Negros Occidental History
Profile of Negros Occidental Province (Geography)
Location –> Negros Island, Western Visayas Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Negros Oriental and Guimaras across the Guimaras Strait
Capital –> Bacolod City
Area –> 7,802.54 km2 (3,012.58 sq mi)
Population –> 2,497,261 (2015 census)
Terrain –> Flat on the northwestern part, Mountainous on the northeastern side, Plateaus and rolling hills with narrow coastal plains on the southern area
Industries –> Agriculture, Sugar Milling, Tourism
Major Products –> Sugar, Rice, and fish
People/Language –> Ilonggo, Bisaya, Tagalog, English
Cities –> (13) Bacolod, Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, Himamaylan,
Kabankalan, La Carlota, Sagay, San Carlos, Silay, Sipalay, Talisay, Victorias
Municipalities (Towns) –> (20) Binalbagan, Calatrava, Candoni, Cauayan, Enrique Magalona, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Murcia, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Toboso, Valladolid, and Salvador Benedicto
Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials in Negros Occidental.
Negros Occidental History
In April of 1565, the Spaniards arrived in Negros Island and saw black people whom they called Negritos. From then on, the island was called Negros. The towns of Binalbagan and Ilog were the first to be founded. At first, the island was under the jurisdiction of Oton (Iloilo) but in 1734, the island was separated and became a military-political district with Ilog as the capital. Then the capital was moved to Himamaylan and in 1849, the capital was transferred to Bacolod.
On January 1, 1890, the island was divided into oriental and occidental provinces. The Americans established a civil government on April 20, 1901.
Go here to see all the famous people from Negros Occidental Province.
Go here to see the candidates and results of the 2019 election in Negros occidental.
Read the history of Negros Occidental in Tagalog here.
Economy of Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental is considered the “Sugarbowl of the Philippines”. It is the home of several sugar refining centers although some have closed down due to low prices and lack of investment in new machineries resulting to high cost of production. The city of Bacolod has seen great transformation recently with many Manila-based companies investing in big shopping malls and high-rise buildings. Technology companies especially call centers have given employment opportunities to local residents.
RELATED: Profile of Palawan Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region