Negros Oriental | |||
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Province | |||
Province of Negros Oriental | |||
Negros Oriental Provincial Capitol in Dumaguete
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Location in the Philippines |
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Coordinates: 9°45′N 123°00′E / 9.75°N 123°ECoordinates: 9°45′N 123°00′E / 9.75°N 123°E | |||
Country | Philippines | ||
Region | Negros Island Region (NIR) | ||
Founded | 1 January 1890 | ||
Capital | Dumaguete | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan | ||
• Governor | Roel Degamo (PDP-Laban) | ||
• Vice Governor | Mark Macias (Liberal Party) | ||
• Provincial Board | Negros Oriental Provincial Board | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 5,385.53 km2 (2,079.36 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 17th out of 81 | ||
Highest elevation (Mount Kanlaon) | 2,465 m (8,087 ft) | ||
Population (2015 census) | |||
• Total | 1,354,995 | ||
• Rank | 19th out of 81 | ||
• Density | 250/km2 (650/sq mi) | ||
• Density rank | 35th out of 81 | ||
Divisions | |||
• Independent cities | 0 | ||
• Component cities | |||
• Municipalities | |||
• Barangays | 557 | ||
• Districts | 1st to 3rd districts of Negros Oriental | ||
Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | ||
ZIP code | 6200–6224 | ||
ISO 3166 code | PH-NER | ||
Spoken languages | |||
Income classification | 1st class | ||
Website | www |
Negros Oriental (Cebuano: Sidlakang Negros; Hiligaynon: Negros Sidlangan; Filipino: Silangang Negros), also called Oriental Negros or Eastern Negros, is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island Region. It occupies the southeastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the northwestern 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 Tañon Strait and Siquijor to the south-east (which happened to be part of the province before). The primary spoken language is Cebuano and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism. Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government and most populous city of the province. With a population of 1,354,995 inhabitants, it is the second most-populous province in Negros Island Region after Negros Occidental, the fifth most-populous province in the Visayas and the 24th most-populous province of the Philippines.
Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the Philippines, is believed to have once been part of a larger landmass, but was cut off by rising waters at the end of the last ice age. Among the early inhabitants of the island were Negritos and later the Austronesians, as well as Han Chinese, who are mainly merchants. They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".