- Panglao Island
Panglao is an island in the
Philippines located in theCentral Visayas . Politically, it is divided into two municipalities:Dauis andPanglao , both ofBohol Province . Panglao is located southwest of the island ofBohol and east of Cebu.Historical background
In early history, Panglao was known to Chinese, Malay, Siamese and
Indonesia n traders. In 1803, Spanish explorers came to the shores of Panglao in search of fresh water. At the time a couple of natives on the seashore were making fishing devices called "panggaw". One of the Spaniards asked what the name of the island was. The natives--who thought the visitors were asking what they were making--then replied "panggaw". Hence, from that term, was derived the name Panglao. Currently Panglao is the one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines.Geography
Panglao has a terrain that range from plain, hilly to mountainous. Panglao is made of
Maribojoc Limestone, the youngest of the limestone units found in the western area of Bohol. The limestone composition halted the development of an airport as coralline limestone is soluble which causes formation of caves and sinkholes. One interesting geological feature found in the island is theHinagdanan Cave which has an underground water source. The cave is an important water source as the island has no rivers or lakes.Biodiversity
About 250 new species of crustaceans and 2500 new species of mollusks were found around the island.The discovery was the work of the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project.It is claimed that Panglao alone has more marine
biodiversity thanJapan and theMediterranean sea .External links
* [http://www.belleviewrock.com Panglao Island Diving & Accommodation]
* [http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=47646 Close to 3,000 new marine species found around Bohol island]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5027/ Panglao Island, Bohol - UNESCO World Heritage Centre]
* [http://www.gov.ph/news/default.asp?i=10932 Panglao Island geologically unsafe for airport, experts say]
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