San Nicolas, officially the Municipality of San Nicolas (Tagalog: Bayan ng San Nicolas), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,908 people. It is equivalent to 0.15% of the population in the Calabarzon area or 0.82% of the total population of Batangas province. These numbers are used to calculate the population density, which is 1,057 inhabitants per square kilometer or 2,740 inhabitants per square mile. The municipality makes up 0.73% of Batangas's total area, with a land area of 22.61 square kilometers or 8.73 square miles.[3]
The municipality also occupies the southern half of Taal Volcano, shared by the municipality of Talisay in the northern half.
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Ruins of the old site of Taal Basilica in Poblacion, San Nicolas
San Nicolas traces its roots to barrio Wawa (later San Nicolas), which was once part of the municipality of Taal. It was the site of Taal's second municipal center from its establishment in 1572 to 1754, during the peak of Moro piracy.[5] Taal was designated as the provincial capital of Batangas from 1732 to 1754.[6] The 1754 Taal Volcano eruption, which lasted for months, greatly destroyed the area, making Taal move its municipal center to its present location near Balayan Bay.[7]
In 1955, the barrios of San Nicolas, Hipit, Bangin, Pansipit, Calangay, Sinturisan, Talang, Abelo, Balete, Bancoro, Saimsim, Maabud, Munlawin, Tambo, Calumala, Alas-as, Calawit, and Pulang-Bato were separated from Taal and constituted into a new and separate municipality known as San Nicolas.[8] In 1957, the following sitios were converted into independent barrios: Burol from Tambo,[9] Tagudtod from Munlawin,[10] Kalawit and Pulang-Bato from Alas-as,[11][12] and Baluk-Baluk from Hipit.[13] In 1961, the barrios of Calumala, Tambo, Saimsim and Bucal were separated from San Nicolas to form parts of the new municipality of Santa Teresita.[14]
Geography
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 14.37 square kilometers (5.55 sq mi)[15] constituting 0.46% of the 3,119.75-square-kilometer (1,204.54 sq mi) total area of Batangas.
Barangays
San Nicolas is politically subdivided into 18 barangays.[16] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
^ abHistory and Cultural Life of the Barrio of San Nicolas. 1953.
^"Brief History". Official Website of the Province of Batangas. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
^Hargrove, Thomas (1991). The Mysteries of Taal: A Philippine volcano and lake, her sea life and lost towns. Manila: Bookmark Publishing. pp. 13, 33–55. ISBN9715690467.
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