NEGROS ORIENTAL

Population

20th largest Total (2007) 1,126,061 Area 14th largest Total 5,402.3 km sq

languages

Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Tagalog

General Information

Negros Oriental (also called Oriental Negros, "Eastern Negros") is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island -- a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists. Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tanon Strait and Siquijor to the south east. The primary spoken language is Cebuano, and the predominant religion is Catholicism. Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city.

Economy

With its vast fertile land resources, Negros Oriental's major industry is agriculture. The primary crops are sugarcane, corn, coconut and rice. In the coastal area, 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. Negros Oriental is emerging as a technological center in Central Philippines with its growing business process outsourcing (BPO) and other technology-related industries. Negros Oriental is also becoming a notable tourist destination in the Visayas.

Geography

Negros Oriental is located on the eastern side of Negros Island in the Central Visayas region, occupying the southern lobe of the island of Negros. It is a narrow strip extending two-thirds of the way from the south to the north of the island. It measures 103 miles from the north to south and from the east to west it is 49 miles at its widest, and 8 miles at its narrowest.

It is bounded by a chain of rugged mountains from its sister province of Negros Occidental and separated from Cebu by the Tanon Strait. While the Occidental province belongs to Region VI (Western Visayas), Negros Oriental is in Region VII, grouped together with other Cebuano-speaking provinces of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor.

Climate

Negros Oriental has a tropical climate. Because of the mountain range running from the north to the south, the province has two types of climatic conditions.

Transportation

Negros Oriental has a network of roads, including a national road that spans the circumference of Negros Island.