Balabac Island
Balabac Island is the southern-most island of the Palawan province in the Philippines, only about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait.
Balabac Island Location within Palawan | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Balabac Strait |
Coordinates | 7°56′31″N 117°0′29″E |
Archipelago | Balabac Group of Islands |
Adjacent bodies of water | |
Administration | |
Philippines | |
Region | Mimaropa |
Province | Palawan |
Municipality | Balabac |
Administratively, the island forms the main part of Balabac Municipality and is divided into 14 barangays (the other 6 barangays of the municipality are on other nearby islands):
- Agutayan
- Catagupan
- Indalawan
- Malaking Ilog
- Melville
- Pasig
- Rabor
- Salang
- Poblacion I
- Poblacion II
- Poblacion III
- Poblacion IV
- Poblacion V
- Poblacion VI
Balabac Island is home to various endemic species. It is the home of birds like the grey imperial pigeon (Ducula pickeringii), Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), blue-headed racket-tail (Prioniturus platenae), and the Palawan hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei). The Philippine mouse-deer, a subspecies of the greater mouse-deer (Tragulus napu) can only be found in this island.
The Molbogs, a Muslim ethnolinguistic group, is concentrated in this island. Their livelihood includes farming, fishing and barter trading with the nearby Mapun and Sabah market centres.