Visayan Islands
(2000 est. pop. 15.5 million). Surrounded by the Visayan Sea and the Philippine Sea, the Visayan Islands lie in the central part of the Philippine archipelago, between Luzon and Mindanao Islands. The group includes several major islands: Bohol (land area 3,865 square kilometers), Cebu (land area 4,422 square kilometers), Leyte (land area 7,214 square kilometers), Negros (land area 12,705 square kilometers), Panay (land area 11,515 square kilometers), Samar (land area 13,080 square kilometers), and Masbate (land area 3,269 square kilometers). There are also hundreds of small islands in the group.
The Visayas are traditionally divided into three geographic areas: the Eastern Visayas (Samar and Leyte) with a population of 3,610,355 (2000 census); the Western Visayas (Negros and Panay) with a population of 6,208,733 (2000 census); and the Central Visayas (Bohol and Cebu) with a population of 5,701,064 (2000 census).
The Eastern Visayas are the least-developed and least-populated islands in this group, due to frequent typhoons during the wet season; because they act as a buffer, the other Visayas enjoy a mild climate suitable to intensive agriculture. The population in the Eastern Visayas relies largely on fishing and agriculture (abaca or Manila hemp, a fiber from the banana leafstalk; coconuts; rice; and corn). Copper mining, deforestation, and industrial development have caused serious ecological problems on Samar Island.
Better developed due to the mild climate, the Western Visayas are important commercial and agricultural centers for the Philippine economy and produce sugar (both for internal consumption and for export), abaca, coconuts, corn, tobacco, minerals, and timber.
The Central Visayas are among most developed and most densely populated regions in the Philippines. Cebu, the first capital of the Philippines, is situated here. The Central Visayas host many industries, including textiles, footwear, mining (coal, copper, limestone, silver), food processing, and furniture. This area is also a major tourist attraction.
For centuries before European colonization, Malays from the Malay Peninsula and Borneo Island successfully traded with the Philippine Archipelago and often settled there. The modern history of the Visayas began on 7 April 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480–1521), the Portuguese explorer, landed on Cebu Island. Almost half a century later, the Spanish, led by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (c. 1510–1572), established a settlement and a Catholic mission on Cebu Island on 27 April 1565, making Cebu City a major center for the further colonization of the archipelago.
Further Reading
Guillermo, Artemio R., and May Kyi Win. (1997) Historical Dictionary of the Philippines. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Schirmer, Daniel, and Stephen Rosskamm Shalom, eds. (1986) The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance. Boston: South End Press.
Steinberg, David J. (1994) The Philippines. 3d ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
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