Banaue is one of eleven municipalities comprising the province of Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region. The town is politically subdivided into eighteen (18) barangays, and is a part of the Lone Congressional District of Ifugao.
Banaue is one of the more popular sites of the prominent Ifugao Rice Terraces, a 2000-year old agricultural engineering marvel stretching out for miles across villages in the Cordilleras, that were carved into the mountains by ancestors of Banaue’s indigenous people, and fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces.
Aside from the magnificent scenery along the Banaue-Bontoc highway in Barangay Viewpoint just a short drive from the town proper, Banaue is also home to other rice terraces spread across its villages, particularly in Bangaan, Poitan, Kinakin, Ducligan and more spectacularly in Batad.
Banaue is also known for its traditional local crafts, particulalry weaving and woodcarving. The Ifugaos are among the best carvers in the country.
The municipality is one of the most peaceful in the province, and the people generally are friendly and hospitable, and unselfishly cooperative.