Capital of Negros Occidental
Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental, which is the sugar capital of the Philippines. Bacolod is the biggest and highly urbanized city in the island of Negros, the fourth biggest island in the Philippine archipelago.
Bacolod is the entry point to other sugar-rich cities and towns in the province. (Negros Occidental has 13 cities and 19 municipalities.)
How to Get Here
Bacolod is 55 minutes by air from Manila, the country’s major port of entry. Philippine Airlines (PAL) fly to and from Bacolod six times daily. Other airlines like Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines also fly daily to and from Bacolod.
Bacolod is 30 minutes by air from Cebu, an alternative entry point. PAL, Cebu Pacific, and Air Philippines have daily flights to and from Cebu City.
By sea it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and one hour from Iloilo. By land and sea travel, it is 7 hours from Cebu. From Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, Bacolod is 5 hours away via Mabinay in the south.
Geographical Location
Bacolod City is located on the northwestern coast of the Province of Negros Occidental. It is bounded on the northwest by the town of Talisay; on the east by the City of Silay; on the east and southwest by the town of Murcia; on the southwest by the City of Bago; and in the west by the Guimaras Strait. The global location of Bacolod City is 10 degrees, 40 minutes 40 seconds – north and 122 degrees 54 minutes 25 seconds – east with Bacolod Public Plaza as the benchmark.
Land Area and Political Subdivision
Bacolod has a total land area of 16,145 hectares, including straits and bodies of water and the 124 hectare reclamation area; and is composed of 61 barangay (villages) and 639 purok (smaller units composing a village).
Climate and Rainfall
Bacolod City has two (2) pronounced seasons, wet and dry. The rainy season is from May to January of the following year with heavy rains occurring during the months of August and September. Dry season starts in February and extends until April. December and January are the coolest months while April is the hottest.
Bacolod registers an average temperature high of 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit and an average low of 74.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Topography
The City is ideally located on a level area, slightly sloping as it extends toward the sea with average slopes of 0.9 percent for the city proper and between 3 to 5 for the suburbs. The altitude is 32.8 feet or 10.0 meters above sea level. The benchmark is the Bacolod Public Plaza.
Water Bodies
There are three big rivers passing the city namely, Lupit, Magsungay, and Ngalan. Lupit River and its tributaries emanates from the eastern slopes of a chain of mountain ranges in the northeast part of Mandalagan, Silay and Marapara mountains and empty into the Guimaras Strait.
Soil
The different varieties of soil to be found fall into several broad types and qualities. The soil in the level areas of the city is suitable for production of primary crops such as rice, sugarcane, coconuts and vegetables. Areas adjacent to the shoreline are suited for aquamarine culture.*
Source: www.bacolodcity.gov.ph