Mavulis Island


Mavulis Island is the northernmost of the Batanes Islands and the northernmost island in the Philippines. It is part of the province of Batanes. The island is uninhabited but it is guarded by the military. It is also frequently visited by local fishermen for fishing adventures.
The island has a newly constructed military and fishermen shelter, a helipad, lighthouse, and a flagpole on the top of the hill in the island.

Alternative names

Older Batan natives also called the island Dimavulis or Dihami, meaning "north" in Ivatan. By some members of the Spanish colonial government it was called Diami, and it is known as Yami or Y'Ami on most American Colonial Era maps of the Philippines. The latter should not be confused with the aboriginal Yami of Taiwan that live on islands farther north beyond Philippine territorial limits, but are geographically, culturally and linguistically related to the Ivatan people. The island is also called Amianan, meaning "north" in Ilocano.

Geography

The island is part of the Luzon Volcanic Arc, and is located southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan's main island and 98 km to the nearest Taiwanese island, the "Lesser Orchid Island". The distance to Luzon is. The island is 2.2 km long and up to a kilometer wide. The highest point, Y'Ami Hill, is high. The island is rocky on the coasts but covered in lush vegetation, including mangrove, vuyavuy palms and other native shrubs. Coconut crabs are found on the island in large numbers.