• HISTORY
• The origins of Cebu play a crucial role in the history of the Philippines as a whole. Long before the island was "discovered" by the infamous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, Cebu was already a flourishing trading village in Asia, conducting business with China, India, and other neighboring countries. The Visayas islands at that time were inhabited mainly by Malays, ruled independently by their own chieftains.
• It was on April 7, 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan sailed into Cebu with a fleet of Spanish galleons. He was welcomed by the chieftain of Cebu, Rajah Humabon. Soon after, Magellan was able to convince the native ruler to convert to Christianity. Thus, Rajah Humabon and his wife and several hundred of their subjects were baptized as Christians. Magellan presented the ruling couple with an image of the Señor Santo Niño as a symbol of their new faith and allegiance to Spain.
• Cebu then became Magellan's base of operations for exploring the rest of the Philippine islands. Unfortunately, his first foray into neighboring Mactan Island was met with resistance, led by the fierce chieftain, Lapu-lapu. On April 27, 1521, in what came to be known as the epic Battle of Mactan, Magellan and his soldiers fell under the blades of Datu Lapu-lapu and his warriors.
• What was left of Magellan's fleet sailed back to Spain, there earning worldwide recognition as the first expedition to have circumnavigated the earth. Spain did not forget Cebu, however. On April 27, 1565, nearly 45 years later, a fresh expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, together with Augustinian friar Andres de Urdaneta, arrived on the shores of Cebu. The island was then ruled by Rajah Tupas, who was not as welcoming as his forebears. But the Spaniards came prepared this time, and the natives were defeated and driven out, fleeing to the hills. Legaspi's men discovered the image of the Santo Niño that Magellan had given to Humabon years before in one of the burnt houses. With this, the Spaniards built the first Spanish settlement in Cebu and named it "Villa del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus." Due to continuing opposition by the natives, Legaspi set about constructing a fort, which is now known as Fort San Pedro, the oldest fort in the country.
• The fort was reclaimed by Cebuanos years later, when Americans defeated the Spaniards during the Spanish-American war in 1898. Cebu had its fair share of bloody battles during the war, and one in particular broke out on Tres de Abril and V. Rama streets, where a force led by the Negrense General Leon Kilat faced off the Spanish colonizers. The natives would have won if not for the arrival of the Spanish armada bearing reinforcements. By 1901, the country was fully under American reign. It wasn't until February 24, 1937, that Cebu City was granted the charter through Commonwealth Act No. 58.
• During World War II, Cebu became the base of operations for the Japanese army, resulting in constant attacks on the city from American forces. Finally, in March of 1945, joint Filipino and American forces arrived in Talisay to take back Cebu from the Japanese. Cebu slowly recoverd after the war, rebuilding its economy and developing into a thriving center for business, education, and trade right in the heart of Southeast Asia.

• ECONOMY
• Cebu island has the most domestic air and shipping and cargo vessels in the Philippines, accounting for approximately 80 percent of the country's domestic shipping.
• Cebu has a major industrial, commercial, trade, and educational system. Its extensive international port facilities, and accessibility to Asia and the rest of the world, has led more than a hundred firms and multinational companies to establish manufacturing industries on the islands, resulting in exports with growth rates higher than the rest of the country.
• Cebu's labor force is rated one the most productive work force in the country.
• Cebu is home to several national and international corporations, while homegrown brands in the city have expanded throughout the past years outside the city and province, and even internationally.
• Cebu has been named the furniture capital of the Philippines, with many small to medium enterprises producing export quality goods.
• Cebu is also becoming a vibrant IT hub, with many local and international companies establishing headquarters in the province to serve the call center and BPO industries.

Notes: Text re-used/adapted from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.