Guide to the Administrative Divisions of the Philippines

The Philippines, an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia, is geographically divided into three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Administratively, it is divided into 17 regions and 81 provinces, with each region encompassing multiple provinces. Below is a detailed introduction of these 17 regions:

1. Ilocos Region (Region I) is located at the northernmost part of Luzon, consisting of 4 provinces: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan.
2. Cagayan Valley (Region II) is situated in the northeastern part of Luzon, composed of 5 provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino.
3. Central Luzon (Region III) is in the central part of Luzon, composed of 7 provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales.
4. Calabarzon (Region IV-A) is in the southern part of Luzon, comprising 5 provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal.
5. Mimaropa (Region IV-B) is in the southwestern part of Luzon, consisting of 5 provinces: Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon.
6. Bicol Region (Region V) is located at the southeastern part of Luzon, composed of 6 provinces: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon.

On the Visayas island group, there are three regions:

7. Western Visayas (Region VI) consists of 6 provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental.
8. Central Visayas (Region VII) consists of 4 provinces: Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor.
9. Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) consists of 6 provinces: Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte.

On Mindanao, there are five regions:

10. Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) consists of 3 provinces: Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay.
11. Northern Mindanao (Region X) consists of 5 provinces: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental.
12. Davao Region (Region XI) consists of 5 provinces: Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental.
13. Soccsksargen (Region XII) consists of 4 provinces: Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat.
14. Caraga (Region XIII) consists of 5 provinces: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur.
15. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) located in the southern part of Mindanao is an autonomous Muslim region, consisting of 6 provinces: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi.

In other areas, there are two regions:

16. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in the central northern part of Luzon is an autonomous region mainly inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Philippines, comprising 6 provinces: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province.
17. The National Capital Region (NCR) is where the capital, Manila, is located. It is a special administrative region that doesn’t include any provinces but is composed of 16 cities and 1 municipality: Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, Valenzuela, and Pateros.

Source: wikipedia