Western Visayas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Regional center | Iloilo City |
|---|---|
| Population | 5,193,889 |
| – Density | 146.9 per km² |
| Area | 35,351.3 km² |
| Divisions | |
| – Provinces | 7 |
| – Cities | 17 |
| – Municipalities | 140 |
| – Barangays | 4,482 |
| – Cong. districts | 18 |
| Languages | Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Aklanon, Palawano, others |
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of seven provinces, namely, Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Palawan and 17 cities making it the region with the most number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center of the region.
The Philippine Province of Aklan occupies the northwestern coastal plain of the island of Panay, in Region VI, Western Visayas. Its 1,853 sq. km. supports a population of 441,000 in seventeen municipalities, of which Kalibo is the capital. After strenuous and sustained political efforts, Aklan was separated from Capiz by act of the national legislature in April 1956. Agriculture is a prominent part of the economy, principal products being rice, maize, coconuts, and cut flowers. Ocean- fishing is also important, as is tourism, Boracay, a white-sand island just offshore, being a world-class resort. Inland fishing and aquaculture yield several export products. This actually seems to explain every element in the shield. Cottage weaving is widespread, and rattan furniture is manufactured for export.
The province of Antique, on the western side of Panay, is separated from the other provinces by a long range of mountains. One of these, Mt. Madia-as, is the highest mountain on the island, a dormant volcano adorned with several lakes and more than a dozen waterfalls. The population is largely Malay, immigrants from Borneo centuries before the Spanish arrived. Their language, Kiniray-a, is Indo-Malayan. Several Visaya dialects are also spoken. The area was made a separate province by the Spanish government in 1790. Its name seems to be a Spanish adaptation of a local word. The province's area is 2,522 sq.km., its population 456,000, no cities, eighteen towns, of which San José de Buenavista is the capital. Agriculture is important; sugar and coconuts lead, with coconut oil and coconut wine both being significant. Ocean fishing is also important; one website speaks of "the tuna highway along the coast." Seaweed is harvested. Marble and gemstones are mined. Other valuable mineral deposits are known but undisturbed. Like Capiz, it seems to have enormous potential for tourism, its many miles of sandy beaches being sparsely settled. There are also hot springs in the mountains.
The people of Negros Occidental speak mostly Ilonggo, a Visaya dialect; Cebuano, another Visaya dialect, is a distant second. Most also speak English. In the second half of the nineteenth century sugar cane cultivation grew enormously, drawing many settlers from other islands. Negros Occidental was made a separate province in 1890. In spite of three periods of warfare, sugar remained dominant long into the twentieth century, as the province came to produce most of the country's total sugar production. In the late 1970s the world price of sugar fell sharply, and continued into the early 1980s, and in 1983 the province suffered a serious drought, and, in 1984, two typhoons. An attempt in 1986 to separate the northern part as the province of Negros del Norte was defeated. Meanwhile, starting in 1985, the province received considerable help from the national government and foreign donors to recover economically, which included economic diversification. Today the province has substantial production of coffee, cacao, black pepper, fruits, and grains. It also has a large copper mine. Gold, silver, molybdenum, iron, gypsum, coal, and other minerals are mined. Light industry is growing. Should one wish to visit and disburse, there are excellent opportunities for aquatic recreations, including underwater photography. Mount Kanlaon, the highest peak on the island, is a bird sanctuary, home to a hundred species known nowhere else in the world. The sugar industry led to the building of steam railroads, now nicknamed "iron dinosaurs." Some are still roar and race and breathe fire; others, abandoned, moulder away. The population of Negros Occidental is 2,556,000 in six cities and twenty-six towns. In addition to the capital city of Bacolod, Negros Occidental has five cities, Bago, Cadiz, La Carlota, San Carlos, and Silay, to which the provincial government's website adds Kabankalan, Sagay, Talisay, and Victorias.
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[edit] Provinces
Western Visayas is composed of 7 provinces and the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo.
| Province/City | Capital | Population (2000) |
Area (km²) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Aklan | Kalibo | 451,314 | 1,817.9 | 248.3 |
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Antique | San Jose | 471,088 | 2,522.0 | 186.8 |
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Capiz | Roxas City | 654,156 | 2,633.2 | 248.4 |
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Guimaras | Jordan | 141,450 | 604.7 | 233.9 |
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Iloilo | Iloilo City | 1,925,002 | 4,719.4 | 407.9 |
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Negros Occidental | Bacolod City | 2,565,723 | 7,926.1 | 323.7 |
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Palawan | Puerto Princesa City | 755,412 | 14,896.3 | 50.7 |
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Bacolod City¹ | — | 429,076 | 161.5 | 2,657.6 |
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Iloilo City¹ | — | 365,820 | 56.0 | 6,533.0 |
¹ Bacolod City and Iloilo City are highly urbanized cities; figures are excluded from Negros Occidental and Iloilo respectively.
[edit] History
The Western Visayas region was created from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental by Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganisation Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.
[edit] Languages
The languages native to the inhabitants of Western Visayas are:
- Hiligaynon, spoken in Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, and Capiz (where it is known as Capiznon). It is the lingua franca of the region.
- Kinaray-a, spoken in Antique and parts of Iloilo.
- Aklanon, spoken in Aklan.
- Malaynon, spoken in Aklan.
- Cebuano, spoken in the eastern parts of Negros Occidental.
- Palawano, spoken in Palawan.
- Agutaynen, spoken in Palawan.
- Cuyonon, spoken in Palawan.
- Kagayanen, spoken in Palawan.
