San Carlos (Negros Occidental), chartered city in the west central Philippines, on the northeastern portion of Negros Island, in Negros Occidental Province. Lying on Tanon Strait across from Cebu Island and the city of Toledo, San Carlos has a deepwater port serving both interisland and international vessels. San Carlos sits amid a major sugar-producing region and the city supports a large sugar mill established in 1912. Because sugar mills require large and dependable supplies of local sugar cane to operate profitably, other crops are almost absent on nearby farmland. Ferry service runs between San Carlos and Toledo, and migrant sugar workers arrive from Toledo and beyond to harvest the cane. The coastal road that circles Negros Island connects San Carlos with Bacolod and Silay on the island's west coast, with Sagay and Cadiz in the north, and with Dumaguete, the provincial capital, in the south. A small airport provides commercial interisland service. As with many Philippine chartered cities, the total area of the city (451 sq km/174 sq mi) includes a large portion of farmland. Between 1980 and 1990 the population grew by 15 percent, less than the national growth rate of 26 percent. The city was chartered in 1960. Population (1999) 105,272.
