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Cebu is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is Cebu City and is composed of Cebu Island plus neighboring small islands. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country. The metropolitan area of Cebu City (which includes Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City) is second only to Metro Manila in population.
Cebu lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province.
Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is located in Lapu-Lapu City.
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Cebu is the first and oldest City in the Philippines. Long before Manila fell into the hands of the Spanish Conquerors in the 16th century, Cebu was already an established trading establishement and became a military post for the Spaniards. The "seed" of Christianity in Asia was also planted here.
Linguistically, Cebu is the home to the country's second largest group. Cebuano, though originally spoken only in the island of Cebu, is now being spoken in many parts of Mindanao, the eastern part of Negros island, the western and southern parts of Leyte, and Bohol.
Politically, the province of Cebu has been an active player. In fact, Cebu is the home of the Philippine's second president. Every Cebuano is proud of him.
Strategically, due to its geographical location, Cebu is the alternate gateway to Manila. Many multinational companies have established their local headquarters in Cebu because of her central location. Cebu is a port of call for many international (and almost all domestic) shipping and air lines, making her virtually the capital of the Philippines.
Cebu also features the Asia's oldest school. The University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City is considered as the oldest school in the country and in Asia. Formerly known as the Colegio de San Ildefonso, it was founded by the Spanish Jesuits on August 1, 1595. This makes the Cebu-based university older than the University of Santo Tomas (1611) in Manila and Harvard University (1636) in the United States.
Cebu is subdivided into 47 municipalities and 6 cities.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, Cebu, known as Zebu or Zubu, was a thriving fishing village and a busy trading post, with trade routes to China, Siam, Arabia as well as nearby Malay islands.
On April 7, 1521, guided by Rajah Humabon of Limasawa Island, Ferdinand Magellan landed on Cebu island and converted Rajah Humabon of Cebu. Now an ally of Humabon, Magellan attempted to win over Caliph Lapu-Lapu of nearby Mactan Island, but Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan.
44 years later, in April 1565, Miguel López de Legaspi together with Fray Andres de Urdaneta that the Spanish succeeded in colonizing the islands. Legaspi bombarded the palisades of Rajah Tupas and destroyed the village and called it Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus and became the first Spanish city established by the Spanish Cortes in 1571. Already on August 14, 1565, Cebu / Santisimo Nombre de Jesus had been detached from the Catholic diocese of Manila and erected as a diocese of its own. Three centuries later, April 1898 marked the end of the Spanish era and the onset of the American regime. Thus, Cebu became a municipality in the year 1901. Then again, the Filipinos struggled for independence from American dominance and Cebu turned into a chartered city on February 24, 1937.
Cebu, being the most densely populated island in the country, served as a vital Japanese base during the Japanese occupation in World War II which began with the landing of the Japanese Imperial Army on April 1942. Three years later on March 1945, an American force landed and liberated the city from the Japanese.
| Regions and Provinces of Visayas | |
| Western Visayas: | Aklan | Antique | Capiz | Iloilo | Guimaras | Negros Occidental |
| Central Visayas: | Bohol | Cebu | Negros Oriental | Siquijor |
| Eastern Visayas: | Biliran | Eastern Samar | Leyte | Northern Samar | Samar | Southern Leyte |
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