Kabisay-an

The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Visayan: Kabisay-an, Cebuano pronunciation:; Filipino: Kabisayaan), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples. The major islands of the Visayas are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The region may also include the provinces of Palawan, Romblon, and Masbate, whose populations identify as Visayan and whose languages are more closely related to other Visayan languages than to the major languages of Luzon. There are four administrative regions in the Visayas: Western Visayas (pop. 4.86 million), Negros Island Region (pop. 4.90 million), Central Visayas (6.64 million) and Eastern Visayas (4.63 million). EtymologyPre-colonial etymologyFrom the 1950s to 1960s there were spurious claims by various authors that "Bisaya" is derived from the historical empire of "Sri Vijaya" which came from the Sanskrit term "Śrīvijaya"