Calamian Islands

The Calamian Islands, also called the Calamianes, are an archipelago in the Philippines. They are located within the province of Palawan. This group of islands includes major landmasses like Coron, Culion, Busuanga, and Linapacan. Many smaller islands also make up this maritime region. The archipelago spans a wide area of the sea. It is a significant part of the North Palawan Block. This is a microcontinental fragment. It is made of accretionary complexes. These complexes consist of sedimentary rocks from the Upper Paleozoic to the Mesozoic eras.

Geology defines the physical look of these islands. The islands are composed of various types of rock. Coron Island is the third-largest island in the group. It features steep limestone cliffs and karst formations. Karst refers to landscapes shaped by the dissolving of soluble rocks. Coron also has mangrove forests and eleven inland lakes. Some notable lakes include Barracuda Lake and Lake Cabugao. Kayangan Lake is also found here. It is considered the cleanest lake in the country.

The specific rock types vary between the islands. Busuanga and Culion consist mainly of the Liminangcong Formation. This is a chert from the Permian to the Late Jurassic period. Chert is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock. This chert forms the distinguishing mountain ranges of the area. On Busuanga, the valleys are formed differently. They consist of Middle-Late Jurassic Guinlo Formation clastics. Clastics are rocks made of fragments of older rocks. In Coron, you can see highly deformed bedded cherts. These are part of the Liminangcong chert.

History shows that many different powers controlled the islands. Before the Spanish arrived, the Calamianes belonged to the nation of Sandao. Sandao was a vassal state of Ma-i. Ma-i was located at nearby Mindoro. Later, the Brunei and Sulu Sultanates held the islands. The Spanish eventually established the Provincia de Calamianes. This was a politico-militar province. They also built a Presidio here. A Presidio is a Spanish military garrison. In the 1670s, almost 100 Mexican soldier-colonists arrived. The Spanish Empire later purchased mainland Paragua from the Sultan of Borneo. By the end of the 1700s, there were 2,289 native families. In 1818, there were only two settler Spanish families. One family was from Spain. The other was born in the Philippines.

During the American occupation from 1898 to 1948, things changed again. The old Provincia de Calamianes was dissolved. It was joined with the Island of Paragua. Together, they became the new province of Palawan. This period marked a shift in how the islands were governed. The administrative structure moved from Spanish control to American administration. This change helped shape the modern province we see today. It connected the islands more closely to the mainland Palawan system.

Each island also hosts unique biological features. Calauit Island contains a special wildlife sanctuary. President Ferdinand Marcos established this park in the 1970s. It was originally built to house African species. This included animals like giraffes and zebras. Today, the park supports endemic Philippine fauna. Endemic means these animals are found only in this area. You can find Philippine macaques and wild pigs there. The park also hosts hornbills, sea turtles, and dugongs. These animals live within the natural ecosystem of the island.

The Calamian Tagbanwa are the indigenous people of this region. They are a distinct group from the Tagbanwa on mainland Palawan. They traditionally lead semi-nomadic, marine-based lives. This means they move frequently and rely on the sea. In 2004, they received a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title. This legal document covers 24,520 hectares. It includes areas like Coron Island. The Tagbanwa follow customary laws. These laws regulate how resources are used. They include prohibitions on illegal fishing. They also provide protection for sacred sites. However, modernization and migration create new pressures on these traditions.