El Nido (officially the Municipality of El Nido) is a first class municipality and managed resource protected

areain the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 420 kilometres (260 mi) southwest of Manila,and about

 238 kilometres (148 mi) northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan���s capital.

Geography

The municipality, covering a land area of 465.1 square kilometres (179.6 sq mi)n the northernmost tip of

mainland Palawan, is bordered by the Linapacan Strait in the north, the Sulu Sea in the east, and the South China

Sea in the west. It is composed of 45 islands and islets,^[each has its own unique geological formations. The

highest peak is at Cadlao Island, towering up to 640 metres (2,100 ft) above sea level.

Together with Sulu Archipelago, Sabah, and South China Sea, El Nido, being part of Palawan, is located in the

 tectonically active and seismically active Sunda Plate,^[7] a plate that is entirely separate from the Philippine Mobile

Belt to which the rest of the Philippines belongs. The Permian to Paleogene rocks and limestone cliffs of El Nido are

 similar to those that can be found in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Guilin in China, as well as Krabi in Thailand, all of

which are part of the Sunda Plate.

History

El Nido has been inhabited by humans as early 2680 BC, or even up to 22,000 years ago.^[9] This was confirmed by

 the fossils and burial sites, dating back to the Late Neolithic Age, that can be found in many caves and excavation

sites surrounding the municipality, particularly the Ille Cave in New Ibajay. Chinese traders had been regularly visiting the area of El Nido for its edible birds' nests during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 BC). In fact, El Nido is specifically

mentioned in Chinese records as far back 1225 BC. Caho Ju-Kua, a member of the Chinese Royal Family, Trade

 Commissioner and Superintendent of Customs of the Port of Chuan How wrote about the island, Pa-Lao-Yu or Land of Beautiful Harbors in his book Chu Fan Chai.

The town traces its roots from a small Tagbanua village called Talindak. Some time in the 16th century, waves of

migrants from Cuyo Islands came here to settle. In the 1800s, the Spaniards arrived, and they moved to the part

where the present-day Población and Mabini are located.^[4] The first Spanish families were the Canovas, Vázquez, Ríos and Rey. In 1890, the Spaniards renamed it as Bacuit. At the time, the center of the town was Cabigsing, then

 known as Inventario. Chinese families moved into the area about the same period, first settling in Langeblangeban.

The first Chinese settlers were named Lim, Chin, Liao, Edsan, Ambao, Que-Ke, Lim Piao, Yu His, Pe Phan and Pe

 Khen.

Government

El Nido is governed by a Mayor and a Vice Mayor, who are elected to three-year terms. The Mayor is the executive head and leads the municipality's departments in executing the municipal ordinances and improving public services. The Vice Mayor heads the legislative council consisting of 8 councilors, or more commonly known as Sangguniang Bayan members. The Municipal Council is in charge of creating the municipality's policies in the form of Ordinances and Resolutions.

Aerial view of Bucana, one of the eighteen barangays of El Nido.

El Nido is politically subdivided into eighteen barangays. Four of which are situated in the Población (town proper),

 and are also known by their