Babuyan Islands

The Babuyan Islands are an archipelago in the Luzon Strait of the Philippines, north of the main island of Luzon and south of Taiwan, made up of five major islands, Babuyan, Calayan, Dalupiri, Fuga and Camiguin, and their smaller surrounding islands, separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from Batanes by the Balintang Channel. The group covers about 600 square kilometers across 24 volcanic-coralline islands, with Calayan the largest at about 196 square kilometers and Mount Pangasun on Babuyan Claro the highest point at 1,108 meters, and its eastern islands belong to the Luzon Volcanic Arc, with three historically active volcanoes, Camiguin de Babuyanes, Babuyan Claro and Smith Volcano; Didicas Volcano is a notably recent addition, having first risen above sea level in 1952 to more than 200 meters. The islands are a designated key biodiversity area and Important Bird Area, home to endemic species and wintering humpback whales.