Population (1995) : 2.92 M (Cebu Is.)                               1.5 M (Metro Cebu) Pop. Density        : 574/sq. km. Pop. Growth Rate: 1.87% Major Population Centers

The bulk of the population is concentrated in the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue, the component cities of Toledo, Danao and Lapu-lapu and the municipalities of Talisay, Naga and Carcar.

Ethnic Origin
Malay mixed with Chinese and Spanish ancestry

Languages & Dialects
Cebuano (spoken by 98% of the population), Tagalog, English and Chinese (Fookien & Mandarin)

Literacy Rate : 93% (Province-wide) 97% (Cebu City)

Labor Force : 1,469 M (1996) Employed : 1,287 M (88%)

Unemployed : 183,000 (12%)

Trade Skills
- Woodworking
- Carpentry
- Food processing
- Production works (GTH, furniture, stonecrafters, fashion accessories,
                             ceramics, electronics)
- Semiconductor assembly
- Oil extraction
- Brick making
- Mat weaving
- Bag making
- High-speed sewers

The province of Cebu has an abundance of beauty. The island's natural wonder is unmistakably seen from the central mountains to the coral sands. Most of the country's 8,120 species of flowering plants can be found in Cebu, of these 5,832 are unique to the country. At the Olango

Bird Sanctuary, a marvelous experience for bird watchers is the sight of migrating birds from Russia enroute to Australia. Cebu is one of the best, if not the best beach-oriented destination in the Philippines. Some of the world's best scuba diving is located around Cebu's shores. Cebu is rich in metallic and non-metallic minerals. The province has the largest copper deposit not only in the country but also in Southeast Asia. Among the non-metallic minerals

mined in commercial quantities are dolomite, limestone, Mactan stone, black stone, guano and siliceous sand.