Island

Island groups of the Philippines

The Philippines is divided into three island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon and Mindanao are named after their main islands of the same names, while the Visayas (the Visayan Islands) is an archipelago.

• LUZON

Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines. It is also the name for one of the three island groups in the country centred on the Island of Luzon, the other two being the Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon as an island group includes the island of Luzon itself, plus the Batanes and Babuyan groups of islands to the north, and the main and outlying islands of Catanduanes, Marinduque, Masbate, Romblon, and Mindoro in the south. It is home to the capital city, Manila.

1. Caloocan City
2. Las Piñas City
3. Makati City
4. Malabon City
5. Mandaluyong City
6. Manila
7. Marikina City
8. Muntinlupa City
9. Navotas City
10. Parañaque City
11. Pasay City
12. Pasig City
13. Pateros
14. Quezon City
15. San Juan City
16. Taguig City
17. Valenzuela City
18. Abra
19. Apayao
20. Baguio City
21. Benguet
22. Ifugao
23. Kalinga
24. Mountain Province
25. Dagupan City
26. Ilocos Norte
27. Ilocos Sur
28. La Union
29. Pangasinan
30. Batanes
31. Cagayan
32. Isabela
33. Nueva Vizcaya
34. Quirino
35. Santiago City
36. Angeles City
37. Aurora
38. Bataan
39. Bulacan
40. Nueva Ecija
41. Olongapo City
42. Pampanga
43. Tarlac
44. Zambales
45. Batangas
46. Cavite
47. Laguna
48. Lucena City
49. Quezon
50. Rizal
51. Marinduque
52. Occidental Mindoro
53. Oriental Mindoro
54. Palawan
55. Puerto Princesa City
56. Romblon
57. Albay
58. Camarines Norte
59. Camarines Sur
60. Catanduanes
61. Masbate
62. Naga City
63. Sorsogon

• VISAYAS

The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. The peoples of the Visaya Islands are known as the Visayans.

The major islands of the Visayas are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. The region may also include the islands of Romblon and Masbate, whose population identify as Visayan.

1. Aklan
2. Antique
3. Capiz
4. Guimaras
5. Iloilo
6. Iloilo City
7. Negros Occidental
8. Cebu City
9. Bohol
10. Cebu
11. Cebu City
12. Lapu-Lapu City
13. Mandaue City
14. Negros Oriental
15. Siquijor
16. Tacloban
17. Biliran
18. Eastern Samar
19. Leyte
20. Northern Samar
21. Ormoc City
22. Samar
23. Southern Leyte
24. Tacloban City

• MINDANAO

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The Land of Promise. Mindanao is the only area of the Philippines with a significant Muslim presence.

Mindanao has been the site of a separatist movement by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), caused by religious differences and widespread poverty. Fighting between MILF and Philippine forces has displaced over 100,000 people, and the conflict has brought in Islamic extremism.

1. Isabela City
2. Zamboanga City
3. Zamboanga del Norte
4. Zamboanga del Sur
5. Zamboanga Sibugay
6. Cagayan de Oro
7. Bukidnon
8. Cagayan de Oro City
9. Camiguin
10. Iligan City
11. Lanao del Norte
12. Misamis Occidental
13. Misamis Oriental
14. Davao City
15. Compostela Valley
16. Davao City
17. Davao del Norte
18. Davao del Sur
19. Davao Oriental
20. Koronadal
21. Cotabato
22. Cotabato City
23. General Santos City
24. Sarangani
25. South Cotabato
26. Sultan Kudarat
27. Butuan
28. Agusan del Norte
29. Agusan del Sur
30. Butuan City
31. Dinagat Islands
32. Surigao del Norte
33. Surigao del Sur
34. Cotabato City
35. Basilan (excluding Isabela City)
36. Lanao del Sur
37. Maguindanao
38. Sulu
39. Tawi-Tawi