Western Visayas, also known as Region 6 in the Philippine political structure, is situated right at the center of the Philippines. Composed of six provinces, it has an area of 20,223.2 square kilometers.

Four of its provinces – Iloilo, Capiz, Antique and Aklan, are on the island of Panay. Another province, Negros Occidental, is on the western part of the island of Negros. The island province of Guimaras lies between Panay and Negros.

Panay, a heart-shaped island, is bounded in the north by Sibuyan Sea, on the east by Visayan Sea, on the south by Iloilo Strait separating it from Guimaras and Panay Gulf, and on the west by Sulu Sea.

Negros Occidental is bounded on the north by Visayan Sea, on the southeast by Tañon Strait and the province of Negros Oriental, on the northwest by Guimaras Strait separating it from Guimaras and Panay Gulf, and on the southwest by Cuyo Sea.

The region has 123 towns distributed as follows, Iloilo- 43; Capiz – 16, Antique – 18; Aklan – 17; Negros Occidental - 24 and Guimaras – 5.  As of March 1998, there are eleven cities – eight in Negros Occidental  (Bacolod, Silay, Bago, La Carlota, Cadiz, San Carlos, Sagay and Kabankalan), two in Iloilo (Iloilo and Passi) and one in Capiz (Roxas City).

The provincial capitals are:
Iloilo –  Iloilo City
Capiz – Roxas City
Antique – San Jose de Buenavista
Aklan – Kalibo
Negros Occidental – Bacolod City
Guimaras – Jordan

Several hundred years ago, an oppressed people at the bank of Bisaya River in Bornay (now Borneo) under Datu Puti and nine other datus left to look for a new “land of peace and freedom” and found it in West Visayas after weeks of sailing in uncharted seas.

Source:
WEST VISAYAS – Pre-Spanish Era to Philippine Revolution Vol. 1
Author: Rex S. Salvilla