Bataan is a province in Central Luzon that encompasses the whole area of the Bataan Peninsula in Luzon. It is located near provinces like Zambales and Pampanga. It’s capital city is the Balanga City. The Balanga Peninsula faces the South China Sea (West), Subic Bay (North West) and it’s also close to the Manila Bay (East). The province has a total of 662,153 population. Compared to other provinces, Bataan is still considered as a less urbanized place since it only has one city. Bataan is composed of 11 municipalities namely: Abucay, Bagac, Dinalupihan, Hermosa, Limay, Mariveles, Morong, Orani, Orion, Pilar and Samal.
Because the province is surrounded by the sea, the main source of living here is fishing. Farming is also applied in some parts of Balanga City. Specifically, the Bataan Peninsula is an extension of the Zambales Mountains which is located in the Northern part of Luzon. The province serves as the boundary of Manila Bay from the South China Sea. There are various mountains located in Bataan namely: Mount Natib which is located in the northern part of another chain of mountains and the Mariveles Mountains (located in south). In the Southern extent of the Mariveles Mountains, there’s the Mount Samat which is known for the big cross building on its peak. The latter is also considered as the location of the Bataan Death March, a very distinctive mark in the Philippine history.
This province is also rich in tour spots and tourist, goes well annually. Bataan has three historical places which are: The 411-year old First Abucay Catholic Church, Mount Samat with the Shrine of Valor and the Zero Kilometre Death March Marker located in Mariveles. There are also nature-made places of interest to check out like the: Dunsulan Falls, Tarak Ridge in Mariveles, Pasukulan Falls in Abucay, Mariveles Volcano, Sibul Spring in Abucay, San Miguel Mountain Peak in Mariveles and Balong Anito in Mariveles.
Other than the land-based nature parks in Bataan, top-rated beach resorts can also be seen here. There’s the Camaya Coast and Villa Imperial Resort located in Mariveles, the Baptist Camp Resort in Limay Bataan and the Montemar in Bagac.
For the infrastructure, this province was once known for the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. It was built and completed but was never fueled. The establishment was built during the Martial Law which is under the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. However, the power plant was never operated because of some major issues like building the establishment on major earthquake fault lines which is even close to Mount Pinatubo.
Although Bataan not considered as one of the most famous provinces in the country, there are a lot of things to see here that will make you think that it’s definitely good place to visit.