Negros Oriental

Negros Oriental (Eastern Negros; Cebuano: Sidlakang Negros; Tagalog: Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sidlakang Negros; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Silangang Negros), is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete, one of the two regional centers of Negros Island Region, with the other being Bacolod. It occupies the southeastern half of the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Occidental, which comprises the northwestern 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 southeast. The primary spoken language is Binisaya, and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism. Dumaguete is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city of the province. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,432,990 people, making it the second most-populous province in the region after Negros Occidental, the fifth most-populous province in the Visayas, and the 19th most-populous province of the Philippines.