Panglao Island

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Panglao Island

Aerial view of Panglao Island

Panglao Island
Location within the Philippines
Geography
Location Bohol Sea
936N 12349ECoordinates:
Coordinates
936N 12349E
Area 94.53 km2 (36.50 sq mi)
Length 16 km (9.9 mi)
Width 7.5 km (4.66 mi)
Administration
Philippines
Region Central Visayas
Province Bohol
 Dauis
Municipalities
Panglao

Demographics
Population 79,216 (2015 census)[1]
Pop. density 840 /km2 (2,180 /sq mi)

Panglao is an island in the north Bohol Sea, located in the Central Visayas region of the Visayas
island group, in the south-central Philippines.

Contents
1 Geography

2 History

3 Biodiversity

4 Tourism

5 Transportation

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Geography

Panglao Island, Bohol

The island has an area of 94.53 square kilometres (36.50 sq mi). It is within Bohol Province, and
comprises two municipalities: Dauis and Panglao. Panglao island is located southwest of the
island of Bohol and east and south of Cebu.

Panglao has a terrain that ranges 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 the
Hinagdanan Cave which has an underground water source. The cave is an important water source
as the island has no rivers or lakes.

Panglao is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines, and includes several small islands,
such as Gak-ang, Pontod, and Balicasag.

According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 79,216.[1]

History
Panglao was known to Chinese, Malay, Siamese and Indonesian traders. It once housed the
Kedatuan of Dapitan.

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. The project
found that Panglao alone has more marine biodiversity than Japan and the Mediterranean sea.[2]

Tourism

Alona Beach overview

Panglao island is one of the main tourist destinations on the Philippines. Alona Beach is the most
popular tourist spot on the island, noted for its white sand and clear water. There are also a lot of
attractions to do for tourists such as scuba-diving, island hopping, dolphin watching, snorkeling,
kitesurfing and fishing.
Transportation
Panglao Island International Airport is a planned airport meant to be the primary international
airport to serve the province of Bohol. At three years behind schedule, it is now set to be in
operational status at the end of 2018.

The site of planned airport is very close to Tagbilaran Airport which currently serves Panglao
Island and the rest of Bohol for domestic air travelers. It also is less than 2 hours travel time from
Mactan-Cebu International airport, which is a gateway to the Central Philippines for
international tourists, although there is no direct flight.