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 environm ...

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, Guimaras ...

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 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 Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on t ...

districts of Lapuz, La Paz, Mandurriao, Molo, Arevalo and the

City Proper A city proper is the geographical area contained within city limits. The term ''proper'' is not exclusive to cities; it can describe the geographical area within the boundaries of any given locality. The United Nations defines the term as "the sin ...

, before emptying into the Iloilo Strait. 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 and

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

. The banks of the river are home to 22 of the country's 35

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

species, as well as the rare '' metapenaeus 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 on Negros and to

Guimaras Guimaras , officially the Province of Guimaras ( hil, Kapuoran sang Guimaras; tl, Lalawigan ng Guimaras), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Jordan while its largest local government ...

. 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 The Port of Iloilo (Spanish: ''Puerto de Iloilo'') in Iloilo City, Philippines, serves the province and city of Iloilo and the entire Panay Island, in Western Visayas of the Philippines. It is located away from the older port facilities on ...

was opened for international trade on 1855 and the coming of British Vice-consul Nicholas Loney, a year later, that led to the fast development of sugar industry in the region.

Esplanade

The Iloilo River Esplanade 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