Ternate, officially the Municipality of Ternate (Tagalog: Bayan ng Ternate, Chavacano: Municipio de Ternate), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,653 people.^[3]

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Ternate Bahra
Municipality
Municipality of Ternate
(From left) The municipal hall, the town's welcome arch at the border with Maragondón, Santo Niño Parish Church, the town plaza, and the public market
Seal
Nickname:  Hispanic Centre of Luzon
Map of Cavite with Ternate highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Ternate Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°17′N 120°43′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Calabarzon
Province	Cavite
District	8th district
Founded	1857
Annexation to Naic	October 15, 1903
Chartered	January 1, 1916
Named for	Ternate island, Indonesia
Barangays	10 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Lamberto D. Bambao
• Vice Mayor	Salvador C. Gubio Jr.
• Representative	Aniela Bianca D. Tolentino
• Municipal Council	Members Calvin Kenneth C. Soberano Charito S. Mojica Lolita B. Nacis Deonilo I. Bersamina Romel G. Anit Rico L. Nigoza Persival L. Garcia Rolando A. Federico
• Electorate	17,513 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	59.93 km2 (23.14 sq mi)
Elevation	53 m (174 ft)
Highest elevation	649 m (2,129 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	24,653
• Density	410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Households	6,344
Demonym	Ternateño
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	11.42 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 122.1 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 490.7 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 110.7 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 337.5 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Manila Electric Company (Meralco)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4111
PSGC	042121000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)46
Native languages	Chavacano Tagalog
Website	www.ternate.cavite.gov.ph

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Formerly known as Bahra, the municipality is named after Ternate island of Indonesia where migrants from then Dutch East Indies originated.

The town is named after the Indonesian island of Ternate, which was the homeland of settlers in the region in the late 1600s (as refugees from the Moluccas). The town was also known as Barra or Bahra (from Barra de Maragondón) in Chavacano. Prior to the arrival of migrants, the area was known as Wawa by the native Tagalogs, from the Tagalog wawa ("river mouth" or "river delta").^[5]

The Merdicas (also spelled Mardicas or Mardikas) were Catholic natives of the islands of Ternate and Tidore of the Moluccas, converted by Jesuit missionaries during the Portuguese occupation of the islands. The islands were later captured by the Spanish, who vied for their control with the Dutch. In 1663, the Spanish garrison in Ternate were forced to pull out to defend Manila against an impending invasion by Koxinga on the Kingdom of Tungning in modern Taiwan, sacrificing the Moluccas to the Dutch. Two hundred families of Merdicas (of mixed Mexican-Filipino-Spanish and Papuan-Indonesian-Portuguese descent)^[6] volunteered, and were resettled in a sandbar near the mouth of the Maragondon River (known as the Bahra de Maragondon) and Tanza, Cavite.^[7] Ahead of them was their ruler, Sultan Said Din Burkat, who deported to Luzon and later converted to Christianity.^[8]

The invasion did not occur as Koxinga fell ill and died. The Merdicas community eventually assimilated into the local population. Today, the descendants of the Merdicas continue to speak their Spanish creole (with Portuguese and Papuan influences), which came to be known as Ternateño Chabacano.^[7]

Ternate was once a barrio of Maragondón, and was the first town to attain full independence from it on March 31, 1857. The agreement was signed on behalf of the residents of Ternate by Tomás de León, Félix Nigosa, Pablo de León, Florencio Nino Franco and Juan Ramos.

On October 15, 1903, Ternate was merged with Naic by virtue of Act No. 947.^[9] It was later separated by virtue of Executive Order No. 96 on November 1915 but was effective only on January 1, 1916.^[10]

On March 3, 1992, Mayor Octavio Velasco, along with his two bodyguards and the town chief of police Felipe Enero, were assassinated in front of the municipal hall by five unknown gunmen, alleged to be bodyguards of then-Cavite Representative Jorge Núñez.^[11][12] As of March 1994, the assassins were still at large.^[13]

In the 2020 census, the population of Ternate, Cavite, was 24,653 people,^[3] with a density of 410 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.