Geography
Cebu City has a land area of 291.2 km². Of this, 55.9 km² is classified as urban, while 235.2 km² is classified as rural. Its geographic coordinates are 10°17′0″N, 123°54′0″E. To the northeast of the city are Mandaue City and the town of Consolacion, to the west are Toledo City, the towns of Balamban, and Asturias, to the south are Talisay City and the town of Minglanilla. Across Mactan Strait to the east is Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located.
The city is politically subdivided into 80 barangays. These are grouped into two congressional districts, with 46 barangays in the northern district and 34 barangays in the southern district.
History
3,000 years ago,Cebu, zebu,or Sugbu, was already a prosperous settlement before it was colonized by Spain. It had trade relations with China and the other countries of Southeast Asia.
On April 7, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu. He was welcomed by Rajah Humabon, who, together with his wife and about 800 natives, were baptized by the Spaniards on April 14, 1521 and are considered to be the first Filipino Catholics. Magellan, however, failed to successfully claim the Philippines for the crown of Spain, having been slain in neighboring Mactan Island on April 27, 1521 by the chieftain Lapu-lapu.
On April 27, 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi, with Augustinian Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, landed in Cebu. Legazpi renamed the city on January 1, 1571, from San Miguel to Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus. During this six year period, Cebu City was the capital of the newly established Spanish colony.
The province of Cebu was created under Act No. 2711 on March 10, 1917. It is the home province of Sergio Osmeña, Sr. who succeeded Manuel L. Quezon as Commonwealth president during World War II.
CEBOOM refers to the boom of economy of both the city and the province of Cebu in the early part of the 1990s.
Cebu City was scheduled to co-host the ASEAN Summit along with neighboring Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City back in December 2006. However, due to the typhoon that swept through central Philippines on that month, the convention date was held in January 2007. The success of the summit made the city of Cebu one of the most renowned cities in Asia. With investor population growing in the metropolis, Cebu is a promising city to be reckoned with.
Weather
The Philippines is situated between 5 and 22 degrees North latitude. This means the country falls within the so-called tropical climate zone, a zone characterized by high temperatures the whole year round, relatively high rainfall and lush vegetation. Cebu’s climate is tempered by a sea breeze from the Pacific Ocean. Daily temperatures range between 26 and 38 degrees Centigrade. At night, the temperature can drop to as low as 18 degrees in the “winter”. The winter, or cool period, is from October to February. The “summer”, or hot period, is from February to May. The hottest months are March and April.
Typhoons. The Philippines is part of the typhoon belt, a belt between 10 and 40 degrees North latitude where typhoons are common. The Philippines is visited yearly by approximately 22 typhoons. Typhoons are very strong storms with wind velocities of two to three hundred kilometers per hour. Cebu is situated on 10 degrees North, which means the southern edge of typhoon belt. Typhoons therefore hit the island only very seldom, statistically once in every forty years. The last strong typhoon that hit the island was typhoon “Ruping” in November 1991. This typhoon hit the island with winds of 325 kilometers per hour. Damage was extensive, but loss of life was limited. The typhoon season is from May to December.
Rainfall on the island can occur in every month, but the wettest months are October, November and December. Annual rainfall is approximately 1.5 meters. Due to the steep, deforested, mountains on average 60 percent of the rainwater runs off fast to the sea. The remaining 40 percent partly evaporates partly seeps through to the island’s underground water aquifier. The relatively small part that finally reaches the acquifier means that care is necessary in using this underground water supply. Unlimited pumping would ultimately lead to seawater intrusion in the acquifier, rendering it useless for drinking.
Cebu’s climate is characterized by clear blue skies and a refreshing sea breeze. A perfect climate for beach and other outdoor activities.
