The region demarcates the territory occupied by the native speakers of Cebuano.
The regional capital is CEBU CITY.
The total land area of the region is 14852 km².
FEATURED DESTINATIONS:
CEBU, BOHOL and CAMIGUIN
Cebu is the traveler's dream of a tropical island come true: balmy
weather, pristine beaches, and luxurious resorts with all the frills of
modern living. The island-province of Cebu is where the sweetest
mangoes can be found and where Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan
planted the Cross of Christianity in the name of Spain in 1521.
Metropolitan Cebu, the country's second biggest metropolis, is
the political, economic, educational, and cultural center of the
Visayas. Hotels, shopping malls, entertainment halls, casinos, and golf
fairways are present in the metro to cater to every tourist's whim.
East of Cebu is Bohol, with its rolling hills and plateaus and
crystal springs and beaches. The country's tenth largest island, it is
a picturesque province replete with ancestral homes and centuries-old
churches. Bohol is home to the world-famous Chocolate Hills and the
world's smallest monkey, the Tarsier. Other equally exotic flora and
fauna can be found in the province's forests.
The site of the 1565 blood compact between Rajah Sikatuna and
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, Bohol's historicity is evident in the
province's relaxed, laid-back pace. Excavations in acient burial
grounds reveal artifacts dating back to China's Tang Dynasty, revealing
strong trading ties with the Chinese long before the Spanish set foot
on Philippine shores.
Magellan's Cross
On April 14, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan planted a cross to mark the spot
where some 800 natives were baptized into the Catholic faith. The
original cross is now encased in a hollow hardwood cross and can be
found in a roofed kiosk along Magallanes Street.
Sinulog
The Sinulog is
Cebu's biggest fiesta in honor of the Infant Jesus or Senor Santo Nino
held every third Sunday of January. In a choreographed movement, tribes
clad in dazzling costumes hold aloft images of their patron. The
prayer-dance is synchronized to the beat of drums and shouts of "Pit
Senor! Viva Santo Nino!”
Chocolate Hills
Consisting
of 1,268 haycock hills with heights ranging from 40-120 meters, the
Chocolate Hills is one of nature's wonders. The dome-shaped,
grass-covered limestone hills dry up and turn brown during the summer,
transforming into rows and rows of rounded, chocolate "kisses”.
Smallest Monkey
In Bilar, a
3-kilometer man-made forest is sanctuary to the province's endangered
species, including the tarsier, the world's smallest monkey.
Island of Imagination
Derived from the word "Kamagong”, the name of a tree in the ebony
family, Camiguin is a pear-shaped volcanic island in the Bohol Sea.
Marvel at the island's wide array of flowers and taste the juiciest
"lanzones” in the yearly Lanzones Festival. Explore majestic volcanoes,
hot springs, magnificent waterfalls, and its famed underwater cemetery.
SOURCE: http://www.philippinetourism.us/destination/dest_cebu.htm
