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 "more Miami chic than hidden oasis." Leisure activities available on or near Boracay include horseback riding, scuba diving, diving helmet, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, cliff diving, parasailing. Boracay is the site of an 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by Graham Marsh. In addition, , Boracay has in excess of 350 beach resorts offering more than 2,000 rooms ranging in quality from five-star to budget accommodation. In addition, Boracay offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs. A landmark natural rock formation, Boracay's Rock, juts prominently directly in front of Willy's Beach Resort. According to the Department of Tourism