Chocolate Hills
The Chocolate Hills (German " Chocolate Hills " ) are an unusual geological formation that is one of the most important sights on the Philippine island of Bohol . In total, the formation includes 1268 almost perfectly hemispherical or conical shaped hills of roughly the same height and dimensions, which are spread over an area of more than 50 km². They are all just covered with green grass, which turns brown during the dry season and gives the hills their name.
As Bohol's most famous tourist attraction, the Chocolate Hills are featured on both the flag and seal of the island province and generally represent the natural attractions that Bohol has to offer. On the one hand, they can be found in the official list of tourist destinations in the Philippines, the Philippine Tourism Authority's List, and have also been named the country's third National Geological Monument. In addition, they are proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List .
description
In general, the Chocolate Hills are an uneven terrain of grassy hilltops, which are characterized by a uniformly conical or dome-shaped and mostly symmetrical appearance. Overall, their number is given as at least 1268, with a total of up to 1776 individual hills made of grass-covered limestone. The elevations vary in height between 30 and 50 m, with the largest peak reaching a height of around 120 m. Though scattered like molehills across the island's central plains, they accumulate in the areas of Sagbayan and Batuan parishes, with the largest accumulation occurring near the town of Carmen .
During the dry season, when there is insufficient rainfall for the vegetation, the grass-covered hills dry up, change color and take on a chocolate-brown tone. Since they are reminiscent of oversized chocolate kisses in these dry periods , they were given the name Chocolate Hills.
The photographer Salvador Andre provides a particularly accurate description of this sight:
- “Most of the people who see the pictures of this landscape for the first time find it difficult to understand that these hills were not made by human hands. Nevertheless, one quickly gives up on this idea, given the amount of work (required for this), which would certainly have exceeded the erection of the pyramids. "
And further:
- “There is no natural formation like this in the whole world. From a distance they look like half balls that seem to have grown out of the ground. The hills, shaped like molehills and almost uniformly formed, provide the entire landscape with green and brown dots. "
Topography and vegetation
The area around the Chocolate Hills is characterized by a relatively flat to uneven topology , which is characterized by different elevations, which do not protrude more than 100 to 500 m above sea level. Overall, the inland landscape is dominated by a series of high karst hills, which in the village of Carmen are predominantly uniformly shaped by nature.
The vegetation of the Chocolate Hills is dominated by resistant grasses such as Imperata cylindrica or Saccharum spontaneum , a type of sugar cane . Various types of daisy family and ferns also grow on them , although the natural vegetation of the hills is now endangered by quarrying work. Between the hills, the plains are cultivated with rice and other crops.
origin
Geologists have long debated how the hills were formed, with various assumptions being made about the origin of the Chocolate Hills. Hence there are a multitude of hypotheses that try to explain the formation of the hills. The simplest explanations are based on weathering of the limestone , submarine volcanism and geological uplift of the seabed. A more recent theory assumes that a volcano that was active from prehistoric times spewed out huge blocks of stone when it erupted, which were then covered with limestone and later rose from the ocean bed. Some arguments also supplement their explanation of the origin of the hills with the influence of the tidal movements .
Another theory suggests that the hills originated from prehistoric limestone coral reefs that were eventually formed over thousands of years by erosion from both water and wind. Geologists also believe that the specific shape of the hills is due to the influence of weather over millions of years. The upper layers of the limestone formations were broken off before erosion processes followed and created the conical hills that are visible today.
The bronze plaque that was placed on the viewing platform in Carmen is based on the theory that it is eroded formations made of a type of marine limestone that sit on hardened layers of clay.
The board reads:
- "The unique land form known as the Chocolate Hills of Bohol was formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rain water and erosion."
- ( dt : "The unique landscape formation known as Bohol's Chocolate Hills was created ancient times by the elevation of coral deposits and the influence of rainwater and erosion .")
It also says:
- "The grassy hills were once coral reefs that erupted from the sea in a massive geologic shift. Wind and water put on the finishing touches over hundreds of thousands of years. "
- (Eng .: "The grassy hills were once coral reefs that rose from the sea through a tremendous geological shift. Wind and water gave them the finishing touches for hundreds of thousands of years.")
The cone-shaped karst hills that represent the Chocolate Hills are similar to the limestone regions in Slovenia and Croatia , but in contrast to these, they do not have any larger caves. The karst theory generally speaks of the fact that “changes in the sea level were raised and, together with terrestrial erosion under the action of the air, hilly landscape formations are formed from a biogenic reef area, which are often interspersed with cesspools and small caves.” The Chocolate Hills would therefore be a Example of such a karst topology.
A very similar, largely unknown and much smaller region exists in San Carlos City , on the island of Negros , and the Osmeña Peak on the island of Cebu . There is also a similar sediment formation in Purnululu National Park in Western Australia , which is called the Bungle-Bungle-Massif.
Legends
A total of four legends tell of the creation of this attraction:
- The first is about the fight between two giants who pelted each other with stones and sand for days before they became friends and left the island, tired and exhausted. The battlefield they left untidy can now be admired as the Chocolate Hills area.
- The second, on the other hand, is far more romantic. Arogo, a young and powerful giant, once fell in love with Aloya, an ordinary mortal and daughter of a native chief. When she died his heart broke and Arogo wept bitterly. His tears turned to hills that still bear witness to his deep sorrow as the Chocolate Hills that are visible today.
- The third tells of a village that was plagued by a huge carabao that ate all the plants in the fields of this village. Finally, when he had enough, the villagers gathered up all of their tainted food and placed it in the way of the carabao so that he couldn't miss it. After he ate this food too, his stomach could not process the bad food, so he excreted one pile after the other on his way until his stomach was empty again. The excretions dried and formed today's Chocolate Hills.
- The last legend speaks of a giant named Dano who ate everything he encountered on his way. One day he came to a level. Here he saw a beautiful young woman named Eng. In order to get their attention, he decided to lose weight and so he eliminated everything he ate. Eventually his excretions covered the entire country, and in the end he managed to get the attention of his adored ones.
Tourist development
Long before the sandy beaches of Panglao Island, the Chocolate Hills were known as a main tourist destination in Bohol and the entire Philippines. For this reason, the Chocolate Hills were chosen by the Philippine government as the "flagship tourist destinations" (flagship of tourist destinations).
Two of the 1268 hills have been converted into a tourist resort . The first is located in the municipality of Carmen and belongs to the Barangay Buenos Aires just a few minutes from the village center. The younger of the two is called Sagbayan Peak and is part of the village of Sagbayan .
The observation station in Carmen, about 55 km from Tagbilaran City and about 5 km from the center of Carmen, is designated as government property and houses a managed complex called the Chocolate Hills Complex .
The Chocolate Hills Complex has a restaurant, a hostel with a swimming pool and a viewing platform that allows a view of the surrounding area covered with hills from a height of 210 m. A total of 214 steps lead to the viewing area, which itself was built on one of the conical hills and allows a 360 ° panoramic view of the surroundings. The entire Chocolate Hills Complex was embedded in a total of two of the hills.
The second option to take a look at the Chocolate Hills is on Sagbayan Peak , a mountainous resort in the village of Sagbayan about 75 km northwest of Tagbilaran City and 18 km from Carmen. Here a platform on an elevated ridge allows an unobstructed view of the Chocolate Hills. When the weather is clear, you can even see from here over the sea to Cebu City .
Protective measures
The National Committee for Geology declared the Chocolate Hills of Bohol on June 18, 1988 a National Geological Monument, recognizing the special characteristics, the scientific importance, the uniqueness and the high scientific value of the landscape formation. As such, the Chocolate Hills are also designated as a nature reserve in the country. With Proclamation No. 1037, signed by President Fidel Ramos on July 1, 1997, the hills and the surrounding area in the parishes of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia and Sierra Bullones were declared a national monument that it was a natural beauty it is important to protect and preserve. This means that they fall under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) (order for nationally integrated protected areas). In the area of the Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape National Park , the original vegetation on the limestone cone has been preserved.
On May 16, 2006, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) submitted the Chocolate Hills to UNESCO for inclusion in the World Heritage List . Because of their exceptional universal value, they would fall under the seventh criterion, which considers “outstanding natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance” to be worthy.
In the course of this, all mining activities and quarrying work within the three villages of Sagbayan, Batuan and Carmen were prohibited by the provincial governor of Bohol in order to ensure the protection of the area in the long term.
Image gallery
Aerial view of the Chocolate Hills Formation
The hills covered in mist
credentials
- ↑ Eye on the Philippines ( Memento of the original dated December 8, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Global Eye as of December 22, 2006.
- ↑ The Bohol Flag and Seal ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.bohol.gov.ph Status: November 15, 2006.
- ↑ a b c d Chocolate Hills Natural Monument UNESCO World Heritage Center Status: November 14, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol: The Jewel Paradise of the Philippine Islands www.bohol.net Status: November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.dotpcvc.gov.ph Status: November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Visiting Bohol www.aenet.org. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Chocolate Hills photo TrekEarth. As of December 22, 2006.
- ↑ Chocolate Hills-Bohol www.luzpalma.com Status: November 15, 2006.
- ↑ a b c d e www.philippines-travel-guide.com: Bohol Chocolate Hills legend will bring a tear to your eye , accessed on November 15, 2006.
- ↑ a b Bohol Island Herbarium www.pnh.com.ph. Status: November 14, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol www.tambuli.com. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Move over Boracay: Panglao Island beckons . In: inq7.net . Archived from the original on December 17, 2004. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ↑ Bohol ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.philippines.hvu.nl. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ a b c d Chocolate Hills: Philippines Vacation www.philippinesvacation.org Status: November 15, 2006.
- ^ Declaration of Chocolate Hills Philippines ( Memento of August 30, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) www.geocities.com. As of February 16, 2007.
- ↑ Cajes, Alan. A Brief History of Bohol www.aybpm.freeservers.com. As of November 28, 2006.
- ↑ The Chocolate Hills www.bohol.ph. Status: November 14, 2006
- ^ Bohol - splendor underwater and Over Hills WOW Philippines. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol God's little Paradise ( Memento of the original dated December 21, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. library.thinkquest.org. As of December 22, 2006
- ↑ a b Chito A. Fuentes: Sagbayan Peak: A View from the Top . Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on November 10, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ↑ Bohol Island Sightseeing ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Bohol Island Hotels Travel Guide. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol The Island Province www.aenet.org Status: November 15, 2006.
- ↑ Bohol's 'Sagbayan Peak' offer a new peek at the Chocolate Hills www.newsflash.org. As of November 15, 2006.
- ↑ House Bill 001147 ( Memento of the original from March 28, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.congress.gov.ph. Status: November 14, 2006.
- ↑ Gov issues orders to protect Choco Hills Bohol Sunday Post as of November 14, 2006.
Web links
- CarmenBOHOL.com
- UNESCO World Heritage: Chocolate Hills Natural Monument
- Chocolate Hills at Sagbayan Peak
Coordinates: 9 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ N , 124 ° 10 ′ 0 ″ E