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Cebu
is sometimes called the Queen City of the
South. Historic Cebu was where the Portugese
Captain Ferdinand Magellan planted the Cross
of Christianity in 1521.
Strategically lying at the center of the
Visayas, Cebu has been a popular entry point
among merchants through the centuries.
The last three decades saw the blossoming of
Cebu into a booming tourist destination.
Touted as the ultimate playground, many
leisure enclaves have risen throughout the
province, taking full advantage of the
enviable sun-and-sand-and-mountain location.
Arguably the country's diving center, scuba
divers find Moalboal, Sogod, Pescador, Santa
Rosa Islands and Boyong Boyong in Mactan as
prime dive spots. World-class resorts fringe
the islands, serving both divers and plain
tourists alike.
Modern shopping malls, fine dining restaurants
and lively entertainment centers,includingg
two casinos and sprawling golf fairways, add
luster to Cebu's landscape, offering the
tourist a surfeit of activities to engage in.
Other points of interest include: Magellan's
Cross, Cebu's most significant landmark;
Basilica Minore de Santo Nino, a courtly
ancient church which houses the oldest
religious image in the country; Fort San
Perdro, formerly a Spanish Garrison and now a
park-cum-museum; Taoist Temple in Beverly
Hills, where people go for worship and
fortune-telling; the mountain town of Busay,
Cebu's flower basket; and the old town of
Carcar, resplendent with antebellum
architecture.
GEOGRAPHY
Located between 9°25' N & 11°30' N and between
123° 25' E & 124° 30'E in the center of the
archipelago. Cebu is 365 miles south of Manila
and can be reached in an hour through air
travel.
The topography of Cebu is characterized by
narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and
coastal plains but with predominant rolling
hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing
the northern and southern lengths of the
island. Although Cebu's steep mountains reach
over 1,000 meters, the island lacks
substantial forest cover. In the towns of Bogo,
San Remigio, Medellin and Daan Bantayan at the
northern tip of the province, considerable
flat tracts of land are found. Of the three
biggest islands, Mactan and Bantayan are
relatively flat while Camotes is hilly.
CLIMATE
Cebu's weather is relatively moderate, having
no distinct wet and dry season, the perfect
vacation spot for seasons. One can bask under
the sunshine the whole year through since Cebu
is blessed with a tropical climate with a
generally fair temperature range of between 23
–33°C (73-91°F). Coolest temperature can be
felt in January and warmest in May.
POPULATION
Per data gathered by the Statistics Office as
of May 1, 2000, Cebu has a population of about
3,356,137 with the city proper accounting for
718,821. Being the second largest metropolitan
area in the country after Manila, migrant
workers from neighboring islands in Visayas
contribute immensely to the working
population.
DIALECT
Cebuano is the dialect in the province, which
is also widely spoken in the Visayas and
Mindanao. Tagalog and English are also spoken
and understood.
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.
In 1997, Central Visayas recorded a total of
P8,261 million worth of investments, with Cebu
seizing the bulk of income generated from
investment amounting to P7,695 million. |
