Verde Island Passage

Geographical location

The Isla Verde Road is a narrow strait in the Philippines that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro.

It connects the southwestern part of the South China Sea with the Sibuyan Sea and is an arm of the sea, where the ship traffic between Manila is handled by the port cities in the Visayas, Mindanao region and between Batangas City and Puerto Galera. In the estuary lie the islands Verde and Maricaban, both of which are popular tourist destinations. In the north of Isla Verde Street are the bays of Batangas and Balayan. Both bays separates the Calumpang Peninsula, on the 501 -meter-high volcano Panay is a striking landmark for shipping. The western exit of the sea route marks the Calatagan Peninsula. In the north- west of the strait are the Lubang Islands and the less busy Calavite Street.

The island Verde and the Straits were named after Captain Juan Verde, Batangas region of the subjugated in the 16th century for the Spanish crown, which received the name Balayan de Kumintang at that time.

The Isla Verde Road is considered a hot spot of biodiversity around the world. So more than 300 different species of coral and more than 1000 different species of fish in the Strait were recorded. There also the hawksbill turtle, the olive ridley turtle, the giant grouper and the rare giant clams were found in the strait.