Provincial Capital
Cebu City
Local Language
Cebuano
Local Delicacy
Lechon
Cebu 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. 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 1,013 meters in the center. Narrow plains can be found along the islands´s coastline. Smaller islands surround the mainland.
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.
