The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples.
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 12,011 km2 (4,637 sq mi) and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Iloilo is its largest settlement with a total population of 457,626 inhabitants as of 2020 census.
Iloilo, officially the Province of Iloilo, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of the Visayan island of Panay and is bordered by the province of Antique to the west, Capiz to the north, the Jintotolo Channel to the northeast, the Guimaras Strait to the east, and the Iloilo Strait and Panay Gulf to the southwest.
Guimaras, officially the Province of Guimaras, is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. The capital is Jordan, while the largest local government unit for it is the municipality of Buenavista. The province is situated in Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros. To the northwest is the province of Iloilo and to the southeast is Negros Occidental. The whole island is part of the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras, one of the twelve metropolitan areas of the Philippines.
Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista, is a 2nd class municipality and the largest settlement in the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,899 people.
Jordan, officially the Municipality of Jordan, is a 3rd class municipality and capital of the province of Guimaras, Philippines. The name itself should not to be confused with the country of Jordan, which had its capital at Amman. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,566 people, making it the third largest settlement in the province.
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay. It is the capital city of the province of Iloilo, where it is geographically situated and grouped under the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent in terms of government and administration. In addition, it is the center of the Iloilo–Guimaras Metropolitan Area, as well as the regional center and primate city of the Western Visayas region. According to the 2020 census, Iloilo City has a population of 457,626 people. For the metropolitan area, the total population is 1,007,945 people.
Dumangas, officially the Municipality of Dumangas, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,899 people.
Our Lady of China, the Great Mother, also known as Our Lady of Donglü, is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a reputed Marian apparition in Donglü, China in 1900.
The Archdiocese of Jaro is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. Its episcopal see is at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also the National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles, as its seat. The metropolitan archdiocese covers the provinces of Iloilo, Guimaras, Antique, and Negros Occidental. Its titular patron saint is Elizabeth of Hungary, whose feast is celebrated on November 17.
Cabatuan, officially the Municipality of Cabatuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,110 people.
Jaro is a district in Iloilo City, Philippines, located on Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is the largest district in terms of both area and population, with 130,700 people according to the 2020 census. Jaro merged with Iloilo City in the 1940s during the American administration in the Philippines. It is also the largest among the seven districts of Iloilo City. La Paz district and the present municipalities of Leganes and Pavia were historically part of Jaro before becoming independent.
Iloilo City Proper is a district in Iloilo City, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It holds great historical significance as the birthplace of modern-day Iloilo City and serves as a civic center, hosting the city and provincial government offices, as well as various local, provincial, and regional government establishments. The district also serves as the primary hub for financial institutions, with banks and other firms dispersed throughout its streets.
Villa de Arevalo, commonly known as simply Villa or Arevalo, is a district in Iloilo City, in the province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay in Western Visayas region, in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,476 people. Arevalo is situated as the westernmost district of Iloilo City and shares its border with Oton to the west.
Metropolitan Iloilo–Guimaras, also shortened as Metro Iloilo–Guimaras or Metro Iloilo, or simply MIG, is a metropolitan area in the Western Visayas in the Philippines. It is situated on the southeastern coast of Panay, including the nearby island province of Guimaras, surrounded by the Iloilo and Guimaras straits.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candles, also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and colloquially as Jaro Cathedral, is a cathedral located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was established in 1575 as a visita (chapel-of-ease) of Oton by the Augustinians and as a separate parish in 1587. The present-day structure of Jaro Cathedral was built in 1874.
The Iloilo Strait is a strait in the Philippines that separates the islands of Panay and Guimaras in the Visayas, and connects Panay Gulf with the Guimaras Strait. It is the location of the Port of Iloilo, the third-busiest of the ports in the Philippines in number of ships. Iloilo City on Panay is the major city located on the strait with Buenavista and Jordan, both on Guimaras, immediately across the strait from the city. The Iloilo River empties into the strait.
Nuestra Señora de la Purificación y la Candelaria is a venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary enshrined in Jaro Cathedral and the patroness of Western Visayas.
The Santo Niño de Arévalo is a Filipino Roman Catholic title of the Holy Child, associated with a Christ Child image in the island of Panay in the Philippines. The is the third oldest image of the Holy Child in the Philippines, after the Santo Niño de Cebú and Santo Niño de Tondo. It was brought by Spanish Governor General Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa in 1581 to the town of La Villa Rica de Arévalo, now known as district of Arevalo in Iloilo City.
