Land Area: 3,185.8 square Population: 1,658,567 (1995)
Population Growth: 2.35% (1990 Age Composition: 38.3% - below 15
years old (1990) 57.2% - 15 to 64 years old 4.5% - 65 years old
Banking Institutions: 180 including branches, province-wide
Predominant Languages: English and Tagalog (Filipino) In 1570,
Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo, two Spanish generals
explored the coast of Batangas on their way to Manila and came
upon a Malay sttlement at the mouth of Taal River. In 1572, the
town of Taal was founded and its convent and stone church were
constructed Batangas was founded in 1581. Originally, it was
composed of the present provinces of Batangas, Mindoro,
Marinduque, Southeast of Laguna and even far Camarines. After
several devastating eruptions of Taal Volcano, the smallest
volcano in the world, the old Taal town site was buried. The
capital was eventually transferred to Batangas (now a city) in
1754 where it has remained to date. The name "Batangas" was
derived from the word "batang," which is a ter