A barangay (Brgy. or Bgy.

; Filipino: baranggay, [baaaj]), formerly called barrio, is the

smallest administrative division in thePhilippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. In
colloquial usage, the term often refers to an inner cityneighbourhood, a suburb or a suburban
neighborhood.
[citation needed]
The word barangay originated from balangay, a kind of boat used by a group
of Austronesian peoples when they migrated to the Philippines.
[1]
Municipalities and cities are composed of
barangays, and they may be further subdivided into smaller areas called purok (English: zone), and sitio, which
is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. As of September 30, 2012, there were a total
of 42,028 barangays throughout the Philippines.
[2]