Bohol
Bohol (Tagalog pronunciation: [buˈhol]), officially the Province of Bohol (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Bohol; Hiligaynon: Kapuroan sang Bohol; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran. With a land area of 4,821 km2 (1,861 sq mi) and a coastline 261 km (162 mi) long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines.
Bohol | |
---|---|
Province | |
Seal | |
Anthem: Awit sa Bohol (Bohol Hymn) | |
Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap | |
Coordinates: 9°54′N 124°12′E | |
Country | Philippines |
Region | Central Visayas |
Discovered by the Spanish | March 25, 1565 |
Founded | July 22, 1854 |
Capital and largest city | Tagbilaran |
Government | |
• Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
• Governor | Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado |
• Vice Governor | Dionisio Victor A. Balite |
• Legislature | Bohol Provincial Board |
Area | |
• Total | 4,820.95 km2 (1,861.38 sq mi) |
Highest elevation (Mount Matunog) | 864 m (2,835 ft) |
Population (2020 census) | |
• Total | 1,394,329 |
• Rank | 20th out of 81 |
• Density | 290/km2 (750/sq mi) |
• Voter (2019) | 898,682 |
• Language |
|
Demonym(s) | boholano Bul·anon boholana Boholan |
Divisions | |
• Independent cities | 0 |
• Component cities | 1
|
• Municipalities | 47
|
• Districts | List
|
Time zone | UTC+08:00 (PST) |
ZIP code | 6300–6346 |
IDD : area code | +63 (0)38 |
ISO 3166 code | PH-BOH |
Income class | 1st class |
PSGC | 071200000 |
Website | www |
The province of Bohol is a first-class province divided into 3 congressional districts, comprising 1 component city and 47 municipalities. It has 1,109 barangays.
The province is a popular tourist destination with its beaches and resorts. The Chocolate Hills, numerous mounds of brown-colored limestone formations, are the most popular attraction. The formations can be seen by land (climbing the highest point) or by air via ultralight air tours. Panglao Island, located just southwest of Tagbilaran, is famous for its diving locations and is routinely listed as one of the top ten diving locations in the world. Numerous tourist resorts and dive centers dot the southern beaches. The Philippine tarsier, among the world's smallest primates, is indigenous to the island.
It was the home province of Carlos P. Garcia, the eighth president of the Republic of the Philippines (1957–1961) who was born in Talibon, Bohol.
On October 15, 2013, Bohol was devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Sagbayan. The earthquake, which also hit southern Cebu, claimed 222 lives altogether and injured 374 people. It also destroyed or damaged a number of Bohol's heritage churches.
In 2023, Bohol Island was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, the first in the Philippines.
Bohol is also the province with the most towns in the Philippines, totalling 47 towns, and 1 component city, Tagbilaran City.