Boracay the word for seed. Boracay was originally home to the Ati people. Boracay Island was already an inhabited place before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. It was known to the Iberian conquerors as "Buracay". At the time of contact with the Europeans, "Buracay" had a population of one hundred people, who cultivated rice on the island and augmented their income by raising goats. Boracay is part of Aklan, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956. Boracay was largely an agricultural community like other parts of the country. Around 1900 A.D., Sofía Gonzáles Tirol and her husband Lamberto
Boracay Kalibo on nearby Panay Island. A much smaller Ati-Atihan festival is celebrated on Boracay, usually in the second or third week of January. Boracay island is separated from Panay island by a narrow strait. The island is located opposite the barangay of Caticlan in the municipality of Malay, Aklan. Transportation across the strait is provided by boats operating from the Caticlan jetty port. Cagban Port serves as the primary sea transportation hub for passengers going into Boracay but the island lacks any formal seaport for cargo transport and waste disposal. Goods are delivered into Boracay through an informal port near