Barangay

A barangay (Filipino: baranggay, ) is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. In colloquial usage, the term often refers to an inner city neighbourhood, a suburb or a suburban neighborhood. The word barangay originated from balanghai---a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesians that sailed and migrated to the Philippine archipelago. Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays, and they may be further subdivided into smaller areas called purók (English: zone), and sitio, which is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. In writing, barangay is sometimes abbreviated to "Brgy." or "Bgy.". As of June 28, 2011 there are a total of 42,026 barangays throughout the Philippines.