Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Visayas is located in the central part of the Philippine archipelago.
Fast Facts
The Visayas island group consists of seven large and several hundred smaller islands.
The seven main islands are: Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Negros, Panay, and Samar. These islands, and their smaller neighbouring islands, make up the central group of islands of the Philippine archipelago referred to as Visayas.
Sometimes included in this group are the provinces of Masbate, Romblon, and Palawan whose populations identify as Visayan and whose languages are more closely related to other Visayan languages than to the major languages of Luzon.
The dominant languages spoken in this region are: Hiligaynon, Cebuano, and Waray along with English and Tagalog.
High mountains characterize most of the Visayan Islands with the exception of Samar and Masbate, which are exceedingly hilly. Panay has extensive eastern plains where sugarcane and rice are farmed. Negros has large western plains on which sugarcane is grown. Corn (maize), coconuts, bananas, tobacco, abaca, and root crops also are widely grown, and fishing is also important in the Visayas.
The two major Visayan urban centers are Cebu City on Cebu Island and Iloilo City on Panay Island.
The major cities and municipalities in Visayas are:
| RANK | CITY | CITYHOOD | AREA (km2| mi2) | POPULATION | REGION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cebu | 1937 | 315 km2| 122 mi2 | 922,700 | Central Visayas |
| 2 | Bacolod | 1938 | 163 km2 | 63 mi2 | 561,900 | Western Visayas |
| 3 | Iloilo | 1889 | 78 km2 | 30 mi2 | 448,000 | Western Visayas |
| 4 | Lapu-Lapu | 1961 | 58 km2 | 22 mi2 | 408,200 | Central Visayas |
| 5 | Mandaue | 1969 | 35 km2 | 14 mi2 | 362,700 | Central Visayas |
| 6 | Tacloban | 1953 | 202 km2 | 78 mi2 | 242,100 | Eastern Visayas |
| 7 | Talisay, Cebu | 2001 | 40 km2 | 15 mi2 | 227,700 | Central Visayas |
| 8 | Ormoc | 1947 | 614 km2 | 237 mi2 | 215,100 | Eastern Visayas |
| 9 | Calbayog | 1948 | 881 km2 | 340mi2 | 183,900 | Eastern Visayas |
| 10 | Kabankalan | 1997 | 697 km2 | 269 mi2 | 290,500 | Western Visayas |
| 11 | Bago | 1966 | 401 km2 | 155 mi2 | 171,000 | Western Visayas |
| 12 | Toledo | 1960 | 216 km2 | 84 mi2 | 170,400 | Central Visayas |
| 13 | Roxas | 1951 | 95 km2 | 37 mi2 | 167,100 | Western Visayas |
| 14 | Cadiz | 1967 | 525 km2 | 203 mi2 | 154,800 | Western Visayas |
| 15 | Sagay | 1996 | 330 km2 | 126 mi2 | 146,300 | Western Visayas |
| 16 | Danao, Cebu | 1961 | 107 km2 | 41 mi2 | 136,500 | Central Visayas |
| 17 | San Carlos, Negros Occidental | 1960 | 452 km2 | 174 mi2 | 132,600 | Western Visayas |
| 18 | Minglanilla Town | NA | 66 km2 | 25 mi2 | 132,200 | Central Visayas |
| 19 | Consolacion Town | NA | 37 km2 | 14 mi2 | 131,600 | Central Visayas |
| 20 | Dumaguete | 1948 | 34 km2 | 13 mi2 | 131,400 | Central Visayas |
Visayas accounts for about one-third of the landmass of the Philippines (57,728 km2 | 22,289 mi2), and more than 20% of its population (approximately 22 Million).
Map
Popular Destinations
| DESTINATION | AREA (km2| mi2) | POPULATION | ISLAND | PROVINCE | MAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aklan Province | 1,821 km2 | 703 mi2 | 574,900 | Panay | Aklan | MAP |
| Antique Province | 2,729 km2 | 1,054 mi2 | 582,100 | Panay | Antique | MAP |
| Bacolod City | 163 km2 | 63 mi2 | 561,900 | Negros | Negros Occidental | MAP |
| Bantayan Island | 109 km2 | 42 mi2 | 120,500 | Bantayan | Cebu | MAP |
| Biliran Island | 536 km2 | 207 mi2 | 171,700 | Biliran | Biliran | MAP |
| Biri Island | 25 km2 | 10 mi2 | 11,800 | Biri | Northern Samar | MAP |
| Bohol Island | 4,821 km2 | 1,861 mi2 | 1,313,600 | Bohol | Bohol | MAP |
| Boracay Island | 10 km2 | 4 mi2 | 28,400 | Boracay | Aklan | MAP |
| Capiz Province | 2,594 km2 | 1,002 mi2 | 761,400 | Panay | Capiz | MAP |
| Cebu Province | 4,944 km2 | 1,909 mi2 | 2,939,000 | Cebu | Cebu | MAP |
| Cebu City | 315 km2 | 122 mi2 | 922,700 | Cebu | Cebu | MAP |
| Camotes Islands | 236 km2 | 91 mi2 | 103,000 | Camotes | Cebu | MAP |
| Danjugan Island | .43 km2 | .166 mi2 | 0 | Danjugan | Negros Occidental | MAP |
| Dumaguete City | 34 km2 | 13 mi2 | 131,400 | Negros | Negros Oriental | MAP |
| Guimaras Island | 605 km2 | 233 mi2 | 174,700 | Guimaras | Guimaras | MAP |
| Iloilo City | 78 km2 | 30 mi2 | 448,000 | Panay | Iloilo | MAP |
| Islas de Gigantes | 20 km2 | 8 mi2 | 12,300 | Gigantes | Iloilo | MAP |
| Kalanggaman Island | .24 km2 | .09 mi2 | 0 | Kalanggaman | Leyte | MAP |
| Lakawon Island | .13 km2 | .05 mi2 | NA | Lakawon | Negros Occidental | MAP |
| Leyte Island | 7,367 km2 | 2,844 mi2 | 2,388,600 | Leyte | Leyte, Southern Leyte | MAP |
| Malapascua Island | 1 km2 | .5 mi2 | 4,000 | Malapascua | Cebu | MAP |
| Mararison Island | .55 km2 | .21 mi2 | 750 | Mararison | Antique | MAP |
| Moalboal Town | 125 km2 | 48 mi2 | 31,200 | Cebu | Cebu | MAP |
| Oslob Town | 135 km2 | 52 mi2 | 27,900 | Cebu | Cebu | MAP |
| Roxas City | 95 km2 | 37 mi2 | 167,100 | Panay | Capiz | MAP |
| Sambawan Island | .25 km2 | .1 mi2 | 0 | Sambawan | Biliran | MAP |
| Samar Island | 13,429 km2 | 5,185 mi2 | 1,751,300 | Samar | Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar | MAP |
| Siquijor Island | 337 km2 | 130 mi2 | 96,000 | Siquijor | Siquijor | MAP |
| Sumilon Island | .24 km2 | .09 mi2 | NA | Sumilon | Cebu | MAP |
| Tibiao Town | 177 km2 |69 mi2 | 26,800 | Panay | Antique | MAP |
You May Also Like
To learn more about popular destinations within each island group, make a selection by clicking on one of the divisions below.
