About Aklan Province, Philippines

Aklan Province
is located in Central Visayas, which is in the center of the Philippine archipelago. It is bounded by the Visayan Sea in the north; Camotes Sea in the east; Tanon Strait in the west; and Bohol Strait in the southeast.

BRIEF PROFILE
Capital:	Cebu City
Land Area:	5088 sq km
Population:	2 646 000
Cities:	Cebu, Danao, Lapu-Lapu,Mandaue and Toledo
Number of Towns:	48

The land_______________________________

The province is a narrow strip of land, approximately 200 km long and 40 km across at its longest and widest points,respectively. It's backbone is made up of rugged mountains rising to 1013 meters in the center. Narrow plains can be found along the islands´s coastline. Smaller islands surround the mainland.

The climate is relatively moderate and there is no distinct wet or dry season.

A Brief History___________________________

Cebu, also known as Sugbu, was already a prosperous settlement before the Spaniards came in 1521.

On April 14, 1521, 800 natives were baptized during the first Mass in Cebu, including the chieftain and his wife. Thirteen days later, Ferdinand Magellan died in the battle against Lapu-Lapu in Mactan, an island off the coast of Cebu.

On January 1, 1571, the present city of Cebu was founded, changing its former name of San Miguel to La Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus.The province of Cebu was created on March 10, 1917.

The province is the home of Sergio Osmeña, successor of Manuel L. Quezon as Commonwealth President during World War II.

The People______________________________

The Cebuano dialect is the main language used. Majority of the population lives on the coast between Danao City and Naga town.

Commerce and Industry_____________________

Cebu grows coconut, sugercane, abaca, bananas, tobacco and rootcrops, but the main agricultural product grown is corn. The province is also popular for its grapes, mangoes, and cut flowers.

The island is rich in mineral resources. One of the biggest copper mines in Asia is in Toledo City. Other deposits include gold, silver, iron and coal.

Industries include the production of cement, fertilizer, paper, coconut oil and beer. The MEPZ (Mactan Economic Processing Zone) industrial park is the site of big foreign as well as local companies. Handicrafts made of bamboo, wood, and shells can also be found.

Outside Metro Manila, Metro Cebu is considered as the largest and most progressive urban center in the country.

Getting There and Away_____________________

Boats and fast ferries travel to Cebu from neighboring island provinces(Negros, Siquijor, Bohol, Mindanao) several times a week.

Domestic flights are also available from Negros(Dumaguete), Siquijor and Mindanao(Dipolog).

Other Information__________________________

Tagbilaran City is the province´s principal port and commercial center. Hotels, restaurants, and shops, where handcrafts and locally made products are sold, can be found throughout the city.

Tourist attractions can be found throughout the province, but the most-visited is undoubtedly the Chocolate Hills. Two legends and two geological explanations about the origin of the Chocolate Hills exists:

The first legend tells of a fight between two giants who threw stones and sand at each other for days, until they were so tired and exhausted that they gave up and made friends. They left the island but didn´t, however, tidy up the battlefield, leaving the Chocolate Hills.

The second legend is a lot more romantic. Arogo, a young and unusually strong giant, fell in love with an ordinary mortal, Aloya. After Aloya´s death, Arogo cried bitterly. The Chocolate Hills are proof of his grief, for his tears turned into hills.

Some geologists say Bohol lay under water in prehistoric times. Volcanic eruptions caused uneveness in the bottom of the sea which were gradually smoothened and rounded by the movement of the water.

Most geologists, however, say the explanation as nonsense. Even though the geological origin of the hills has not yet been explained beyond doubt, the consensus is that they were weathered formations of a kind of marine limestone lying on the top of impermeable clay soil. Comparisons have been made with the Hundred Islands of North Luzon.