Central Visayas (Cebuano: Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; Tagalog: Gitnang Kabisayaan or Gitnang Visayas) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. The region also has three highly urbanized cities: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue.

Quick Facts Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an Gitnang Kabisayaan, Country ...

Central Visayas Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an Gitnang Kabisayaan
Region
Clockwise from the top: Magellan's Cross, Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape, Panglao Island, St. Francis of Assisi Church (Siquijor), Chocolate Hills, Niludhan Falls, Moalboal Reef
Nickname(s):  Center of Christianity Rehiyon sa mga Sugboanon (Region of the Cebuanos)
Location in the Philippines
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 10°0′N 123°30′E
Country	Philippines
Island group	Visayas
Regional center and largest city	Cebu City
Area
• Total	15,895.66 km2 (6,137.35 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Mount Kanlaon)	2,465 m (8,087 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[1]
• Total	8,081,988
• Density	510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ISO 3166 code	PH-07
Provinces	4 Bohol Cebu Negros Oriental Siquijor
Cities	16 Bais Bayawan Bogo Canlaon Carcar Cebu City Danao Dumaguete Guihulngan Lapu-Lapu City Mandaue Naga Tagbilaran Talisay Tanjay Toledo
Municipalities	116
Barangays	3,003
Cong. districts	11
Languages	Cebuano Boholano Porohanon Bantayanon Hiligaynon Tagalog English
GDP (2021)	₱1.2 trillion $25 billion[2]
Growth rate	(5.4%)[2]
HDI	0.704 (High)
HDI rank	4th in the Philippines (2019)

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The regional center and largest city is Cebu City. The Cebuano language is the region's lingua franca. The region is also dominated by the native speakers of four Visayan languages: Bantayanon, Boholano, Hiligaynon, and Porohanon. With a population of 8,081,988 inhabitants, it is the most populous region in the Visayas.

In 2015, Central Visayas was redefined when it lost the province of Negros Oriental to the newly formed Negros Island Region. However, the Negros Island Region was dissolved in 2017, returning Negros Oriental to Central Visayas.

The name of the region, Central Visayas, was mostly chosen by American colonists to denote the centrality of the islands within the bigger Visayas area.

There have been proposals to rename the current Central Visayas region, which is dominated by the Cebuano (Sugbuanon) ethnic group, to Sugbu, the former name of the region prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century. The name refers to the former kingdom of the region, the Rajahnate of Cebu, or Sugbu in Cebuano.^[3][4]

Regions first came into existence on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the Philippines were organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan by President Ferdinand Marcos. The provinces of Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental (including its then-subprovince of Siquijor) were grouped together to form the Central Visayas region.

By virtue of Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015, issued on May 29, 2015, by President Benigno Aquino III, Central Visayas lost the province of Negros Oriental to the newly formed Negros Island Region.^[5]

On August 9, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte dissolved the Negros Island Region, revoking Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through the signing of Executive Order No. 38, citing a lack of funds to fully establish the region according to Benjamin Diokno, the Secretary of Budget and Management.^[6] This returned Negros Oriental to Central Visayas.

Central Visayas consists of the island provinces of Cebu and Bohol, the province of Negros Oriental which comprises the eastern half of the island of Negros, and the island province of Siquijor. The region also includes the straits of Cebu and Tañon. Its land area is 15,895.66 km² (6,137.35 sq mi), 5.3% of the country's total land area.

Central Visayas is bounded on the north by the Visayan Sea, west by the province of Negros Occidental in Western Visayas, south by the Bohol Sea, and east by the Camotes Sea and the island of Leyte in Eastern Visayas.

According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,081,988. The population density was 510/km² (1,300/sq mi). The 2015 census showed an average annual population growth rate of 1.76% from 2010 to 2015, slightly higher than the national average of 1.72%.^[1]

Poverty Incidence of Central Visayas

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[12][13]
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Central Visayas has the fourth-largest economy in the Philippines.^[19] Cebu City serves as the region's economic hub.

Cebu City is the main media hub for the region. Large media networks – ABS-CBN, GMA Network, TV5, People's Television Network, CNN Philippines, and IBC 13 – maintain their respective local stations and branches for viewership, commercial and news coverage purposes. Most of these stations broadcast local news and public affairs as well as entertainment and dramas to cater to the local viewers.

Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Cebu City also has 20 local newspapers. Among the widely read are SunStar Cebu, Cebu Daily News, and The Freeman.