A tropical haven of natural beauty, Bohol is skimmed by gentle coves, white sand beaches and great dive sites

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Bohol casts an enigmatic charm drawn from the many archaic mementos spread throughout the oval-shaped island: from the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier to 16th century watchtowers and Jesuit Baroque mission churches. The Chocolate Hills, all of 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, are undoubtedly the most famous tourist attraction in the province. Another gem of the Visayas, Bohol’s historical significance extends way back to the blood compact between Boholano Chieftain Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, in 1565. One of the rare faunas found in the Philippine archipelago, the Tarsier is the smallest primate in the world. It is a nocturnal primate measuring from four to five inches, with a tail that is longer than its body.

位於菲律賓中部，於宿霧島東南，除每年7至9月有些季風、陣雨或有些影響外。 Visayas區的另一 島嶼保和(Bohol，面積較小，但島上的朱古力山（Chocolate Hills）成為人最稱道的觀光點，丘陵由1,268個圓卵形的 石灰岩小山丘連綿而成，貫穿Carmen, Batuan和Sagbayan 等市鎮，這地是全球最細小的猴子─ Tarsiers眼鏡猴的出生 地，亦是菲律賓早期歷史重要見證；當年西班牙征服者雷加斯比 (Miguel Lopez de Legaspi) 在這裡和當地各酋長 Sikatuna歃血結盟為兄弟，兩國淵緣從此展開。

GEOGRAPHY 地理

Bohol is about 700 kilometres directly south of Manila and is about 70 kilometres southeast of Mactan Island. The province must have been developed from the magmatic tectonic mechanism which resulted from the underthrusting of the southwest Philippine plate east of Samar and Surigao. The Alicia Schist, the oldest known rock formation in the island, is inferred to be a part of the Bohol crystal rocks before plate interactions. All the succeeding igneous extrusive and intrusive rocks to accumulate were marine and terrestrial deposits in the Bohol basin.

CLIMATE 氣候

Bohol is mostly unaffected by the numerous typhoons that hit the country. The weather is mostly mild all year round. When typhoons do hit the islands, they usually cross quickly and are no longer powerful, their energy dissipated by the mountains in Leyte and Samar.

From November to April, the Northeast Monsoon (amihan) prevails. Except for a rare shower, this is the mildest time of the year. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, cooling down at night to around 25°C. The summer season from May to July brings higher temperatures and very humid days. From August to October is the Southwest Monsoon (habagat). The weather during this season is unpredictable, with weeks of calm weather alternating with rainy days. It may rain any day of the year, but there is more chance of heavy showers from November to January. 'Summer' is the best time to see the Chocolate Colour of the  famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol.

LANGUAGE & DIALECT 語言

The majority speak the native dialect, which is distinctively Boholano. Cebuano, Tagalog, and English are also widely spoken and understood.

POPULATION 人口

Bohol registered a total population of 1,230,110 million persons as of 2007, growing at an average annual rate of 2.79%. Tagbilaran City, is the most densely populated area at more than 2 thousand persons per square kilometre of land.

RELIGION 宗教

The most dominant religion is Roman Catholic, other Christian groups comprise 9% such as Protestants, Evangelicals, Born Again Christians and the remaining 1% belongs to other non-Christian faiths.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION

The province of Bohol is a first-class A province composed of 47 municipalities and one city, Tagbilaran, which serves as its capital. There are 1,109 barangays with an average household size of 5.4.