Basilan

American  

[buh-see-lahn] / bəˈsi lɑn /

noun

1. an island in the Philippines, southwest of Mindanao. 495 sq. mi. (1,282 sq. km).

2. Formerly Isabela.  a city on this island.

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Basilan British  

/ bæˈsiːlæn, bəˈsiːlɑːn /

noun

1. a group of islands in the Philippines, SW of Mindanao

2. the main island of this group, separated from Mindanao by the Basilan Strait . Area: 1282 sq km (495 sq miles)

3. a city on Basilan Island. Pop: 381 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

"We're near Basilan, but it took them more than three hours to respond to us," he said.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Rescuers have been overwhelmed by the influx of survivors, Basilan emergency responder Ronalyn Perez told AFP.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

The ferry was enroute to Jolo town in Sulu province from the southern port city of Zamboanga when it caught fire midway off Basilan close to midnight, he said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2023

Asked why he visited Basilan, Adib refused to answer and said he was planning to head back to Spain from Manila.

From Washington Times • Jan. 24, 2018

Parodasan is perhaps Parangaan of the Tawi Tawi group, or Parang̃an of the Tapul group; Basilan is the chief island of its group, with an area of 478 sq. mi.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, Volume XLIII, 1670-1700 by Various