Cordova, officially the Municipality of Cordova (; ), is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 70,595 people.
Also spelled Cordoba, most of the municipality lies on separate islands off the southern coast of
Mactan Island. It is connected by two bridges to the main island of Mactan, which itself is connected to mainland Cebu by the two bridges between
Mandaue and
Lapu-Lapu City. The
Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, opened in 2022, connects it directly to mainland Cebu in
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...
.
Cordova is bordered to the north by Lapu-Lapu City, to the west by the Mactan Channel, to the east by the
Hilutangan Channel and
Olango Island, and to the south by the
Cebu Strait
Cebu Strait (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines.
Geography
The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan Channel, Mactan, the Olango Island Group, Ol ...
.
Cordova is a part of
Metro Cebu
Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu (; ), is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the nearby island of Mactan. It accounts for 19. ...
.
History
On 22 May 1863, the Spanish Governor General of the Philippines Rafael Echagüe y Bermingham (
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
, 1815 -
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, 1887) created a new town comprising the barrios of Gabi, Dayas and Pilipul (now called Pilipog), all of which are located on the southeastern tip of Mactan Island. Some authors think he chose the name Cordoba which means "stark nakedness and bare", but they do not indicate in what language. The decree of becoming a municipality only became effective in 1864.
However, before being appointed Governor General, in 1858, Rafael Echagüe y Bermingham was representative in the Spanish Congress of Deputies for the province of Cordoba (Spain), so he should have given that name in memory of his previous experiences.
In addition to Spain and the Philippines, there are other cities or provinces named ''Cordoba'', ''Cordova'' or ''Las Cordobas'' in Argentina, Colombia, USA and Mexico, all of them founded and named by Spanish, in memory of the Spanish Cordoba or the surname/family name of its founders.
Cordova became a municipality in 1864, and from 1913 up to the present, a total of 15 mayors governed the district.
The
Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, which was completed in 2022, connects the town to
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...
in mainland Cebu. This is the third bridge connecting mainland Cebu to
Mactan Island, after the
Mactan–Mandaue Bridge and the
Marcelo Fernan Bridge, both of which connect the cities of
Mandaue in the mainland and
Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan.
Geography
Cordova consists of a main island, bordering on and separated from Mactan Island by a narrow stream, as well as the islets of Gilutongan (also spelled Hilutungan),
Nalusuan, Shell, Tongo and Lava. The two islets of Gilutongan and Nalusuan are part of the
Olango Island Group in the middle of the
Cebu Strait
Cebu Strait (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines.
Geography
The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan Channel, Mactan, the Olango Island Group, Ol ...
. Its land area is , of which constitutes the main island and are outlying islets.
[ Cordova is from Lapu-Lapu City and from ]Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...
.
The surface of the town consists entirely of karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
ic limestone rock geologically associated with the Plio-Pleistocene Carcar Formation, dated to 2½–3 million years ago. The topography of Cordova is flat land, the highest point being only above sea level.[
]
Climate
The climate of Cordova is of Coronas type III, meaning the seasons are not very pronounced and are classified as hot and humid.
Its temperature ranges from , with a mean high temperature of and a mean low of .[
]
Barangays
Cordova is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Demographics
Economy
Tourism
Cordova is a quiet fisherman town off the coast of mainland Cebu. It has several hotels, resorts and accommodations, which include:
* Solea Mactan Resort
* Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary
* Nalusuan Marine Sanctuary
* Dayas Boardwalk and Marine Park
* Kamampay Public Beach
* Shey Residence in Buagsong, Cordova
* Entoy's Bakasihan
A special attraction is the mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...
forest and swamp area. The best access to this area is the Day-as Boardwalk and Marine Park. The total mangrove plantation is estimated to cover more or less . Most of the mangrove forest is located in the barangays of Pilipog, Bangbang, San Miguel, Dayas and Catarman.
Education
The public schools in the town of Cordova are administered by one school district under th
Schools Division of Cebu Province
Elementary schools:
* Alegria Elementary School — Alegria
* Bangbang Elementary School — Bangbang
* Buagsong Elementary School — Buagsong
* Catarman Elementary School — Catarman
* Cogon Elementary School — Cogon
* Cordova Central Elementary School — Poblacion
* Day-as Elementary School — Day-as
* Gabi Elementary School — Gabi
* Ibabao Elementary School — Ibabao
* Pilipog Elementary School — Pilipog
High schools:
* Cordova National High School — Day-as
Integrated schools:
* Gilutongan Integrated School — Gilutongan
* Thrice Admirable Integrated School —Buagsong
Infrastructure
Utilities
* Cordova Desalination Plant
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Cebu
Municipalities in Metro Cebu