Western Visayas is the cradle of Malay civilization in the Philippines. It is in the island of Panay where the first Malayan settlement was established. The region is composed of the island of Panay and the province of Negros Occidental. Panay is divided into five provinces namely Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo. Negros Occidental is the western part of the Negros island. The eastern part, which is Negros Oriental is already a part of the Central Visayas region.
Western Visayas has a total land area of about 2,022,300 hectares or 20,625.9 sq. km which makes it the sixth largest island in the Philippines. Negros Occidental, which comprises 30% of the total land area of the region, is the largest province of the region. Iloilo comes next followed by Antique, Capiz, Aklan and Guimaras, respectively. The smallest province, Guimaras lies between the islands of Panay and Negros. It is separated from Panay by the Iloilo Strait and from Negros by the Guimaras Strait.
