Geography
Cebu is an elongated island some 250 kilometers from north to south and 45 kilometers across at its widest point. It is central to the Philippine archipelago and some 600 kilometers south of Manila.
Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island, separating the east and west coasts. Cebu's steep mountainous spine reaches over 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan at the northern tip of the island.
The island's area of 4,468 square kilometers supports over 3.6 million people, of which 2.3 million live in Metro Cebu.
The climate is warm, generally 23 to 33 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year, except for the summer months from March to May which are dry.
Beaches, coral atolls, islands and rich fishing grounds surround Cebu.
Cebu's central location, proximity to unusually exotic tourist destination, ready access to a diversity of plant, animal and geological wonders within the island, and remoteness from earthquake and typhoon activity are some of the special attributes of Cebu.
On February 6 2012, Cebu island experienced the effects of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake on the neighboring island of Negros and was the largest quake in the area for 90 years. The tremor shook buildings and caused fear however there were not reports of major building damage or loss of life on Cebu Island itself. This tremor was caused by a previously unrecorded "blind" fault.
Read more about this topic: Cebu (island)
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