Islands are organized into three distinct island group according to regions: Regions I to V, CAR,

and NCR are for Luzon, Regions VI to VIII are for the Visayas, and
Regions IX to XIII and BARMM are for Mindanao. If a province is reassigned into a new region, it
can also be reassigned to a new island group, as is the case with Palawan, when it was reassigned
to Mimaropa. The island groups themselves do not have governments of their own, but are instead
divided into provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, which do have their own local
governments.
Although the island groups do not have local governments, hence capitals, certain cities have
become the political, economic and cultural centers of the island groups. Manila is the
national capital and is the de facto capital of Luzon, though neighbouring Quezon City, a former
capital, has more inhabitants than Manila. Cebu, on the province and island of the same name, is
the chief city of the Visayas. Mindanao's main city is Davao, towards its southeast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_groups_of_the_Philippines
Wikipedia contributors. (2019, July 23). Island groups of the Philippines. In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:02, August 17, 2019,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Island_groups_of_the_Philippines&oldid=907503759

While there are more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines, only
2,000 islands are said to be inhabited. Each inhabitable island
falls under the country’s main island groups — whether Luzon,
Visayas, or Mindanao. These regions are not only subdivided for
geographical purposes, but one will notice that there are distinct
characteristics, customs, languages in each island group.

Luzon
Luzon, which was coined after the Tagalog word kalusunan (which means
northern part), is the country’s largest island. Hence, it’s expected to have the
greatest population among the three island groups. Having an area of 42,458
square miles, Luzon is further subdivided into four major areas — Northern
Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and the National Capital Region,
which is the country’s center of economic, social, cultural, and financial
development.
The island, which is considered to be the 15th largest island in the world, is
home to tourist destinations such as Palawan, mountainous terrains,
volcanoes such as Mt. Pinatubo, perfect cone-shaped Mt. Mayon, and Taal
Volcano as well as numerous lakes, rivers, and plains. In terms of ethno-
linguistic groups, the most prominent ones
are Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Tagalog, and Pangasinense.

Visayas
Between the regions of Luzon and Mindanao, there lies the small, scattered
islands comprising Visayas — the smallest region in terms of land area. The
island group of Visayas plays an important role in Philippine History as
Ferdinand Magellan discovered the country during his expedition which led
him to one of its small islands — Samar. According to historians, the word
Visayas was named after the powerful Malayan Srivijaya Empire, which ruled
over some of the Visayan islands.

Apart from its rich history, Visayas is also famous for widely celebrated
cultural events such as the Dinagyang, Ati-atihan, and Sinulog festivals which
are in honor of religious traditions. Both local and foreign tourists also head
over to the Visayas region to visit the white-sand beaches of Boracay,
Chocolate Hills in Bohol, and see whale sharks in Cebu City. In this region,
the three major languages are Cebuano, Waray, and Hiligaynon.

Mindanao
Mindanao, the second largest among the three islands and the southernmost
part of the Philippines, is a main contributor of the country’s GDP in terms of
agriculture, fishing, forestry, etc. Majority of Filipino Muslims live in this island
group, particularly in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Because it is near the island of Borneo, historians mentioned that Sultans of
Mindanao became acquainted with the leaders of Borneo who introduced
them to the Islam religion.

This island group has mostly mountainous landscapes and home to over 250
bird species. In fact, the country’s tallest mountain, Mt. Apo, and the
conservation center for Philippine Eagles can be found in the Mindanao
region. The region’s surrounding waters is also known to be home to deep-
sea fish, and their Enchanted River located in Surigao del Sur has a depth
which until today remains a mystery. Within the region of Mindanao, one may
find the city of Davao which is their center of development and is said to be
one of the safest cities in the world.

While the islands of the Philippines are scattered and its geographical location
can sometimes be a hindrance to the country’s development, the three major
islands contribute to strengthen and preserve the Filipino traditions and
cultural practices despite regional differences.

RONICA VALDEAVILLA; 20 JANUARY 2018; CULTURE TRIP;

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/luzon-visayas-mindanao-the-3-island-groups-of-the-
philippines/

Samakatuwid, isang malaki o buong kontinente ito dati. hindi lamang ang
luzon, visayas at mindanao ang nabuo. pati rin ang mga ibang bansa kaya
nagkaroon ng mga hiwa hiwalay o maliliit na pulo. naghati hati ito dahil sa
"Continental Drift Theory". ang dahilan kung bakit naghiwa hiwalay ang lupa
sa mundo. kasama na ang Luzon Visayas at mindanao
Read more on Brainly.ph - https://brainly.ph/question/217589#readmore

https://brainly.ph/question/217589

The Philippines that we know now is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia that lays in a
total area of 300,000 sq. km. That makes it approximately the same size as Italy but comparison
stops there because when it comes to population, there are almost twice as much people in the
Philippines.

Its neighbouring countries include Malaysia and Indonesia to the south, Taiwan to the north,
and Vietnam to west; the massive Pacific Ocean is located to the west of the Philippines.

The 7,107 islands and more than 90 million people in the Philippines are subdivided into three
geographical divisions namely Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. In fact the name Luzviminda,
popular among Filipino women, is a portmanteau of the three island groups.

When travelling around the country, one would notice that these divisions have distinct
characteristics with the religions, languages, and customs of the people residing in each. Not
only that, all three also boast of rich and diverse natural that you can’t find in other countries.
Did you know that only in the Philippines does the geographical phenomenon of a lake within
an island within a lake within an island, exist?

LUZON

The Taal volcano island is in the middle of Taal Lake that is situated in the island of Luzon. The crater of
the volcano creates another lake with an islet protruding from it. Indeed, topographic uniqueness is
something Luzon doesn’t lack. The Mayon Volcano in the Bicol region is also famous for having the most
symmetric conical shape of any volcanoes in the world, and one of the most picturesque sights in the
country.

Luzon stemmed from the Tagalog word Kalusunan which means the northern most part. True to its
name, the island group of Luzon is in the northern most part of the archipelago; it comprises of Luzon
Island itself, the islands of Batanes, Babuyan, Romblon, Masbate, Catanduanes, Marinduque, Mindoro,
and Palawan.
Politically and economically, Luzon is the most important geographical division among the three
for reasons that the nation’s capital Manila, and Makati, the main economic and financial hub,
are both part of the National Capital Region (NCR) in Luzon. The NCR is also considered the
political, economic, social, cultural, and education center of the Philippines.

People in Luzon are divided into ethno- linguistic groups and the most prominent languages
include Ilocano (predominant in the regions of Ilocos and Cagayan Valley), Kapampangan (in
Central Luzon) Pangasinense (in Pangasinan) Bicolano (Bicol region), and Tagalog (Bulacan,
CALABARZON, and Metro Manila).

Luzon has eight of the 17 administrative regions of the country that functions mainly to
organize the provinces. It is not only the largest by land area with almost 110,000 sq. km. but
also has the biggest in terms of the population distribution. Reasons for this include Quezon
City, the largest city with a population of 2.76 million, and Cavite, the largest province with 3.09
million people, are both part of Luzon. In the international scale, Luzon is the fourth most
populous island in the world, just behind Java, Honshu, and Great Britain.

Despite Luzon’s land area, it is not the first place Ferdinand Magellan landed on in 1521.

VISAYAS

Ferdinand Magellan landed on the island of Homonhon on March 16, 1521. Homonhon is now
part of Samar, one of the major islands that make up Visayas. Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and
Leyte are the other big islands that are scattered in the Visayan sea and together, with smaller
surrounding islands, make up the central division of the Philippines.

According to some scholars, the name Visayas is derived from the powerful Malayan Srivijaya
Empire, where parts of the region had been under the rule of the ancient empire. Whether true
or not the Visayas is very still rich in history.

A proof of Visayas’ rich past is its festivals. The Dinagyang, Ati-atihan, and Sinulog festivals all
depict religious events that took place in the islands in the past. Known for their colorful and
vibrant costumes and pulsating street dancing, these festivals have been drawing large crowds
ever year (both locals and foreigners), making these cultural celebrations a trade mark of the
region.

Cebu City, one of the venues for the Sinulog festival, is the regional center of Visayas and also
the oldest city in the Philippines. It’s situated in an island of the same name and almost a
million people are living in the city alone. Cebuano is the main language of the people and is
one of the three major Visayan languages that the people speak in the rest of the region, the
other two being Hiligaynon and Waray.

Tourists flock the islands of Visayas not only to see its cultural attractions. The Boracay Island,
part of the province of Aklan in the island of Panay, has garnered international recognition for
its pristine waters and white sand beaches. The chocolate hills in Bohol are also a top
destination in the region.

When it comes to population and land area, Visayas is the smallest of the three geographical
divisions with only over 11 million people living in 61,077 sq. km.

MINDANAO

The Mindanao Island, covering 104, 630 sq. km., is the second largest island only next to Luzon
but is still bigger than the Netherlands, Ireland, and Austria. It is composed of the Sulu
archipelago and other smaller outlying islands. It lies in the southernmost geographical division
of the Philippines.

The bulk of the Muslim Filipinos live in Mindanao. They constitute approximately 10 per cent of
the whole population. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the region
where most Muslim provinces can be found.

According to historians, the Sultans in Mindanao became politically acquainted with the Muslim
states of neighboring Islamic states of Moluccas and Borneo. This interaction led many to
change their pagan religions to Islam.

Davao City is the regional center of Mindanao and is part of the Davao region. Almost one and a
half million people are living in the city and it’s the fourth largest city in the Philippines. When it
comes to land area however, Davao city is the largest with an area of 2,444 sq. km.

Between Davao City and Davao del Sur, lies the highest mountain in the Philippines. The Mount
Apo towers 2,954 meters above sea level and is a popular hiking destination. The mountain is
home to more than 250 birds, including the Philippine Eagle. It became a UNESCO world
heritage site in 2009. Mountain regions are prevalent in the rest of Mindanao and are grouped
into 10 mountain ranges. In these mountains reside different tribal groups.

Cebuano is spoken by most people in Mindanao and is considered as their first language except
for the tribal communities and Muslim areas. The Ilonggo language is widely spoken in the area
of South Cotabato. Tagalog is also understood and spoken in the area.
Historical documents show that Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao would not have merged to
become the Philippines if the Europeans didn’t stumble upon our shores. Instead of the
Philippines, pagan communities may still be residing in the islands until now. We might have
owed it to the Spaniards for uniting us geographically, but we were responsible for merging our
cultures to make one, distinct race – the Filipino.

Philippine Geography: Description of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao

17 September 2013 by FFE PKM Staff
1898-1901

1901-1907
1919-1936

1936-1941
1941-1945

1943-1944
1985-1986

1998-present
 Ang Luzon ay ang pinakamalaking isla ng Pilipinas na nahahati naman sa apat,

ito ay ang Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, at ang National Capital Region

(NCR), na sentro ng ekonomikal, sosyal, kultural, at pinansyal na pag-unlad.

Ang Visayas na nahahati sa mga maliliit na mga pulo ay ang pinakamaliit na

rehiyon. Ito ay kilala sa sikat na mga kultural sa selebrasyon tulad ng Dinagyang, Ati-

atihan at Sinulog. Kilala rin ito dahil sa Boracay na mayroon puting buhangin, at sa Bohol

dahil sa Chocolate Hills. May tatlong