South East Asian Trips

Iloilo Philippines, is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo City is located at the southeast portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique to the west and Capiz to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is the island-province of Guimaras and across Panay Gulf and Guimaras Strait is Negros Occidental. Iloilo City is the capital city of the province of Iloilo in the Philippines. Iloilo is the regional center and the main economic hub of the Western Visayas region. Iloilo city has a population of 365,820 as of the 2000 census, making it the 9th most populous city in the Philippines.

Located 238 statute miles from Manila, Iloilo is the gateway of the Western Visayas Region. The province comprises the southeastern part of Panay Island. Iloilo is 55 minutes by plane from Manila, 30 minutes from Cebu, 90 minutes from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and one hour 45 minutes away from Gen. Santos City.

Iloilo Philippines is historically one of the major agricultural centers of the country, exporting sugar, copra, bananas, mangoes, and other natural resources during the Spanish and American colonial periods. British expatriate Nicholas Loney revitalized the port from the disrepair and neglect the Spanish left it only to cede that title to Cebu in the 1970s and 1980s.

Iloilo Province offers beach resorts, scuba diving, swimming and snorkeling around the islands of Guimaras and Sicogon. Iloilo is also famous for its old churches and century-old houses. The Miag-ao Fortress Church is am.dieval bastion church with ornate designs on the facade.

In the 2000 census with updated figures conducted by the Philippine National Statistics Office, Iloilo City has a population of 365,820 people in 72,218 households with a 1.93% annual population growth. Average population density is 6,533 people per square kilometer which on a comparative scale is half that of Tokyo.