LAND AREA:

 

The total area of Batanes is estimated at 23,000 hectares (230 square kilometers), a size that is only a third of that Metro Manila. Batan, Itbayat, and Sabtang islands make up 90 percent of the province's land area. They are likewise the only inhabited ones. The rest of the province consists of the islands of Duquey, Ivuhos, Mavudis, Diogo, North Island and Y'ami. Ivuhos and Mavudis, while unpopulated, are used as communal pasture areas by residents of nearby Sabtang Island.

 

TOPOGRAPHY:

 

The province is hilly and mountainous, with only 1,631.50 hectares or 7.10% of its area level to undulating and 78.20% or 17,994.40 hectares varying in terms from rolling to steep and very steep. Forty two percent (42%) or 9,734.40 hectares are steep to very steep land. Because of the terrain of the province, drainage is good and prolonged flooding is non-existent. The main island of Batan has the largest share of level and nearly level lands, followed by Itbayat and Sabtang, respectively. Itbayat has gently rolling hills and nearly level areas on semi-plateaus surrounded by continuous massive cliffs rising from 20-70 meters above sea level, with no shorelines. Sabtang on the other hand, has its small flat areas spread sporadically on its coasts, while its interior is dominated by steep mountains and deep canyons. Batan Island and Sabtang have intermittent stretches of sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. The terrain of the province while picturesque at almost every turn, has limited the potential for expansion of agriculture in an already very small province.