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

A Facebook video by Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman showed survivors wrapped in blankets as they disembarked from a rescue boat.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

Basilan Governor Jim Hataman initially reported 31 deaths Thursday but later reduced the toll to 29 after search and rescue groups crossed-checked their figures.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2023

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

From Washington Times • Mar. 29, 2023

They administer 37 missions, with 265 visitas or reductions, in Mindanao, Basilan, and Joló.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 28 of 55 1637-38 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 by Blair, Emma Helen