Bataan, officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is Balanga City while Mariveles is the largest town. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula, it is bordered by Zambales and Pampanga to the north, the South China Sea to the west, Subic Bay to the northwest, and encloses Manila Bay to the east. The province is historically significant for the Battle of Bataan and the Bataan Death March during World War II.

History

The earliest inhabitants were the Ayta Magbeken people, later joined by Kapampangans on the eastern side and Tagalogs from Cavite. By the late 16th century, the Aytas retreated to the mountains. Under Spanish rule, the province suffered from Dutch attacks in 1647. Bataan was officially established as a province on January 11, 1757, by Governor-General Pedro Manuel Arandia. By the end of the 1700s, Bataan had 3,082 native families and 619 Spanish Filipino families.