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| The Central Visayas, which includes the provinces
of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, is the country's
heartland in more ways than just geographical. It was in the
port settlement of Cebu that the Spaniards established their
first base for the conquest and conversion of the Philippines.
Early exposure to the ways of the West has made the Central
Visayas a heavily acculturated region. |
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| The region is home to the Visayans (or Bisayans,
as the people of the region were called in pre-Spanish times).
The term bisayan has a vague origin: it may mean "slave", as
the region was often plundered by pirates and the captured villagers
sold as slaves, or it may be the word derived from Malay or
Sanskrit for "victorious people". Still others relate it to
the Sri Vijaya, the ancient kingdom based in Sumatra, or to
the local word sadya, meaning "happy". |
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| The language in the region is Cebuano, also known
as Bisaya or Binisaya. Massive migration has spread the language
to other parts of the Philippines, notably Mindanao. Today,
about a quarter of the Philippine population consider Cebuano
as their native language. Besides Cebuano, Tagalog and English
are widely spoken in the region while Spanish remains the language
of an older elite sector of the community. |
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| The cultural hub of the region is the city of
Cebu. Often called the "queen city of the South", Cebu is a
bustling capital, second in the country only to Manila in commercial
activity. Deep harbors make Cebu a popular berthing place for
inter-island and ocean-going ships. Flanked by easily accessible
white-sand beaches and coral reefs, and home to one of the country's
international airports, Cebu is a favorite tourist as well as
business destination. |
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| To Filipinos, Cebu is synonymous with mangoes,
the sweet fleshy tropical fruit, widely grown in the region.
Cebuanos and natives of the Central Visayas are also popularly
known as corn-eaters, their staple food being milled corn. |
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