province of the Philippines

In the Philippines, provinces (Filipino: lalawigan or probinsiya) are the country's primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government units in the National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are administratively independent of any provincial government. Each province is governed by an elected governor and an elected legislative body known as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

The provinces are grouped into 18 regions based on geographic, cultural, and ethnolinguistic characteristics. Thirteen of these regions are numerically designated from north to south, while the National Capital Region, the Cordillera Administrative Region, the Southwestern Tagalog Region (Mimaropa), the Negros Island Region, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are identified by their names or acronyms.