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 (mostly from Itbayat and Basco) for fishing adventures. The island has a newly constructed military and fishermen shelter, a water desalination plant, a helipad, lighthouse, and a flagpole on the top of the hill in the island. The island also hosts the northernmost flagpole in the country. This island is closer to the Republic of China than the capital Manila, at 733 km away from Manila, and 142 km to the southern-most tip of the R.O.C's domain. 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