Abatan River

Abatan River
Abatan River upstream
Abatan River is located in Visayas
Abatan River
Abatan River is located in Philippines
Abatan River
Location
CountryPhilippines
RegionCentral Visayas
ProvinceBohol
Physical characteristics
MouthMaribojoc Bay (Cebu Strait)
 • location
Cortes
 • coordinates
9°42′50″N 123°51′40″E / 9.71389°N 123.86111°E / 9.71389; 123.86111
Basin size350 km2 (140 sq mi)[1]
Abatan River looking downstream towards the mangrove estuary

The Abatan River is a river in western Bohol, Philippines. The river winds through the towns of Catigbian, Antequera, Balilihan, and Maribojoc to its mouth at Cortes.[2]

The river is navigable for up to 19 kilometres (12 mi) for boats drawing 4 ft, and up to 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) for rafts.[3] Its name comes from the word abad which means to meet or to converge.[4]

At its mouth, the river opens up to an estuary, which consists of a mixed mangrove and nipa swamp. It covers about 1,000 acres (400 ha) and has 32 mangrove species growing in its estuary; as a result, it is one of the Philippines' most diverse mangrove forests and is the third largest riverine mangrove forest in Bohol; despite the presence of endangered plant and animal species, there are no conservation or protection efforts.[5][6][7]

Historically prior to road construction, the river served as a waterway for the people going to and from the interior towns. Following the success of the Loboc River tours, there are river cruises from the Abatan River Visitor Center in Cortes to various communities upstream. Kayak exploration and stand-up paddle boarding are also available.[2] The visitor center suffered severe damage from the 2013 Bohol earthquake.[6]

During World War II, a ship in the United States Navy was commissioned: USS Abatan (AW-4), a Pasig-class distilling ship, was named after the river.[8]

  1. ^ Villegas, Ramon N., ed. (2003). Tubod : the heart of Bohol. Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts. ISBN 9718140360.
  2. ^ a b "The Abatan Life River Tour in Bohol". official website of the Tourism Office of the Province of Bohol. Bohol Tourism Office. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Census of the Philippine Islands – Volume I: Geography, History, And Population. Washington: United States Bureau of the Census. 1905. p. 67.
  4. ^ Salazar, Marlet D. (August 20, 2011). "Exploring Bohol's Other River Towns". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  5. ^ Marcel J. Middeljans (August 2014). "The species composition of the mangrove forest along the Abatan River in Lincod, Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines and the mangrove forest structure and its regeneration status between managed and unmanaged Nipa palm (Nypa fruticans Wurmb)". Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Abatan River". www.seacology.org. Seacology. February 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  7. ^ Ric V. Obedencio (November 15, 2016). "A first in the country: DENR mulls setting Abatan River eco-museum". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  8. ^ "Abatan (AW-4)". www.history.navy.mil. Naval History and Heritage Command. July 9, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2017.