Basco is a 5th class municipality in the Batanes Province, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. It is the capital municipality of Batanes. According to the latest census, it has a population of 7,517 people in 1,469 households.

Basco is located on Batan Island

Batan Island

Batan island is the main island of the Batanes Province in the Philippines, part of the Batanes Islands group and the Luzon Volcanic Arc. It is home to the provincial capital Basco. The island is known chiefly for Mount Iraya....

, the second largest island among the Batanes Islands which comprises the province, and are the northernmost islands of the Philippines. Basco has a domestic airport, Basco Airport

Basco Airport

Basco Airport is an airport serving the province of Batanes in the Philippines. It is located in the provincial capital, Basco, and is one of two airports in the Batanes Islands, the other being Itbayat Airport...

, serving flights from Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 and Baguio.

The town is named after Capitán General José Basco

José Basco y Vargas

José Basco y Vargas, 1st Count of the Conquest of Batanes Islands was a naval officer who served as the 53rd governor of the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule, from 1778 to 1787...

, who led the Philippines to freedom from the control of New Spain

New Spain

New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...

, which is today Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

The Basco Lighthouse

Basco Lighthouse

Basco Lighthouse is a lighthouse in the town of Basco in Batanes, the northernmost province in the Philippines. Located in Naidi Hills in Barangay San Antonio, the lush green hills and the open sea provide a beautiful backdrop for the lighthouse...

 is one of the landmarks.

Barangays

Basco is politically subdivided into 6 barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

s. The sitio of Diptan was converted into a barrio, known as San Antonio, in 1955. Also in the same year, the sitios of Coral, Hago, Tuva, Diojango, Canalaan, Honaan and Dimnalamay were converted into the barrio of San Joaquin.

• Ihuvok II (Kayvaluganan)
• Ihuvok I (Kaychanarianan)
• San Antonio
• San Joaquin
• Chanarian
• Kayhuvokan

Schools

• Basco Central School
• Diptan Elementary School
• Batanes National Science High School
• Saint Dominic College
• Batanes State College
• Valugan Barrio School
• Tukon Barrio School
• Chanarian Barrio School

Transportation

Basco is accessible by air from Manila via SEAIR, Laoag via Sky Pasada and Batanes Air, Tuguegarao, Cagayan via Sky Pasada and Batanes Airlines.

Climate

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information