Negros Oriental

Negros Oriental (Filipino: Silangang Negros; Cebuano: Sidlakang 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 north-western 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). 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.

History

Negros Island, the third largest island in the Philippines, is believed to have once been part of the island of Mindanao, but was cut off by rising waters at the end of the last ice age.

Among the early inhabitants of the island were Negritos, as well as Malays and Han Chinese. They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".