Cebu

Map of Cebu Island

Asiotes Church of Christ
Bacay Church of Christ
Baliwagan Church of Christ
Bulan Church of Christ
Cantao-an Church of Christ
Das, Lutopan, Taledo City Church of Christ
Langtad Church of Christ
Pangdan, Naga Church of Christ
San Fernando, Green Hills Church of Christ
Santander Looc Church of Christ
Tabueland Church of Christ
Tag-ubi Church of Christ
Taledo City Church of Christ
Tuyan, Naga Church of ChristCapital: Cebu City
Founded: April 7, 1521 and April 27, 1565
Population:
2000 census—3,356,137 (largest)
Density—660 per km_ (6th highest)
Area: 5,088.4 km_ (19th largest)
Divisions:
Highly urbanized cities—2
Component cities—4
Municipalities—20
Barangays—1,203
Congressional districts—8†
Languages: Cebuano, Ilonggo, Waray, English, and Spanish 

Cebu lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Cebu (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon (between Cebu and Negros).

Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is located in Lapu-Lapu City, some thirty minutes drive from downtown Cebu City.

The people of Cebu are called Cebuanos and are of Bisaya, Chinese, Spanish, and Negrito ancestries. Cebu is also home to a number of Spanish and ethnic Chinese communities who play an important economic and marketing role in the Cebuano society. Visayan – Cebuano culture is laid back and easy going; the people are friendly and have preserved strong Spanish-oriented traditions in its cultural life to this very day

Languages
Cebuano (Binisayang-Sinugboanon) is the native tongue of Cebu as well as the lingua franca of a large part of the Visayas and Mindanao. “As a language, Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, Bohol, western Leyte, Negros Oriental, the northern and eastern coasts of Mindanao, and parts of Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao, Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga del Sur. Differences exist but in many of these places the variations are slight.”[1] There are more than 20 million speakers of Cebuano in the Philippines.[2] Most Cebuanos are conversant in English and Tagalog, the official languages of the Philippines, as well as other Visayan languages like Ilonggo and Waray-waray.

Other religious minorities include Protestant churches of Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah’s Witnesses, God’s Kingdom, the Baptists, Reformed Baptist, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), etc.

Previously a part of the Archdiocese of Manila, Cebu was later made into a separate diocese, independent of the Manila archdiocese. It has several major churches, including the Basilica, the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, the San Carlos Church, the Sto. Rosario Parish Church, San Jose-Recoletos Church, Sacred Heart of Jesus, etc. as well as several other non-Catholic churches. Most of the population in Cebu are Roman Catholic (as in most Philippine provinces, with the possible exception of Mindanao) though there are some thriving Muslim communities, most of whom are migrants from the islands of Mindanao.