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Bataan is a province of
the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central
Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is
Balanga City and is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces
South China Sea to the west and encloses its arm, Manila Bay, to the east.
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 for this province, where the infamous march started.
People and Culture
Economy
Geography
Political
Bataan is subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1
city.
City
Municipalities
- Abucay
- Bagac
- Dinalupihan
- Hermosa
- Limay
- Mariveles
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- Morong
- Orani
- Orion
- Pilar
- Samal
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Physical
The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales
Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea. The peninsula features Mount Natib (1,253 m) in the north
and the Mariveles Mountains in the south, which includes Mount Samat, the location of the historical marker for the Bataan Death March.
History
Early History
The province of Bataan was established in 1754 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.
In 1647, Dutch naval forces landed
in country in an attempt to seize the islands from Spain. The forces massacred the people
of Abucay in Bataan. In the
late 1700s, Limahong, a Chinese pirate
used Bataan as the launching point for his conquest of Luzon, which was unsuccessful.
World War II
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 here.
Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined
forces of Filipino and American forces were overrun and General
Douglas MacArthur, was forced to retreat leaving behind tens of thousands of soldiers to make a last stand in Bataan. On
January 7, 1942, the Japanese started the
siege on the peninsula. On April 3 the Japanese forces began an all-out assault on
the American and Filipino troops left on the peninsula. Bataan fell several days later on April 9 and the Bataan Death March began (see
Fall of Bataan). About 70,000
captured American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march more than a hundred kilometers from Bataan to Tarlac.
Tourist Attractions
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External links
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