The Philippines is an archipelagic nation composed of 7,107 islands,
located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by the Philippines Sea on the
East, the South China Sea on the West and the Celebes Sea on the South.
Out of 7,107 Islands in the
Philippines, Palawan comprises over 1,700 of them. It is the second
largest province in the country. Palawan is located between Mindoro
Island and North Borneo. Its multitude of islands and islets has a wide
collection of tropical flora and fauna such as the various Palawan
Orchid species and Palawan Cherry Blossom and not to mention the
Palawan Bear cats and mouse deer. The presence of over 323 species of
wildlife in Palawan gained the Province the title "Haven of the
Philippine Wildlife".
Palawan
probably has more protected areas than any other province in the
Philippines. Aside from the Calauit Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern
Calamianes islands the northern coastline, the El Nido Marine Reserve
is noted for its edible birds’ nests and limestone cliffs. In the
middle of the Sulu Sea lie the Tubbataha reefs, a pair of coral atolls
recently named as a World Heritage Site for its highly diverse
collection of fishes and other marine life. Along the west coast, the
St. Paul Subterranean National Park features old-growth forests,
cathedral caves, white sand beaches, and one of the longest underground
rivers in the world. In the South, Ursula Island is a haven for
migratory and resident birds. (www.7107islandscruise.net/cruises.html)
The Calamian Group of Islands is located on the northernmost portion of the Palawan
Province and includes more than 300 habitable islands with around 600
islands all together. The main islands are Busuanga, Coron, Culion,
Calauit, and Linapacan.
The islands
have a largely transient population coming from the Visayas while parts
of which are inhabited by the Calamian and Tagbanua tribes.
The
Calamian Group of Islands is rich with coral reefs, mangrove forests reserve, sandy
beaches, protected bays and inlets, and majestic karsts and cliff
formations which provides diverse array of marine and coastal habitats,
making it one of the most bio diverse group of islands in the
Philippines. Coral reefs, sea grass and mangroves border every island
that is why some of them are nesting grounds for sea turtles, inhabited
by dugongs as well as two species of endangered marine crocodiles,
making it a high potential area for marine tourism.
