Bohol
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| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Region : | Central Visayas |
| Capital : | Tagbilaran |
| Population : | 1,313,560 August 1, 2015 census
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| Population density : | 319 inhabitants per km² |
| Area : | 4,117 km² |
| PSGC : | 071200000 |
| Governor : | Edgardo M. Chatto |
| Official website: | http://bohol.gov.ph/ |
| structure | |
| - Highly urbanized cities | |
| - provincial cities | 1 |
| - municipalities | 47 |
| - Barangays | 1109 |
| - electoral districts | 3 |
| Location of the province in the Philippines | |
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Coordinates: 9 ° 53 ' N , 124 ° 13' E
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines with the capital Tagbilaran and has 1,313,560 inhabitants (as of August 1, 2015). It is the tenth largest island in the archipelago and is located in the center of the Visayas archipelago .
geography
Bohol is an island province (area 4,117 km²) within the Visayas , which together with the other two groups Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south, forms the island state of the Philippines . It is located southeast of Cebu , southwest of Leyte Island and north of Mindanao. The Visayas are divided into three regions, Western Visayas , Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas . Bohol belongs to the Central Visayas (Region VII).
The main island of Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines with an area of 3,864 km² and a coastline of 332 km. It is surrounded by 70 smaller islands, the largest of which is Lapinin . The island of Panglao , which is connected to Tagbilaran City by two bridges, is Bohol's best developed tourist region. From the south coast you can see Camiguin, 54 km away, with its towering volcano, which is already counted as Mindanao.
The island is consistently hilly and covered with limestone. On the edge of the island there are mountain ranges similar to low mountain ranges. The entire interior is a large plateau.
There are only a few sandy beaches on Bohol, but those on the island of Panglao, in Anda (Bohol) and in Guindulman are of the very best quality with white sand and turquoise water. The rest of the Bohol coast is marked by cliffs and rugged slopes that are only partially suitable for swimming. In the north of the island is the Danajon reef system , the largest coral reef system in the Philippines, which also includes the Olango Archipelago . The north and east coast of the island have numerous bays. Large tidal flats and mangrove forests extend in these areas . Some of these are under nature protection, such as in Cogtong Bay . The western coast borders the Strait of Cebu ; in it lies the island of Cabilao .
Like the rest of the Philippines, Bohol is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire . There are volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis (see also Philippine plate ).
climate
In contrast to Luzon and the northern part of the Visayas, Bohol is extremely rarely hit by the devastating typhoons . When typhoons sweep the island, they tend to do so quickly. In addition, they have already lost a lot of their strength on the mountain ranges on Leyte and Samar .
From November to April there are "mild" temperatures of around 28 ° C and showers are less frequent. At night it "cools" down to 25 ° C. Summer lasts from May to July and brings higher temperatures and high humidity. The weather is unpredictable from August to October: good weeks are interrupted by rainy days.
Flora and fauna
The Philippine tarsier ( Tarsius syrichta ) is one of the smaller primate species. He only reaches a sturdy double fist size and a weight of around 150 g. The Koboldmakis are nocturnal - especially at dusk - and have immobile, large eyes that make up almost ¼ of their face. To do this, they can turn their head 180 ° in both directions. Since the sense of smell is not particularly well developed, they also use their independently adjustable ears to locate insects. They move like a frog from branch to branch (up to 3 m away), jumping and can cover up to 1.5 km in one night. During the day they sleep hidden in the shade on tree trunks and in the forks of branches. Disturbances are stressful for animals; they need rest periods. They can also be disturbed by being photographed. In captivity they wither from stress and die after a few months.
The Philippine Tarsier Foundation Inc. has set itself the task of protecting the Koboldmakis from access in a 134 hectare reserve between Corella and Sikatanu, 15 km northeast of Tagbilaran at the foot of the Chocolate Hills (see above). The “father” of this idea is Carlito Pizzaras, the “Tarsier man from Bohol”. As a young boy he turned away from the usual hunt for tarsier and gradually explored their habits.
history
- 1200 - first settlement of Bohol from Mindanao
- 1490-1520 - By Malay merchants and immigrants from the south of the Philippines and Brunei is Islam on Bohol common.
- 1521 - Ferdinand Magellan is the first European to reach the Philippines.
- 1546 - Spain's first attempt to gain a foothold in the Philippines (near Cebu)
- 1565 - Miguel López de Legazpi was able to ally himself with the Boholans Datu Sikatuna of Bohol and Datu Sigala of Loboc and defeat the Cebuans. For the first time the Spanish king is recognized as head.
- 1600 - Jesuits begin to catholicize the country.
- 1622 - bloody rebellion of the locals
- 1744 - Rebellion against Spain under Francisco Dagohoy
- 1827 - Bohol is recaptured by the Spaniards under Jose Lazaro Cairo
- 1900 - The Americans under Major Henry Hale reach Bohol and take possession of the island (like the rest of the Philippines) as a colony from the Spanish, against the resistance of the Philippines.
- 1942 - The Japanese occupy Bohol.
- 1945 - The Americans drive out the Japanese occupiers from Bohol.
- 1957–1960 - Carlos Polestico Garcia , a Boholan, is President of the Philippines.
- 2013 - An earthquake measuring 7.2 hits the island, tens of thousands of buildings are destroyed, 222 people died, 8 are missing.
Bohol has been an independent province since March 10, 1917
Language and religion
The main language in Bohol is Boholano, a dialect of Cebuano . But English and Tagalog are also understood by many locals.
As in the whole of the Philippines, most of the residents are Roman Catholic (almost 90%), but other Christian beliefs such as Protestantism or the Iglesia ni Cristo also occur. Occasionally, Muslims (still) live on the island. The island first came into contact with Islam , which was spread by Malay immigrants , from the late 15th century . It can be assumed that substantial parts of the population of Bohol were Muslim before the Spanish conquest in 1565. However, Christianization began a few years after the island was conquered.
Attractions
The Chocolate Hills are a unique attraction , a bizarre area of 1,268 conical limestone hills, the height of which varies between 40 and 120 meters. The name comes from the deforestation of the last centuries. Since then, a resilient Alang Alang grass vegetation ( Imperata cylindrica , Engl. Cogongrass) has spread, which withers in the dry season and turns the hills a chocolate brown color.
According to scientific interpretation, the geological formation , which extends over a few square kilometers, originated in an area that was located in a shallow water area a few million years ago. Corals and other sea creatures deposited their remains in areas caused by currents and growth. After the sea level fell, various uplifts and subsidence of the ground, caused by subduction and secondary volcanic events , the material came to the surface. The erosion began its game and in this way created the impressive hilly landscape. In addition to the scientific theory of origin, various legends are told that have a more imaginative view of the history of origin. A very similar, largely unknown and much smaller region exists on Negros .
In addition, Bohol has other beautiful landscapes such as the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape National Park , the Hindanan Coast , the Tuntunan Waterfall and the Mag-Aso Falls. On the island of Panglao is the Hinagdanan Grotto with its underground lake.
Culturally, the oldest Filipino buildings from the Spanish colonial era are worth mentioning. Old watchtowers have also been preserved in various places, for example the Fuerza Punta Cruz in Maribojoc , historical monastery (Baclayon Church). The Church of San Pedro Apostol is in Loboc , it is on the list of proposals of the Philippines for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List . The oldest human traces on Bohol include the rock paintings on the Anda Peninsula, which has been on the list of petroglyphs and rock paintings in the Philippines since 2006 for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
administration
Bohol is in 47 communities ( municipalities divided) and a city.
Cities
Communities
economy
Bohol's agricultural products include rice , sugar , sugar cane , palay and grain .
Manganese , clay and limestone occur in natural resources .
Increasingly, Bohol and especially the small offshore island of Panglao are being developed for tourism. Alongside Cebu, Boracay and Puerta Galera, Bohol has risen in recent years.
Infrastructure
- Several fast ferries operated by SuperCat , Ocean Jet and Weesam Express operate daily between Cebu City and Tagbilaran. While SuperCat only offers one travel class for the almost two-hour crossing, with Ocean Jet and Weesam Express you can choose between Tourist and Business Class or Economy and First Class. There are also connections from Tagbilaran to Dumaguete , Dapitan , Larena , Hilongos and Cagayan de Oro .
- Since mid-2004, scheduled airliners have been operating again to the small Tagbilaran airport. Tagbilaran is served daily from Manila with Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines . Since 2010, Airphilexpress and Zestair have also been flying to Tagbilaran on individual days of the week.
- There is a car ferry from Cebu to Tagbilaran . However, the crossing is complicated and not recommended. In Tagbilaran and Panglao, however, rental cars (recommended with a driver) can be rented for any length of time. Prices have to be negotiated.
tourism
Tourism is becoming increasingly important on Bohol. The beautiful landscape, especially the Chocolate Hills and the Loboc River , make Bohol a highlight, especially for inner-Philippine tourism. The sights are easily accessible via a constantly improving road network and are equipped with modern visitor centers.
International visitors mainly visit the beaches of Panglao , where many scuba divers explore the offshore coral reefs or take day trips to the island of Balicasag .
In 2009/2010, the southern main bridge from Tagbilaran to Panglao was extended to four lanes in order to improve the road traffic connections that had been poor until then. This also happened with a view to the construction of an international airport on the island of Panglao, which is to replace the small airport Tagbilaran located in the city area . The Bohol Panglao International Airport was opened November 27, 2018.
Web links
- Provincial Bohol (English)
- Tourist information (English)
- Tourist information (German)
- Bohol Islands: Balicasag, Panglao and Pamilacan
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5018/
- ↑ Philippines: New airport opened on Bohol. In: Check24. November 29, 2018, accessed June 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Philippine Information Agency pia.gov.ph: Bohol's 10 most important development projects for 2018 (English), accessed on January 23, 2018