View source for Island groups of the Philippines

{{Short description|Geographical divisions of the Philippines}}

[[File:Federal states of the Philippines.png|thumb|300px|The Philippines is divided into three island groups: [[Luzon]], the [[Visayas]], and [[Mindanao]].]]

The [[Philippines]] is divided into three major [[archipelago|island groups]]: [[Luzon]], the [[Visayas]], and [[Mindanao]]. Luzon and Mindanao archipelagoes are both named after the largest island in their respective groups, while the Visayas (also referred to as the Visayan Islands) is an archipelago of roughly similar-sized islands.

== Administrative divisions ==
The islands of the Philippines are organized into three distinct island groups according to [[Regions of the Philippines|regions]]:{{what?|date=May 2023}}

*Luzon comprises 8 regions: [[Ilocos Region|I]] to [[Central Luzon|III]], [[Calabarzon|IV-A]], [[Bicol Region|V]], [[Metro Manila|NCR]], [[Cordillera Administrative Region|CAR]], and [[Mimaropa]].
*The Visayas comprises 4 regions: [[Western Visayas|VI]] to [[Eastern Visayas|VIII]] and [[Negros Island Region|NIR]]
*Mindanao comprises 6 regions: [[Zamboanga Peninsula|IX]] to [[Caraga|XIII]], and [[Bangsamoro|BARMM]].

If a [[Province of the Philippines|province]] is reassigned into a new region, it may also be reassigned to a new island group, as is the case with [[Palawan]], when it was temporarily assigned from [[Mimaropa]] to [[Western Visayas]] and thus temporarily was considered part of the Visayas.

The island groups themselves do not have governments of their own, but are instead divided into provinces, [[Cities of the Philippines|cities]], [[Municipalities of the Philippines|municipalities]] and [[barangay]]s, which do have their own local governments. The island groups are used for statistical convenience and in some cases, there are national government agencies that have created positions that cover the island groups such as the Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations in Mindanao in the [[Department of Public Works and Highways]] (DPWH) or the Assistant Secretary for Luzon Affairs in the [[Department of Social Welfare and Development]] (DSWD).

Although the island groups do not have local governments, hence [[Capital (political)|capitals]], certain cities have become the political, economic and cultural centers of the island groups. [[Manila]] is the national [[Capital of the Philippines|capital]] and is the ''[[de facto]]'' capital of Luzon, though neighboring [[Quezon City]], a former capital, has more inhabitants than Manila. [[Cebu City|Cebu]], on the province and island of the same name, is the chief city of the Visayas. Mindanao's main city is [[Davao City|Davao]], towards its southeast.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto 2em; text-align:right;"
|-
! style="border-bottom:none;"        class="unsortable" | Group
! style="border-bottom:none;"        class="unsortable" | Largest city
! style="border-bottom:none;"        colspan=2          | Population
! style="border-bottom:none;"                           | {{PSGC rubric}}
! style="border-bottom:none;"        colspan=2          | Area
! style="border-bottom:none;"        colspan=2          | Density
|-
! style="border-top:none;"                              | 
! style="border-top:none;"                              |
! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;text:center;"       | 1 May 2020{{PH census|{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=2|list=p-1|qo=true|qual=P585}}}}
! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;text:center;"       | {{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=1|qo=true|qual=P585}}{{PH census|{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=1|qo=true|qual=P585}}}}
! style="border-top:none;"                              | 
! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;"                   | km<sup>2</sup>
! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;"  class=unsortable | sq&nbsp;mi
! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;"                   | /km<sup>2</sup>
! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;"  class=unsortable | /sq&nbsp;mi
|-
| style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;"               | [[Luzon]]
| style="text-align:left;"                                 | [[Quezon City]]
| {{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}
| {{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|qsorted=yes|maxvals=1}}
| 1.74%
| {{convert|125,863|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|{{sigfig|{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}/125,863|3}}|PD/km2|disp=table}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;"               | [[Visayas]]
| style="text-align:left;"                                 | [[Cebu City|Cebu]]
| {{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q211436|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}
| 18,003,940
| 1.35%
| {{convert|{{Wdib|P2046|qid=Q211436|ps=1|su=no}}|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|{{sigfig|{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q211436|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}/71,503|3}}|PD/km2|sigfig=3|disp=table}}
|-
| style="text-align:left; font-weight:bold;"               | [[Mindanao]]
| style="text-align:left;"                                 | [[Davao City|Davao]]
| {{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q37274898|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}
| 21,968,174
| 1.80%
| {{convert|104,530|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|{{sigfig|{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082||qid=Q37274898|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}/104,530|3}}|PD/km2|disp=table}}
|- style="border-style:solid none double none;border-width:thin 0 medium 0;" class=sortbottom
| style="text-align:center;font-weight:bold;" colspan=2              | Total

| {{formatnum:{{#expr: {{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q211436|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}+{{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q37274898|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}}}}}
| 92,335,113

| 1.68%
| {{convert|301,896|km2|disp=table}}
| {{convert|{{sigfig|{{formatnum:{{#expr:
 {{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q2673519|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}
+{{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q211436|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}
+{{formatnum:{{#invoke:WikidataIB |getValue |P1082|qid=Q37274898|fwd=ALL|rank=p n|osd=no|noicon=true|sorted=yes|maxvals=3|list=p-1}}|R}}
}}/301,896}}|3}}|PD/km2|sigfig=3|disp=table}}
|}
{{clear}}

== Islands ==
{{Mainlist|List of islands of the Philippines}}
{| class="wikitable"
| align="center"| [[File:Luzon_Island_Red.png|120px]]
| align="center"| [[File:Visayas_Red.png|120px]]
| align="center"| [[File:Mindanao_Red.png|120px]]
|- 
! align="center" width=280px|[[Luzon]]
! align="center" width=280px|[[Visayas]]
! align="center" width=280px|[[Mindanao]]
|-
|
#[[Luzon]]
#[[Palawan Island]]
#[[Mindoro]]
#[[Masbate Island]]
#[[Catanduanes]]
#[[Marinduque]]
#[[Romblon (island)|Romblon Island]]
#[[Polillo Islands]]
#[[Burias Island]]
#[[Ticao Island]]
#[[Tablas Island]]
#[[Sibuyan Island]]
#[[Busuanga Island]]
#[[Culion Island]]
#[[Coron Island]]
#[[Balabac Island]]
#[[Babuyan Group of Islands]]
#[[Batanes]]
#[[Calamian Group of Islands]]
#[[Cuyo Islands]]
#[[Lubang Island]]s
#[[Kalayaan Group of Islands]]
|valign="top"|
#[[Cebu]]
#[[Panay]]
#[[Negros Island]]
#[[Bohol]]
#[[Samar]]
#[[Leyte]]
#[[Guimaras]]
#[[Siquijor]]
#[[Biliran]]
#[[Bantayan Island]]
#[[Camotes Islands]]
#[[Boracay]]
#[[Semirara]] Group of Islands
#[[Islas de Gigantes]]
#[[Panaon Island]]
#[[Limasawa]]
|valign="top"|
#[[Mindanao]]
#[[Camiguin]]
#[[Dinagat Island]]
#[[Bucas Grande]]
#[[Samal, Davao del Norte|Samal]]
#[[Sarangani, Davao Occidental|Sarangani Islands]]
#[[Siargao]]
#[[Sulu Archipelago]] {{small|(includes [[Basilan]], [[Jolo]], [[Tawi-Tawi Island|Tawi-Tawi]], [[Pata, Sulu|Pata]], [[Sanga-Sanga]], [[Mapun]], and [[Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi|Turtle Islands]])}}
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[Geography of the Philippines]]
* [[List of islands of the Philippines|List of Islands of the Philippines]]
* [[Luzviminda]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Island regions of the Philippines|Island regions of the Philippines}}

{{Islands of the Philippines}}
{{Geography of the Philippines}}
{{Philippines topics}}

[[Category:Island groups of the Philippines| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Philippines| ]]
[[Category:Regions of the Philippines|*01]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of the Philippines]]