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Negros Oriental
Philippines Travel
Guide, Destinations
and Attractions |
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the Orient Seas |
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Capitol Building in Negros Oriental |
Apo Island Near Dumaguete |
Forest Camp in Valencia |
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Oriental Negros is one of the provinces that make up the
Central Visayan region. It occupies the south-eastern
half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental
occupying the north-western half. Oriental Negros is
bounded by the Tañon Strait and the island of Cebu in
the east and the province of Siquijor in the south east.
A chain of rugged mountains separates Oriental Negros
from Negros Occidental while the Sulu Sea is located
south of the province. |
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Bais-Manhuyod Sandbar |
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Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the
Philippines, was cited as one of the most
livable islands in the world. The island is
believed to have been part of the island of
Mindanao but was separated because of
continental drift or the rising waters at the
end of the ice age. This is probably why the
early inhabitants of the island, who were mostly
dark-skinned people belonging to the Negrito
ethnic group, called the island "Bulgas", a
native word which meant "cut off."
Spanish explorers on the expedition with Miguel
Lopez de Legazpi first came to the island in
April 1565. They reported seeing many
dark-skinned people and thus called the island
"Negros" after the word "negro" which means
black in Spanish. Negros became a
politico-military province in 1856 and Bacolod
was named the capital. |
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Because it is very near the island of Mindanao, the
south eastern coast of Negros was in constant threat
from Moro marauders who are looking for slaves. To
protect inhabitants, especially those living in
Christian villages, watchtowers were built in the area.
The continued Moro raids and the southeast part of the
island's distance from capital of Bacolod pushed 13
priests from the Recollect order petitioned for the
division of the island in July 1876. On January 1, 1890,
Governor General Valeriano Weyler issued a royal decree
dividing the island into the provinces of Negros
Oriental and Negros Occidental. Dumaguete was made the
first capital of Negros Oriental.
Oriental Negros is subdivided five cities and 20
municipalities, which are further subdivided into 557
barangays. The five cities of Negros Oriental are Bais
City, Bayawan City, Canlaon City, Dumaguete City and
Tanjay City. The 20 municipalities are Amlan, Ayungon,
Bacong, Basay, Bindoy, Dauin, Guihulngan, Jimalalud, La
Libertad, Mabinay, Manjuyod, Pamplona, San Jose, Santa
Catalina, Siaton, Sibulan, Tayasan, Valencia,
Vallehermoso and Zamboanguita. Its topography is
characterized by low, grooved mountain ranges, which
mostly lie close to the shoreline. Located at the
southern end of the province is the Cuernos de Negros,
or the Horns of Negros stratovolcano, which rises to a
height of 1,864 meters. Mount Canlaon, the highest peak
in the island with the height of 2465 meters is located
at the northern end of the province. Mount Canlaon is an
active volcano. |
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Oriental Negros is the 20th most populous
province in the country with a population of
1,126,061 as of the 2000 census. Cebuano is
spoken by 95 percent of the population, while
the remaining five percent, who live close to
the border with Negros Occidental, speak
Hiligaynon. Filipino and English are, however,
generally understood. Most of the people living
in the province are Roman Catholics.
The province's major industry is agriculture.
THE primary crops are sugarcane, corn, coconut
and rice. In the coastal areas, fishing is the
main source of income. People are also involved
in cattle ranches, fish ponds and logging. There
are also mineral deposits like gold, silver and
copper. |
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Beautiful Gazebo in Valencia |
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Philippine
Tourist Destination |
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