Boracay
is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards from numerous travel publications and agencies.[Note 1] The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak in the municipality of Malay, in Aklan Province. The island is administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan. Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation.[11][12] It is also emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife.
Puerto Princesa
officially City of Puerto Princesa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa) is a city located in the western provincial island of Palawan, Philippines. Though the provincial seat of government for Palawan, the city itself is one of 38 independent cities within the Philippines not controlled by the province in which it is geographically located and is therefore an independent area located within Palawan.
As of 2010, Puerto Princesa had a population of 222,673 people, making it the least densely populated city in the Philippines. In terms of land area, the city is the second largest geographically after Davao City with an area of 2,381.02 square kilometres (919.32 sq mi).[2] Puerto Princesa is the location of the Philippines's Western Command headquarters.
Today, Puerto Princesa is a popular tourist city with many beach resorts and seafood restaurants. It has been acclaimed several times as the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines.
Manila
(Philippine English: /məˈnɪlə/; Filipino: Maynilà) is the capital city of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities which, along with the municipality of Pateros, make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region, that has an overall population of around 12 million.
The city of Manila is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay and is bordered by the cities of Navotas and Caloocan to the north; Quezon City and San Juan to the northeast; Mandaluyong to the east; Makati to the southeast, and Pasay to the south. It has a total population of 1,652,171[6] making it the second most populous city in the Philippines, behind Quezon City. The populace inhabit a land area of only 2,498 hectares,[4] making Manila arguably the most densely populated city in the world.[7][8]
Manila (and more broadly speaking, Metro Manila) is the economic and political capital of the Philippines, home to extensive commerce and some of the most historically and culturally significant landmarks in the country, as well as the seat of the executive and judicial branches of the government. Manila was listed as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2012.[9] Manila is among the world's original Global Cities alongside Madrid and Mexico. The Manila Galleon trade-route (c. 1565 to 1815), being the first instance in human-history wherein world-trade truly became global (previous world-trade routes had not yet crossed the Pacific and had not reached a global nature),[10] made Manila a primordial foundation-stone of true globalization. Manila is the host to the Embassy of the United States in the Philippines and the Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines.
Manila has many scientific and educational institutions, numerous sport facilities, and other culturally and historically significant venues. The city is politically divided into six legislative districts and geographically into: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo. These places are towns and parishes absorbed by Manila during the 19th Century.
The earliest written account of the city is the 10th-century Laguna Copperplate Inscription which describes a Malay kingdom in what is now Manila maintaining diplomatic relations with the Indianized Kingdom of Medang in modern-day Java. The city had preferential trade with Ming Dynasty China, which registered the place as "東都" (Dongdu).[11] It then became a province of the Maharajanate of Majapahit and was called by its Sanskrit title, "षेलुरोन्ग्" (Selurong)[12] before it was invaded by Brunei's Sultan Bolkiah and renamed كوتا سلودونڠ (Kota Saludong)[13] or simply Maynilà, from the word "Maynilad", a native Tagalog term indicating the presence of Nila, a flowering mangrove plant once abundant in the area.
By the 15th century, it was nominally Islamized until the Spanish Conquistadors arrived via Mexico. They renamed the area Nuevo Reino de Castilla (New Kingdom of Castille) and shortened the nickname, Maynilà to Manila and using it as the official name.
Manila eventually became the center of Spanish activity in the Far East and one end of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade route linking Latin America and Asia.[14] The city would eventually be given the moniker of the "Pearl of the Orient", as a result of its central location in the vital Pacific sea trade routes. Several Chinese insurrections, local revolts, a British Occupation and a Sepoy mutiny[15] also occurred shortly thereafter. Manila also saw the rise of the Philippine Revolution which was followed by the arrival of the Americans who made contributions to the city's urban planning[16] and development only to have most of those improvements lost in the devastation of World War II.[17] Since then the city has been rebuilt and has rapidly grown.
Batanes
The Province of the Batanes (Ivatan: Probinsya nu Batanes and Filipino: Lalawigan ng Batanes) is an island province in the region of Cagayan Valley, Philippines. It is the northernmost province of the Philippines and is also the smallest province, both in terms of population and land area. The provincial capital is Basco on Batan Island.
The island group is located about 162 kilometres (101 mi) north of Luzon and about 190 kilometres (120 mi) south of Taiwan, separated from the Babuyan Islands of Cagayan Province, Luzon, by the Balintang Channel and from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel.
Cebu
(/sɪˈbuː/, /siːˈbuː/ or /sɛˈbuː/; Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sugbo, Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Cebu; Tagalog pronunciation: [seˈbu, sɪˈbu]) is an island province in the Philippines, consisting of the main island itself and 167 surrounding islands and islets. Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines, which forms part of the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with four neighboring cities (which comprise Danao City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City and Talisay City) and eight other local government units. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located in Mactan Island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines.
Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, with Cebu City as the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the Visayas. Condé Nast Traveler Magazine named Cebu the 7th best island destination in the Indian Ocean-Asia region in 2007,[3] 8th best Asian-Pacific island destination in 2005, 7th in 2004 and in 2009, with popular tourist destinations such as Mactan Island and Moalboal. In a decade it has transformed into a global hub for furniture making, tourism, business processing services, and heavy industry.
El Nido
(officially the Municipality of El Nido) is a first class municipality[4] and managed resource protected area[5] in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is about 420 kilometres (260 mi) southwest of Manila,[6] and about 238 kilometres (148 mi) northeast of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital.[5] According to CNNGo, it is the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines[7][8] for its "extraordinary natural splendor and ecosystem.
Davao City
(Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dabaw, Filipino: Lungsod ng Dabaw, Malay: Kota Davao, Spanish: Ciudad de Dávao or Ciudad de Davao) is a city on Mindanao, Philippines. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,449,296 people, making it the fourth-most-populous city in the Philippines and the most populous in Mindanao.[4] It is the center of Metro Davao, the third most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines (as of 2010 Census with a population of 2.26 million, after Metro Manila's 11.86 million and Metro Cebu's 2.55 million). With a total land area of 2,444 square kilometers,[2] the city is the largest in the country in terms of land area. The city serves as the main trade, commerce, and industry hub of Mindanao and the regional center of Davao Region. Davao is home to Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. Davao is also known as the "Durian Capital" of the Philippines.
For geographical and statistical purposes, Davao City is grouped with the province of Davao del Sur but is governed independently from it. The city is divided into three congressional districts, which are subdivided into 11 administrative districts with a total of 182 barangays.
Negros Oriental
for a long time, been a supplier of electricity to its neighboring provinces in the Visayas with its excess power capacity generated by the 192MW Palinpinon geothermal plant. This plant has recently been expanded with an additional 49MW capacity, bringing total power output of the province to over 240MW. Despite the huge power excess of the Province, other power sources such as hydro, wind and solar are being explored to provide additional power capacities that can be sold to neighboring areas.
With its vast fertile land resources, Negros Oriental's other major industry is agriculture. The primary crops are sugarcane, corn, coconut and rice. In the coastal areas, fishing is the main source of income. People are also involved in cattle ranches, fish ponds and rubber plantations, especially in the City of Bayawan. There are also mineral deposits like gold, silver and copper.
Negros Oriental is emerging as a technological center in Central Philippines with its growing business process outsourcing (BPO) that has started to penetrate the Province's secondary cities, and other technology-related industries. Vehicle assembly is a growing industry in Amlan. Construction of mass housing and subdivisions is very evident in the periphery of Dumaguete, and is expected to spillover in the Province's secondary cities and fast growing municipalities. Other industries include water bottling, warehousing, and cold and dry storing. Retailing has penetrated urban areas outside Dumaguete with the entry of hypermarts in cities such as Bayawan, Tanjay and Bais. The town of Bacong, Dumaguete's neighbor in the south, hosts industrial plants geared for the local and export markets. Negros Oriental is also becoming a notable tourist destination in the Visayas.
Bohol
is a first income class island group province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands.[5] Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of 4,821 square kilometers (1,861 sq mi) and a coastline 261 kilometers (162 mi) long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.[6] To the west of Bohol is Cebu, to the northeast is the island of Leyte and to the south, across the Bohol Sea is Mindanao.
The province is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts.[7] The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of limestone formations, are the most popular attraction. The formations can be seen by land (climbing the highest point) or by air via ultra light airplane tours. Panglao Island, located just southwest of Tagbilaran City, is famous for its diving locations and routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts dot the southern beaches and cater to divers from around the world. The Philippine tarsier, amongst the world's smallest primates, is indigenous to the island.
A narrow strait separates the island of Cebu and Bohol, and both share a common language, but the Boholanos retain a conscious distinction from the Cebuanos. Bohol's climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October. The interior is cooler than the coast.
It is the home province of Carlos P. Garcia, the eighth president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957–1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.[8]
On 15 October 2013, Bohol was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was 6 kilometers south of Sagbayan town. The earthquake, which also devastated neighboring Cebu City, claimed 156 lives and injured 374 people. It also destroyed or damaged a number of Bohol's heritage churches, including the churches of Baclayon, Loboc, Loon, Maribojoc, Loay, Dimiao, and Dauis.
Ilocos
Collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano.
The Ilocos Region, containing four provinces, is named after Ilocos. 56 percent of the inhabitants of the region are Pangasinan people, who belong to a different ethnolinguistic group from the Ilocanos. Ilocos may also refer to the former province before Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur were divided.
In the 330 pages “The Ilocos Heritage” (the 27th book written by Visitacion de la Torre), the boy legacy and the life of the Ilocano – are described as - "the browbeaten, industrious, cheerful, simple soul who has shown a remarkable strain of bravery and a bit of wanderlust." The Ilocano history reveals his struggles and victories – in battles for colonial independence from Spain and America, to Philippine leadership. The new Ilocano searched for greener pastures towards new lands local and foreign - Palawan, Mindanao, Hawaii, the United States and Greece. The Ilocano material culture and spirituality can be seen in the past - images of Spanish santo (saints), antique but intricate wooden furniture and quality local fiber. The native Ilocano is a weaver, wood carver and pottery expert. The Ilocano cuisine – ranges from the exotic "abu-os" (ant eggs) to vegetable broth "dinengdeng," the sticky "tinubong" to the "poqui-poqui" (eggplant salad). Ilocandia is filled with colonial churches, the legacy of Spanish Catholicism