PANAY

island, westernmost of the Visaya group, central Philippines, surrounded by the Sibuyan, Visayan, and Sulu seas; the Guimaras Strait to the southeast separates it from Negros. Roughly triangular in shape, it has an area of 4,446 square miles (11,515 square km). A rugged, almost unpopulated mountain range parallels its western coastline. Between the range and a hilly eastern portion, a densely populated, intensely farmed (sugarcane, rice) fertile plain extends for about 95 miles (155 km) from the northern to the southern coasts. A wide lowland on the southeast is formed by the deltas of the Jalaud, Jaro, and Sibalom rivers. There are large concentrations of fishponds in the northern and eastern parts of the island, and mineral deposits include coal and copper. The inhabitants are primarily of the Hiligaynon (Ilongo) ethnolinguistic group, and nomadic Negritos live in the mountainous areas. Its major cities are Roxas and Iloilo City. Pop. (1980) 2,595,314.