Visayas
The Visayas (in Cebuano and Wáray-Wáray : Kabisay-an , Tagalog similar to Kabisayaan , Spanish Bisayas ) are one of the three island groups that together make up the island nation of the Philippines . The other two groups of islands are Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south.
The Visayas consist of three regions:
- Western Visayas (6 provinces, 7,112,000 inhabitants)
- Central Visayas (4 provinces, 5,400,000 inhabitants)
- Eastern Visayas (6 provinces, 4,236,000 inhabitants)
The largest islands are Bohol , Cebu , Leyte , Negros , Panay and Samar .
Population and language
Most of the people in the region belong to the Visaya ethnic group and speak one of the Visayan languages , which include over 30 languages. This includes the largest language with 20 million speakers, Cebuano , which is itself also known as Bisaya or Visayan, Hiligaynon with 7 million and Wáray-Wáray with 3 million speakers. In addition to the Visayas Islands, the language is also spoken in the Bicol region , especially on Masbate , the islands south of Luzon such as Romblon , large parts of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago .
Regions and provinces
The Visayas are politically divided into three regions , which are subdivided into a total of 16 provinces.
Western Visayas (Region VI)
Western Visayas consists essentially of the island of Panay and the western half of Negros and covers an area of 20,794 km².
The provinces of this region are:
- Aklan (1,821 km²)
- Antique (2,729 km²)
- Capiz (2,595 km²)
- Guimaras (605 km²)
- Iloilo (5,079 km²)
- Negros Occidental (7,965 km²)
Central Visayas (Region VII)
Central Visayas includes the main islands of Cebu and Bohol as well as the eastern half of Negros and covers an area of 15,886 km².
The provinces of this region are:
- Bohol (4,821 km²)
- Cebu (5,342 km²)
- Negros Oriental (5,386 km²)
- Siquijor (337 km²)
Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Eastern Visayas consists mainly of the islands of Leyte and Samar and covers an area of 23,251 km².
The provinces of this region are:
- Biliran (536 km²)
- Leyte (6,515 km²)
- Southern Leyte (1,799 km²)
- Eastern Samar (4,660 km²)
- Northern Samar (3,693 km²)
- Samar (6,048 km²)
See also
Web links
