The province of Cebu is an island that is part of the Central Visayas Region in the Philippines and is situated 584 kilometers south of Manila, the capital city of the country. Cebu is located to the east of Negros island, to the west of the Leyte, and Bohol islands. It is located on both sides by the straits of Bohol and Tañon.

Cebu is located between 9 degrees 25 minutes North and 11 degrees 15 minutes North latitude, and between 123 degrees 13 minutes East, and 124 degrees 5 minutes East longitude in the center of the Philippine Islands.

Location and Geographical Characteristics

Cebu is a long narrow island stretching 225 kilometers (140 miles) from north to south and 41 kilometers at its widest portion. The island is surrounded by 167 neighboring smaller islands that includes Mactan Island, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango, and the Camotes Islands. The total land area of Cebu is about 5,000 square kilometers. Some of the hundreds of small islands surrounding Cebu are uninhabited.

Cebu has narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, which are characteristics of a tropical island. It has predominantly rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu has steep mountains that reach over 1,000 meters.

In the northern region of Cebu, flat tracts of land can be found in the city of Bogo and in the towns of San Remigio, Medellin, and Daanbantayan. The highest peak in Cebu is Mount Manunggal, which is about 1,000 meters above sea level. Cebu has a land area of about 508,440 hectares.

Weather and Population Features

Cebu’s climactic features is considered generally fair for a tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 23º to 33º Celsius or 73º to 91º Fahrenheit. The heaviest rainfall usually occurs in November while April has the least rainfall.

The weather turns dry from December to May while it is coolest from December to February. The hottest is from March to May, during the summer. Temperature can rise as high as 37º Celcius in the summer. The rainy season begins in June and usually lasts until September. During the rainy season, torrential rains occasionally occur and would sometimes cause flooding that inhibit movements. The typhoons usually come from October to December.

According to the latest government conducted population census, there were over 3.5 million inhabitants in the island of Cebu as of August 2007. The time zone in Cebu province is GMT + 8 hours EDT + 13 hours or eight hours ahead of Greenwich meantime. Cebu is politically subdivided into six congressional districts, two chartered cities and seven component cities, 44 municipalities, and 1,202 barangays.

Geographical Characteristics of Cebu City

Cebu City is the largest and capital city of the province of Cebu. It has a land area of 291.2 square kilometers with 55.9 km² is classified as urban, while 235.2 km² is classified as rural. The city’s geographic coordinates are 10 degrees 17 minutes 0 seconds North, 123 degrees 54 minutes 0 seconds East.

To the northeast of Cebu City are Mandaue City and the town of Consolacion, to the west are Toledo City, the towns of Balamban, and Asturias, and to the south are Talisay City and the town of Minglanilla. Across the Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located.