Cebu Island
Encyclopedia
Cebu (ˈseɪbuː, seˈbu) is an island of the Philippines
. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands
, 365 miles (587.4 km) south of Manila
.
It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte
and to the southeast is Bohol Island
. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait
(between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon Strait
(between Cebu and Negros). Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the archipelago.
Cebu Island is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighboring smaller islands, that includes Mactan, Bantayan
, Malapascua, Olango
and the Camotes Islands
.
The island is also known as the site of Ferdinand Magellan's
death in the Battle of Mactan
. Magellan had joined forces with Spanish
soldiers and was leading them against Lapu-Lapu
, a Visayan chieftain. There are memorials to both men on the island in Lapu-Lapu City
.
Cebu City
is the capital of Cebu Province and largest city on the island. It is centrally located in the widest portion of the island at the east coast harbor, facing Bohol.
Cebu City is a commercial center whose main industries include copper mining, fishing and aquaculture, farming and agriculture, shipbuilding, steel and cement. In addition to University of San Carlos, major universities in Cebu City include Southwestern University, the University of the Visayas, Cebu Doctors' University, the University of the Southern Philippines, and the University of San Jose – Recoletos.
The harbor of Cebu City is an international port with ocean-going vessels and domestic ships and five inter-island shipping companies, providing access to all other major islands of the Philippines. Cebu's international airport
has daily flights to Manila and other domestic and international destinations. Its location combined with a sheltered deep water harbor has made Cebu City the base for most of the country's domestic shipping and the gateway to the central and southern Philippines.
, came upon Zubu (Cebu) on April 7, 1521. The island then already had a flourishing village with "many sailing vessels from Siam (Thailand), China and Arabia docked at the port" as described by Antonio Pigafetta
, Magellan's chronicler. Then began the Spanish era in the Philippines. However, it deteriorated upon the death of Magellan in the hands of the local warrior, Lapu-Lapu
, only to resurrect with the arrival 44 years later, in 1565, of Miguel López de Legazpi
. That year, the first Spanish settlement was built in Cebu by Mexico's Spanish government to colonize the country.
Its rich and colorful metamorphosis can be traced from 1521 as Zubu, the fishing village and busy trading port, to Villa San Miguel, later to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus in 1575, then as the municipality of Cebu in 1905 up to its being a chartered city on February 24, 1937.
In the 19th century, Cebu started to exercise a dominant role in Southern Philippines' economic limelight. Agriculture, especially sugar cane cultivation and sugar manufacturing, pushed Cebu into playing an important role in this part of the country. But even more crucial than the agricultural products was her participation in trade and commerce. Cebu City has seen many 'firsts' in the nation's history. Established by Legazpi in 1571, it became the first city in the Philippines, ante-dating Manila by seven (7) years. In point of fact, it is the oldest city in the country, having the oldest and smallest fort (Fort San Pedro
), with the oldest church (Basilica of Santo Niño
), the oldest school (University of San Carlos
) and the oldest street (Colon Street
). Referred to as the "Queen City of the South" and the seat of early Filipino Christianization, Cebu is also famous for its musical stringed instruments like banduria, guitar and piccolo.
Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island, separating the east and west coasts. Cebu's steep mountainous spine reaches over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft). Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo
, San Remigio
, Medellin
, and Daanbantayan
at the northern tip of the island.
The island's area of 4,468 square kilometers supports over 3.6 million people, of which 2.3 million live in Metro Cebu.
The climate is warm, generally 23 to 33 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, except for the summer months from March to May which are dry.
Beaches, coral atolls, islands and rich fishing grounds surround Cebu.
Cebu's central location, proximity to unusually exotic tourist destination, ready access to a diversity of plant, animal and geological wonders within the island, and remoteness from earthquake and typhoon activity are some of the special attributes of Cebu.
is the indigenous language and of Malayo-Polynesian origin, which is also widely spoken in the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao. Tagalog and English are also spoken and understood.
is a major international gateway with direct flights to many countries. B747-400 aircraft at maximum takeoff weight can use the airport in all weather.
Cebu's modern communications links utilize satellites, cellular telephone networks and routine land based telephone services. High quality broad band links and IDD services are available and compatible with systems worldwide. Direct links are maintained with over 116 countries. Cebu has a very high density of computer installations, and full access to the internet
Radio and television broadcast services are popular advertising mediums. Cable and satellite television installation among homes is common. The government postal services is efficient and is supplemented by established courier companies. The Philippines major cargo and logistics companies, LBC and 2Go have dozens of outlets in Metro Cebu. FedEx, UPS, and DHL, three of the largest cargo and logistics companies in the world, also have minor operations around Metro Cebu.
is famous for its diving spots. Small vacation houses-cum-resort are the accommodation norm around here.
There currently nine golf-courses, around the island, to choose from.
One of the island's limited array of sporting venues is the Cebu City Sports Complex. The complex was constructed when Cebu City hosted the 'Palarong Pambansa' (National Olympics). The main feature of the complex is its track and field oval, along with a 10,000-seater 'main' grandstand. An Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with a 1,000-seater grandstand, sits next to the 'main' grandstand.
Also, bone fishing is now one of the new fly-fishing adventures that draw thousands each year.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
, 365 miles (587.4 km) south of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte
Leyte Island
Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines.The island measures about 180 km north-south and about 65 km at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km in some places...
and to the southeast is Bohol Island
Bohol Island
Bohol Island is the main island of Bohol Province in the Visayas. It lies southeast from Cebu Island across Cebu Strait and southwest from Leyte Island, separated by the Camotes Sea and Canigao Channel...
. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait
Cebu Strait
Cebu Strait, sometimes called Bohol Strait, is a strait in the Philippines that separates the island provinces of Cebu and Bohol. The Cebu Strait connects the western part of Bohol Sea with Camotes Sea, and is a major sea-lane connecting Cebu City on its northern end with port cities in the south...
(between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon Strait
Tañon Strait
Tañon Strait lies between the islands of Negros and Cebu in the Philippines. The strait connects the Visayan Sea to the Bohol Sea.The Tañon Strait is known for whale and dolphin watching, with tour boats operating from a wharf in Bais City.- Controversy :...
(between Cebu and Negros). Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the archipelago.
Cebu Island is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south, surrounded by 167 neighboring smaller islands, that includes Mactan, Bantayan
Bantayan Island
Bantayan Island is in the Visayan Sea, Philippines, located just west off the northern tip of Cebu Island. The island, politically a part of the Province of Cebu, is about wide by long, with a total population of 120,101, as of the 2000 census. It is also the main and largest island of the...
, Malapascua, Olango
Olango Island Group
The Olango Island Group is a group of islands found in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is composed of Olango Island and 6 satellite islets namely: Sulpa, Gilutongan, Nalusuan, Caohagan, Pangan-an, and Camungi. Olango Island and its neighboring islets has a total land area of...
and the Camotes Islands
Camotes Islands
The Camotes Islands are a group of islands that form part of the province of Cebu, in the Philippines. The island group is located east of Cebu Island, southwest of Leyte Island, and north of Bohol Island....
.
The island is also known as the site of Ferdinand Magellan's
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
death in the Battle of Mactan
Battle of Mactan
The Battle of Mactan was fought in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The warriors of Lapu-Lapu, a native chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Spanish forces under the command of Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed in the battle.- Background :...
. Magellan had joined forces with Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
soldiers and was leading them against Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu was the ruler of Mactan, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, who is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted the Spanish colonization...
, a Visayan chieftain. There are memorials to both men on the island in Lapu-Lapu City
Lapu-Lapu City
The City of Lapu-Lapu is a first class highly urbanized city in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. The city occupies most of Mactan Island, a few kilometer off the main island of Cebu and also covers the Olango Island Group further to the southeast, plus a few other islets. It is part of the...
.
Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
is the capital of Cebu Province and largest city on the island. It is centrally located in the widest portion of the island at the east coast harbor, facing Bohol.
Cebu City is a commercial center whose main industries include copper mining, fishing and aquaculture, farming and agriculture, shipbuilding, steel and cement. In addition to University of San Carlos, major universities in Cebu City include Southwestern University, the University of the Visayas, Cebu Doctors' University, the University of the Southern Philippines, and the University of San Jose – Recoletos.
The harbor of Cebu City is an international port with ocean-going vessels and domestic ships and five inter-island shipping companies, providing access to all other major islands of the Philippines. Cebu's international airport
Mactan-Cebu International Airport
Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a major international airport in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is located in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Metro Cebu and is the country's second primary gateway...
has daily flights to Manila and other domestic and international destinations. Its location combined with a sheltered deep water harbor has made Cebu City the base for most of the country's domestic shipping and the gateway to the central and southern Philippines.
History
At the time of the global scramble for exotic spices in the East, Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain, Ferdinand MagellanFerdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
, came upon Zubu (Cebu) on April 7, 1521. The island then already had a flourishing village with "many sailing vessels from Siam (Thailand), China and Arabia docked at the port" as described by Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. He travelled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew on their voyage to the Indies. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later assisted him...
, Magellan's chronicler. Then began the Spanish era in the Philippines. However, it deteriorated upon the death of Magellan in the hands of the local warrior, Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu
Lapu-Lapu was the ruler of Mactan, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, who is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted the Spanish colonization...
, only to resurrect with the arrival 44 years later, in 1565, of Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi
Miguel López de Legazpi , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. He is the first Governor-General in the Philippines...
. That year, the first Spanish settlement was built in Cebu by Mexico's Spanish government to colonize the country.
Its rich and colorful metamorphosis can be traced from 1521 as Zubu, the fishing village and busy trading port, to Villa San Miguel, later to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus in 1575, then as the municipality of Cebu in 1905 up to its being a chartered city on February 24, 1937.
In the 19th century, Cebu started to exercise a dominant role in Southern Philippines' economic limelight. Agriculture, especially sugar cane cultivation and sugar manufacturing, pushed Cebu into playing an important role in this part of the country. But even more crucial than the agricultural products was her participation in trade and commerce. Cebu City has seen many 'firsts' in the nation's history. Established by Legazpi in 1571, it became the first city in the Philippines, ante-dating Manila by seven (7) years. In point of fact, it is the oldest city in the country, having the oldest and smallest fort (Fort San Pedro
Fort San Pedro
Fuerza de San Pedro is a military defence structure, built by Spanish and indigenous Cebuano labourers under the command of Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi and the Spanish Government in Cebu...
), with the oldest church (Basilica of Santo Niño
Basilica of Santo Niño
The Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño or Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is a 16th century church in Cebu City in the Philippines. It was built purportedly on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño, a sculpture depicting the Holy Child Jesus found by Spanish explorers in 1565 preserved in a...
), the oldest school (University of San Carlos
University of San Carlos
The University of San Carlos is a Roman Catholic university governed by the Society of the Divine Word since 1935 in Cebu City. It offers pre-elementary and basic education as well as undergraduate and graduate courses, and a broad spectrum of academic programs through its eight colleges.It...
) and the oldest street (Colon Street
Colon Street
Colon Street is a crowded street in downtown Cebu City that is often called the oldest and the shortest national road in the Philippines. It is named after Christopher Columbus...
). Referred to as the "Queen City of the South" and the seat of early Filipino Christianization, Cebu is also famous for its musical stringed instruments like banduria, guitar and piccolo.
Geography
Cebu is an elongated island some 250 kilometers from north to south and 45 kilometers across at its widest point. It is central to the Philippine archipelago and some 600 kilometers south of Manila.Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island, separating the east and west coasts. Cebu's steep mountainous spine reaches over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft). Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo
Bogo, Cebu
Bogo is a city in the northern part of the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 69,123 people.-Barangays:Bogo is politically subdivided into 29 barangays:* Anonang Norte - Hon. Josefina Balais...
, San Remigio
San Remigio, Cebu
San Remigio is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines, about north of Cebu City. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 47,826 people.-History:...
, Medellin
Medellin, Cebu
Medellin is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 44,860 people....
, and Daanbantayan
Daanbantayan, Cebu
Daanbantayan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, the Philippines, occupying the northern tip of Cebu Island. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 73,254 people...
at the northern tip of the island.
The island's area of 4,468 square kilometers supports over 3.6 million people, of which 2.3 million live in Metro Cebu.
The climate is warm, generally 23 to 33 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, except for the summer months from March to May which are dry.
Beaches, coral atolls, islands and rich fishing grounds surround Cebu.
Cebu's central location, proximity to unusually exotic tourist destination, ready access to a diversity of plant, animal and geological wonders within the island, and remoteness from earthquake and typhoon activity are some of the special attributes of Cebu.
Language
Cebuano VisayanCebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
is the indigenous language and of Malayo-Polynesian origin, which is also widely spoken in the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao. Tagalog and English are also spoken and understood.
Transport and communications
Today, nearly 8 km. of shipping berths line Cebu's deep water port area, now the largest outside Manila. Efficient container handling, trucking and storage is available. The Mactan-Cebu International AirportMactan-Cebu International Airport
Mactan-Cebu International Airport is a major international airport in the Visayas region of the Philippines. It is located in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Metro Cebu and is the country's second primary gateway...
is a major international gateway with direct flights to many countries. B747-400 aircraft at maximum takeoff weight can use the airport in all weather.
Cebu's modern communications links utilize satellites, cellular telephone networks and routine land based telephone services. High quality broad band links and IDD services are available and compatible with systems worldwide. Direct links are maintained with over 116 countries. Cebu has a very high density of computer installations, and full access to the internet
Radio and television broadcast services are popular advertising mediums. Cable and satellite television installation among homes is common. The government postal services is efficient and is supplemented by established courier companies. The Philippines major cargo and logistics companies, LBC and 2Go have dozens of outlets in Metro Cebu. FedEx, UPS, and DHL, three of the largest cargo and logistics companies in the world, also have minor operations around Metro Cebu.
Sports and Leisure
The island of Cebu has a large tourism industry. The southern town of MoalboalMoalboal, Cebu
Moalboal is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,398 people....
is famous for its diving spots. Small vacation houses-cum-resort are the accommodation norm around here.
There currently nine golf-courses, around the island, to choose from.
One of the island's limited array of sporting venues is the Cebu City Sports Complex. The complex was constructed when Cebu City hosted the 'Palarong Pambansa' (National Olympics). The main feature of the complex is its track and field oval, along with a 10,000-seater 'main' grandstand. An Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with a 1,000-seater grandstand, sits next to the 'main' grandstand.
Industries
Copper and dolomite mining, industrial parts assembly, food processing, footwear, handicraft, rattancraft, woodcraft, metalcraft, garments, shellcraft, ceramics, basketware, rattan and wicker furniture, cement, costume jewelry, giftware, fertilizer, stonecraft, food products and preserves, electronic devices, transistors and diodes, vehicle assembly, agricultural products.Also, bone fishing is now one of the new fly-fishing adventures that draw thousands each year.