The Iloilo River is an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

river located in the province of

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

, in

Western Visayas Western Visayas ( hil, Kabisay-an Nakatundan; tl, Kanlurang Kabisayaan or ''Kanlurang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimara ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The river starts in

Oton Oton, officially the Municipality of Oton (; krj, Banwa kang Oton, hil, Banwa sang Oton, tgl, Bayan ng Oton), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 98,509 p ...

at the Batiano

, then traverses through the

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...

districts of Lapuz,

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

Mandurriao Mandurriao () is one of the seven districts of Iloilo City, in the province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay, in the Western Visayas region, in the Philippines. It is the second-largest district by land area as well as the third-most populous di ...

, Molo, Arevalo and the City Proper, before emptying into the

Iloilo Strait The Iloilo Strait is a strait in the Philippines that separates the islands of Panay and Guimaras in the Visayas, and connects the Panay Gulf with the Guimaras Strait. It is the location of the Port of Iloilo, the third-busiest of the ports in ...

. As an estuary, the river level fluctuates with the tides. This flow brings in nutrients from the sea, which makes the Iloilo River a nursery for fish species such as

bangus The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. However, there are at least five extinct genera from the Cretaceous. The repeating scientific name (tautonym) is from Greek ( ‘mouth’). The species has many ...

and tilapia. The banks of the river are home to 22 of the country's 35 mangrove species, as well as the rare ''

metapenaeus ''Metapenaeus'' is a genus of prawns, containing the following species: *'' Metapenaeus affinis'' (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) *'' Metapenaeus alcocki'' M. J. George & Rao, 1968 *'' Metapenaeus anchistus'' (de Man, 1920) *'' Metapenaeus arabicus'' H ...

insolitus''.

Wharf

Iloilo River towards the provincial capitol

Iloilo River wharf, including Muelle Loney in the Iloilo City Proper, is a natural harbor which made it a preferred port of call for ships seeking protection from strong winds and tropical monsoons. It serves as port for inter island ferries that travel from Iloilo City to

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...

Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...

and to Guimaras. It is also a drop-off point for fishing vessels that bring in their catch from the sea to be delivered to markets all over Iloilo.

Port

The Port of Iloilo was opened for international trade on 1855 and the coming of British Vice-consul

Nicholas Loney Nicholas Loney (1826, Plymouth, United Kingdom – 23 April 1869, Mount Kanlaon, Negros Island, Philippines) was an English businessman and the British Empire's vice-consul in the city of Iloílo. Early life The younger son of Admiral Robert Lone ...

, a year later, that led to the fast development of sugar industry in the region.

Esplanade

The

Iloilo River Esplanade The Iloilo River Esplanade is a esplanade and linear park along the Iloilo River in Iloilo City, Iloilo. It stretches on both sides of the river, from Carpenter's Bridge in Mandurriao and Molo districts to Muelle Loney (Drilon) Bridge in the C ...

in Mandurriao district is a park development in one of its river banks constructed as a recreation area and an attraction for visitors.

Bridges

The bridges that cross the river include, into City Proper the Quirino-Lopez Bridge (built 1967, rehabilitated 2000) going to Lapuz district and Forbes (1910, rehabilitated 1975), Jalandoni and Drilon bridges going to La Paz district; and Diversion Bridge (1982) and Carpenters Bridge (2010, replacing a now-pedestrian only bridge) between Mandurriao and Molo districts.

References

Rivers of the Philippines Landforms of Iloilo {{Philippines-river-stub

Wharf

Port

Esplanade

Bridges

See also

References