Bataan (/bɑːtɑːˈɑːn/; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Bataan; Kapampangan: Lalauígan ning Bataan) is

a province situated in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the City of
Balanga. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula on Luzon, Bataan is bordered by the provinces
of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west
and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

The Battle of 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 after the province, where the infamous march started.

Contents
 1 History
o 1.1 Classical Period
o 1.2 Colonial Period
o 1.3 World War II
 2 Geography
o 2.1 Administrative divisions
 3 Demographics
o 3.1 Ethnicity
o 3.2 Religion
 4 Education
o 4.1 Schools, colleges and universities
 5 Tourist attractions
o 5.1 Historical places
 5.1.1 Churches
 5.1.2 Other places of interest
o 5.2 Natural places of interest
 6 Infrastructure
o 6.1 Power
 6.1.1 Generation
 6.1.2 Distribution
o 6.2 Sea ports / terminals
o 6.3 Airport
o 6.4 Highways, expressways and national roads
 7 Notable people
 8 See also
 9 References
 10 External links

History
Classical Period
The first inhabitants of the Bataan peninsula are the Ayta Magbeken people, who are one of the
first Negrito ancestors of present-day Filipinos. Later on, Tagalog communities from southern
Luzon migrated to parts of Bataan and the Ayta Magbeken migrated towards the mountain areas
of Bataan by the end of the 16th century.

Colonial Period

In 1647, Dutch naval forces landed in country in an attempt to seize the islands from Spain. The
Dutch massacred the people of Abucay in Bataan.

Historian Cornelio Bascara documents that the province of Bataan was established on January
11, 1757 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.[3][4]

World War II

Main article: Battle of Bataan

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 there.

March 1942: burning houses after a Japanese bombing raid in Bataan

Shortly after the Japanese Army invaded the country in December 1941, the combined US and
Filipino forces were being gradually overrun and General Douglas MacArthur moved his troops
to the Bataan Peninsula in an attempt to hold out until a relief force could be sent from the US.
Japanese forces started a siege of the peninsula on January 7, 1942, and launched an all-out
assault on April 3, a few months after the Battle of the Points.

The majority of the American and Filipino forces surrendered on April 9 and were forced to
march more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac, which became known as
the Bataan Death March.

Further information: Bataan Death March

Geography
Bataan as seen from Manila Bay

The province has an area of 1,372.98 square kilometres (530.11 sq mi),[5] and covers the entire
Bataan Peninsula, a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains jutting out into the South China
Sea, enclosing the Manila Bay. At the northern portion of the peninsula is Mount Natib
(elevation 1,253 metres (4,111 ft)) and its surrounding mountains, separated from Mount Samat
and the Mariveles Mountains in the south by a pass.[4]

A narrow coastline plain characterizes the eastern portion of the province, while the western
coast features many ridges, cliffs and headlands