The Province of Batanes is the smallest province of the Philippines. Batanes is a collection of 10 islands called the Batanes Islands who's capital is Basco and are located at approx 160kms off Luzon mainland in the Luzon Strait making them the northernmost part of the Philippines. The main islands being Batan, Itbayat and Sabtang. The remaining islands are Mavudis, Misanga, Ditarem, Siayan, Dinem, Ivuhos and Diadekey which are uninhabited.
The people from Batan are called Ivatans and are said to be decended from Austronesians who migrated to the Batanes islands about 4000 years ago. They lived in fortified mountain areas called Idjangs and drank sugar-cane wine. They also used gold as currency and had a triving agricultural industry. They were also seafarers and boat-builders.
In 1783, the Spanish claimed Batanes and made it part of the Philippines. However, the Ivatan remained on their idjangs. 7 years later the Spanish ordered that all Ivatans were to leave their mountain dwellings, come to live in the lowlands, dress like all other Filipinos and start paying taxes.
Batanes was the first part of the Philippines to be occupied by the invading Japanese forces. On December 8th 1941 the Japanese landed in Batenes and used an airfield built the Americans about 20 years earlier to take part in the raid on Clark Airbase on that very same day.
After committing atrocities against the Ivatan people during the sacond world war, Batanes was liberated by Philippines Commonwealth forces in 1945 after the Battle of Batanes.
