Central Visayas (Filipino: Gitnang Kabisayaan) is a region of the Philippines, designated as Region VII. It is located in the central part of the Visayas island group, and consists of four provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor— and the highly urbanized cities of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City. The region is dominated by the native speakers of Cebuano. Cebu City is its regional center.
The land area of the region is 15,875 km². As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 6,800,180 people, making it the 5th most populous of the country's 17 regions.^[1]

History

Regions first came to existence in on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the Philippines were organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Since inception, the Central Visayas Region has remained unchanged in its boundaries.