GUIMARAS

Description

Guimaras is considered one of the exotic islands in the Philippines. The original name was Himal-us but was changed to Guimaras after the folktale of the ill-fated lovers named Princess Guima and the slave Aras, who defied tradition for their romance. The island was once a sub-province of Iloilo but by virtue of R.A. 7160 it was proclaimed a regular province on May 22, 1992.

The province is basically agricultural, with palay, coconut, mango, vegetables, livestock, poultry, and fishing as major products. Likewise, the major industries in the island are tourism, fruit processing, coconut processing, handicrafts making, mining, and lime production.

Geography

Guimaras is located Southwest of Panay Island and Northwest of Negros Island in Western Visayas with a total land area of 60,465 hectares or 604.65 square kilometers.

Political Subdivision

The island province of Guimaras is composed of five towns: Buenavista (36 barangays), Nueva Valencia (22 barangays), Jordan (14 barangays), San Lorenzo (12 barangays), and Sibunag (12 barangays).

Climate

Guimaras has a tropical climate with dry season during the months of November to April and rainy or wet season on May to October.

Population

The population of Guimaras as of the year 2000 was 141, 450 with an average annual growth rate of 2.48%.

Language / Dialect

Hiligaynon is the main language of the natives although residents of some barangays in Jordan and Nueva Valencia also speak Kinaray-a. English and Tagalog are spoken and understood by the majority of the people in the island.

Major Industries

Tourism, handicraft, food processing, agriculture, and fishing are the major industries of Guimaras. It has scenic and magnificent white sand beaches and island coves. It has the best diving site with its splendid coral reefs and marine life, which are impressing to the sight. The island is also famous for handicrafts like woven “buri” bags, mats, hats, and baskets. It is also famous for its lime industry, mining industry, fruit processing industry, and coconut industry. Guimaras is home of the famous and the best export-quality mangoes in the Philippines. Mango plantations bearing their golden fruits are scattered in the island. Aside from mangoes, kalamansi and cashew nuts are also abundant. Moreover, the seas of Guimaras teem with fresh fishes, shellfishes, and lobsters. Guimaras also produces a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, orchids

Economy

The province is basically agricultural with palay, coconut, mango, vegetables, livestock, poultry and fishing as major products. Its major industries are tourism, fruit processing, coconut processing, fish farming, handicrafts making, mining, quarrying and lime production. Guimaras is well-known for its agricultural crops, particularly mangoes, where some 50,000 of these trees are planted.

The Guimaras Island is famous for producing the sweetest mangoes in the world. Guimaras mangos are reportedly served at the White House and Buckingham Palace[citation needed]. Guimaras' largest event of the year is The Manggahan Festival (the Mango Festival). The variety of mangoes produced are also best for making dried mangoes, jam and other delicacies.