Biliran is one of the smallest provinces in the PhilippinesEastern Visayas region. An island province, Biliran lies just a few kilometers north of the island of Leyte. Its capital is Naval and for a time, Biliran was part of the province of Leyte until it became independent in 1992.

During the early Spanish era, what is now called Biliran Island was known as Isla de Panamao.The term refers to an ethnic fishing net. The present name, believed to be adopted sometime between the late 1600s and the early 1700s, was, according to many publications, derived from a native grass called borobiliran which once grew abundantly on the island's plains. A contending theory states that the name came from the word bilir, which was defined in an old Visayan dictionary to be the “corner or edge of a boat, vase or anything protruding, like veins, or the furrow made by the plow.” The dictionary also gives biliran as an alternate spelling for bilir. This theory is supported by the fact that Biliran was site of the first large-scale shipyard, built in the 1600s. Galleons were built to support the Galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco in Mexico.

The first town, named Biliran, was founded in 1712. During this time, the island was a part of the province of Cebu. Biliran, together with the islands of Samar and Leyte were constituted into a separate province in 1735. Later when Samar and Leyte were split into two provinces in 1768, Biliran became part of Leyte.

Biliran has a total land area of 555.4 square kilometers, making it the fourth smallest province in the Philippines. The province is composed of two major islands; Biliran Island and Maripipi Island. Other islands include Higatangan Island.

Biliran Island lies off the northern coast of Leyte across Biliran Strait. To the southeast is Carigara Bay, to the northeast is Samar Sea, and further on, the island of Samar. To the west is the Visayan Sea and Masbate lies 30 km to the northwest.

The main island features mountainous interiors with very narrow coastal areas. Mountain ranges occupy the major portion of the island municipality of Maripipi. Only the municipalities of Naval and Caibiran have wide plains extending about 7 km from the coast suitable for agriculture. Mount Suiro, which has an elevation of 1,300 meters is the highest point on the island.

Biliran has a combination of warm and cool climatic zones, thus the prevailing climate is ideal for the cultivation of a wide range of agricultural crops. There is no distinct dry season but the heavy wet season generally occurs in December.

Biliran's single historic eruption was from a flank vent in 1939. There are five solfatara fields on the island. The solfatara on the west side of Mt. Guinon contained more than 400 tones of sulfur in 1880.

from wikipedia. =)

But more than the demographics, it is a place close to my heart. Being my mother's hometown, we spent countless summers here when we were kids. It is home to some of my fondest childhood memories - learning to swim in the sea when my cousins decided to play prank on me by throwing me off that pier, learning to fish using just a nylon string, some worms and my bare hands. It is also where i got my biggest scrape on my knee and elbow, which my cousin, playing doctor, tried to cure by squeezing the extract of waterlily leaves on ( i don't think it helped at all). haha! It is where i first experienced harvesting rice and peanuts and eating cacao fruit then saving the seeds for drying then for making chocolate later on. i could go on and on and these pictures are far from describing how i really felt visiting our province once again after 12 years (yeah, reality kicks in). I was glad that the people i know were still there, but sad at the same time when i saw that some of the houses of our great grandmothers were starting to fall apart, partly because of time and partly because of neglect. I'm planning to go back on december, this time maybe stay longer to tour the entire island and discover more of its hidden beauty and wonder.