall. A hilly narrow neck of land, about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) long and from 1.9 to 2.5 kilometers (1.2 to 1.6 mi) wide, separates the two volcanoes of the island. Near Mt. Matarem, the island is at its widest at about 6.5 kilometers (4.0 mi). Sabtang Island, the nearest island to Batan is located about 4.5 kilometers (2.8 mi) southwest of the southern tip of the island. Itbayat, the largest island of the archipelago, is about 32 kilometers (20 mi) northwest of the central part of Batan.
The Japanese invasion of the Philippines began with the invasion of Batan Island by a 490-man naval combat unit and an indeterminate number of air corps troops, on two transports escorted by one destroyer and four torpedo boats. This was the first landing on American territory, the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japanese forces quickly secured the existing small airfield outside Basco without resistance and began expansion work immediately as a forward base for operations against Luzon. however, work was discontinued only a few days later as the success of the Japanese bombing of Clark Field rendered a base at Basco redundant. On 10 December 1941, the naval combat force was withdrawn.
Corregidor Island
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war. Located 48 kilometres (30 mi) inland, Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, from the colonial rule of Spain, Japan and the United States, to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946.
Corregidor (Fort Mills) is the largest of the islands that formed the harbor defenses of Manila Bay together with El Fraile Island (Fort Drum), Caballo Island (Fort Hughes) and Carabao Island (Fort Frank), which were all fortified during the American liberation of the country. The island was also the site of a small military airfield, as part of the defense.
During World War II, Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Corregidor is one of the important historic and tourist sites in the country.
Corregidor and Caballo islands are remnants of a volcanic crater, the Corregidor Caldera, which was last active about one million years ago. However, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) still classifies Corregidor as a potentially active volcano.
Bucas Grande Island
Bucas Grande is an island in the province of Surigao del Norte in the Philippines. The island is contiguous with the municipality of Socorro, Surigao del Norte. Its area is 128 square kilometres.
Bucas Grande Island is situated on the far eastern part of the province of Surigao del Norte. The lone-island municipality of the island is the municipality of Socorro, Surigao del Norte. The latter is a lone island municipality in the entire province. Bucas Grande Island lies within the breadth of the Pacific and is physically located at coordinates 9° 37′ 17″ North, 125° 58′ 0″ East. It has a total land area of 12,445 hectares and currently holds a count of more than 20,000 inhabitants and a voting population of over 13,000. People have settled in 14 barangays of the municipality namely: Barangays Don Albino Taruc, Navarro, Rizal, Del Pilar, Dona Helene, Honrado, Nueva Estrella, Pamosaingan, Salog, San Roque, Sudlon, Santa Cruz, Songkoy and N. Sering.
Caramoan Island
Caramoan Island is located in the lower eastern part of Camarines Sur in the Bicol region of the Philippine archipelago. It is a first-class municipality, a rugged place of land extending into the waters of the Maqueda Channel on the north and east and Lagonoy Gulf on the south. It has a 4,000- hectare limestone forest well-endowed with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It boasts of having perfect white sand beaches, tranquil lakes, deep caves, coves and rich marine life.
Very little is known about Caramoan. Isolated from the rest of Camarines Sur, it is no surprise why Philippine's Secret Paradise remains unexploited from commercial tourism.Caramoan gives 'island hopping' a new meaning. Enjoy its beauty in many ways. Great ocean adventures for kayakers, snorkle and scuba dive to experience the diverse marine life, trek and search for the enigmatic lagoon, rock climb the limestone cliffs, explore the caves or just star gaze at night.
Malapascua Island
Malapascua Island is a Philippine island situated in the Visayan Sea, 6.8 kilometres across a shallow strait from the northernmost tip of Cebu Island. Administratively, it is part of the insular barangay of Logon, Daanbantayan, Cebu. Malapascua is a small island, only about 2.5 by 1 kilometre (1.55 by 0.62 mi), and has eight hamlets.
Malapascua became famous fairly recently, only in the early 1990s as a dive destination. Prior to this, the island was known for its wide white sand beach, known as Bounty Beach; it has also become known for its beautiful coral gardens, coral walls and excellent local dive spots, as well as further-out sites including Gato Island, Monad Shoal, and Kemod Shoal. Monad Shoal is an underwater plateau where thresher sharks and manta rays can regularly be sighted. Most of the islanders derive their livelihood from tourism, while some still rely on subsistence fishing and farming.
Religiously, Malapascua Island or barangay Logon is believed to be the place where the Virgin de los Desamparados made a miracle sometime in 1890 when the island had only nine households of the Monteclar, Deogrades, Rosales, Gulfan, Rubio, Bohol and Bruces families. It was said to be a piece of wood that had never burnt. In 1907 the parish priest of Kandaya, now Daanbantayan town, Rev. Fr. Inocentes Maga, baptized it of its name upon the request of the local residents. The size of the image is not the original size and it is said to be growing until present. Devotees from different parts of the country and even abroad come during the feast days on May 11 and 12. The chapel was originally made of coconut palm and leaves but now it is made of steel and cement.
Vanishing island
Vanishing island refers to any permanent island which is exposed at low tide but is submersed at high tide. Vanishing islands occur globally. There are seven vanishing islands in the Philippines and several in the San Juan Islands.
n early times, seamen were confused by this phenomenon and invented explanations for it, usually involving a massive sea monster that would let a crew land on its back before submersing itself, drowning the crew. Notable examples of these include the aspidochelone, Fastitocalon, Jasconius, Lyngbakr, Hafgufa, and various accounts of the kraken.
.
