Panglao Island

Panglao Island

Aerial view of Panglao Island
Panglao Island Location within the Philippines
Geography
Location	Bohol Sea
Coordinates	9°36′N 123°49′E / 9.6°N 123.82°E / 9.6; 123.82Coordinates: 9°36′N 123°49′E / 9.6°N 123.82°E / 9.6; 123.82
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
Municipalities	Dauis Panglao
Demographics
Population	79,216 (2015 census)
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.

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.

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

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.