Philippines - Coron Island Natural Biotic Area

"Coron Island is roughly equidistant from Manila and Puerto Princessa City. The Island has a rugged topography, generally mountainous and its terrain marked by steep rock and ravines. Almost 70% of the area made up of rocky cliffs, 25% is rolling hills and 5% relatively flat. Out of the total area, approximately 18% is occupied by the Tagbanua as residential and agricultural lands, as rock formations almost dominate the entire area. Large area is composed of Karst formations where swiftlets dwell and build their nest (birds nest). There are vertical limestone cliffs that reach up to 600 meters above sea level and eight (8) brackish lakes and three (3) smaller one's that have underground connections to the sea. Coron Island comprises two barangays, Banuang Daan and Cabugao, all of them belong to the Indigenous Cultural Communities. There are 373 households with a population of 2,028 individuals of Tagbanua in the Island. The primary users of the resources of the island are the residents of these two settlements. Majority of the residents of the two barangays are seldom seen in the mountains except for the gatherers of edible bird's nests on towering cliffs that serve as the major source of income for Indigenous people in the island. Coron Island is wedge-shaped limestone island, dominated by Permian Limestone of Jurassic origin, with few of its coastal areas being covered by mangrove forests. It is situated in the Calamianes group of Islands and belongs to the Municipality of Coron..." Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Banol Beach, Busuanga, Coron, Palawan. 3 nice sea creature stamps with standard purple color cancellation. Postmarked January 17, 2011 Davao and arrived in Penang on January 25, 2011. Thanks to Ritz of Philippines. Salamat.