Panglao is an island in the north

Bohol Sea The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is a sea located between the Visayas and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major citi ...

, located in the

Central Visayas Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) and thr ...

region of the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...

island group, in the south-central

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Geography

The island has an area of . It is within

Bohol Province Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It ...

, and comprises two municipalities:

Dauis Dauis, officially the Municipality of Dauis ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Dauis; tgl, Bayan ng Dauis), is now a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,492 people. The tow ...

and Panglao. Panglao island is located southwest of the island of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

and east and south of

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

. 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 delayed the development of the international airport as coralline limestone is soluble which causes formation of caves and

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

s. One interesting geological feature found in the island is the

Hinagdanan Cave Hinagdanan Cave is a cave in the municipality of Dauis on Panglao Island, in Bohol Province, in the Philippines. It is a naturally lighted cavern with a deep lagoon and many large stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' (' ...

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 and is close to Pamalican island. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 79,216.

History

Panglao was known to

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

, Siamese and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n traders. It once housed the Kedatuan of Dapitan.

Biodiversity

About 250 new species of

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...

s and 2500 new species of

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s 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 Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

than

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Balicasag Marine Sanctuary, Bohol, Philippines 01

Tourism

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 Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

, island hopping, dolphin watching, snorkeling,

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

and fishing.

Transportation

Bohol–Panglao International Airport Bohol–Panglao International Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanang Pangkalibutanon sa Bohol–Panglao; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Bohol–Panglao; ), also known as New Bohol International Airport, is an international airport on Panglao Island in the pr ...

(TAG/RPSP) is the primary international airport serving the province of

. The airport opened in November 2018, replacing the former Tagbilaran Airport and now serving Panglao Island and the rest of Bohol. There are almost hourly daytime flights to and from Manila operated by

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...

, and Air Asia. There are also flights to and from Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Clark. International flights are expected to commence in late 2019/early 2020. It is less than 2 hours of travel time by fast ferry to Cebu. There is a regular air-conditioned bus service from the airport to Tagbilaran City (Island City Mall and v/v PHP 50 each way) and a circular route to Alona beach. Short trips are usually by motor tricycle taxis, fares negotiable. The island is connected with the Bohol main island by two bridges namely the Cong. Suarez Bridge and the Gov. Borja Bridge. A third bridge, also connecting the island to mainland Bohol, is under construction.

References

External links

*
Panglao Island, Bohol - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
{{Authority control Islands of Bohol Bohol Sea Protected seascapes of the Philippines Beaches of the Philippines Tourist attractions in Bohol