Cebu
Cebu
Sugbo (Cebuano) | ||||||
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Province | ||||||
Left to right, from the top: Osmeña Peak, Magellan Monument, Kawasan Falls, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Cebu City,
Malapascua Island, Cebu Provincial Capitol | ||||||
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Flag Seal | ||||||
| Nickname: The Gateway to a Thousand Journeys[1] | ||||||
| Anthem: Sugbo (Cebu) | ||||||
Location in the Philippines | ||||||
OpenStreetMap | ||||||
| Coordinates: 10°19′N 123°45′E / 10.32°N 123.75°E | ||||||
| Country | Philippines | |||||
| Island Group | Visayas | |||||
| Region | Central Visayas | |||||
| Founded | 6 August 1569 | |||||
| Capital and largest city | Cebu City | |||||
| Government | ||||||
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan | |||||
| • Governor | Pamela S. Baricuatro (PDP) | |||||
| • Vice Governor | Glenn Anthony O. Soco (1Cebu) | |||||
| • Legislature | Cebu Provincial Board Members | |||||
| Area | ||||||
• Total (province) | 4,943.72 km2 (1,908.78 sq mi) | |||||
| • Rank | 20th out of 81 | |||||
| excludes independent cities | ||||||
| Highest elevation (Osmeña Peak) | 1,072 m (3,517 ft) | |||||
| Population (2024 census)[3] | ||||||
• Total (province) | 3,400,522 | |||||
| • Rank | 5th out of 81 | |||||
| • Density | 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi) | |||||
| • Rank | 7th out of 81 | |||||
| • Voter (2025)[4] | 3,407,780 | |||||
| • Language | Cebuano Forohanon Bantayanon | |||||
| Population data excludes independent cities | ||||||
| Divisions | ||||||
| • Independent cities | 3
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| • Component cities | 6
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| • Municipalities | 44
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| • Barangay |
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| • Districts |
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| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) | |||||
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)32 | |||||
| ISO 3166 code | PH-CEB | |||||
| Income class | 1st class | |||||
| PSGC | 072200000 | |||||
| Patron | Santo Niño de Cebu | |||||
| Website | www | |||||
Cebu (/sɛˈbuː/ seb-OO; Cebuano: Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Sugbo; Filipino: Lalawigan ng Cebu), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Triangle.[5]
Its capital and largest city is Cebu City, nicknamed "the Queen (Catholic) City of the South" having the Second Cardinal, the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines, which is politically independent from the provincial government along with Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City. The Cebu Metropolitan Area or Metro Cebu is the third largest metropolitan area in the Philippines (after Metro Manila and Metro Davao) with Cebu City as the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the Visayas as well as the regional center of Central Visayas. Being one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, in a decade it has transformed into a global hub for business processing services, tourism, shipping, furniture-making, and heavy industry. Mactan–Cebu International Airport, located on Mactan Island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines.
Cebu has the most combined cities and municipalities of any province in the Philippines, with 53 in total. With 9 cities in total, it has the second most number of cities after its neighboring province of Negros Occidental.
- ^ "What To Know About Cebu, Philippines". The Philippines Tourism Board. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ "Province: Cebu". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "Number of Registered Voters by Sex : 2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. 2019.
- ^ Asaad, Irawan; Lundquist, Carolyn J.; Erdmann, Mark V.; Costello, Mark J. (June 2018). "Delineating priority areas for marine biodiversity conservation in the Coral Triangle". Biological Conservation. 222 (2): 198–211. Bibcode:2018BCons.222..198A. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.037.