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Toledo

Toledo

Toledo may refer to several things. Most notably, it refers to two cities of the world:
- Toledo, Spain: the oldest city named Toledo.
- Toledo, Ohio, United States: the largest city named Toledo.

Places

;Belize:
- Toledo District
- Toledo Settlement ;Brazil:
- Pedro de Toledo, São Paulo
- Toledo, Paraná Philippines:
- Toledo City, Cebu ;Spain:
- Toledo province ;United States:
- Toledo, Illinois
- Toledo, Iowa
- Toledo, Ohio
- Toledo, Oregon
- Toledo, Washington

People

- Francisco de Toledo: 16th-century Spanish viceroy of Peru.
- Alejandro Toledo: current president of Peru.
- Mario Monteforte Toledo: Guatemalan man of letters.

Other

- Toledo, a version of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 cpu.
- SEAT Toledo, a compact automobile.
- Triumph Toledo, a (defunct) compact automobile.
- USS Toledo (SSN-769), a U.S. Navy submarine.
- USS Toledo (CA-133), a U.S. Navy heavy cruiser.

Toledo, Spain

This article is about the city in Spain named Toledo. For the most populous city in the United States named Toledo, see Toledo, Ohio. For other uses, see Toledo (disambiguation). frame frame Toledo is a city located in central Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. As of 2004, Toledo, Spain has a population of 73,485.

History

Toledo was originally a Roman Empire outpost under the name Toletum. It later served as the capital city of Visigothic Spain, beginning with Liuvigild (Leovigild), and was the capital until the Moors conquered Iberia in the 8th century. Under the Caliphate of Cordoba, Toledo enjoyed a golden age. Under Arab rule, Toledo was called Tolah itelah (Arabic طليطلة, academically transliterated Ṭulayṭulah). On May 25, 1085 Alfonso VI of Castile took Toledo and established direct personal control over the Moorish city from which he had been exacting tribute. This was the first concrete step taken by the combined kingdom of Leon-Castile in the Reconquista by Christian forces. Toledo was famed for its production of steel and especially of swords and the city is still a center for the manufacture of knives and other steel implements. When Philip II moved the royal court from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the old city went into a slow decline from which it never recovered.

Arts and culture

Cervantes described Toledo as a "rocky gravity, glory of Spain, and light of her cities." The old city is located on a mountaintop, surrounded on three sides by a bend in the Tagus River, and contains many historical sites, including the Alcázar, the cathedral (the primate church of Spain), and the Zocodover, a central marketplace. From the 5th century to the 16th century about thirty synods were held at Toledo. The earliest, directed against Priscillian, assembled in 400. At the synod of 589 the Visigoth King Reccared declared his conversion from Arianism; the synod of 633, guided by the encyclopedist Isidore of Seville, decreed uniformity of liturgy throughout the Visigothic kingdom and took stringent measures against baptized Jews who had relapsed into their former faith. The council of 681 assured to the archbishop of Toledo the primacy of Spain. As nearly one hundred early canons of Toledo found a place in the Decretum Gratiani, they exerted an important influence on the development of ecclesiastical law. The synod of 1565–1566 concerned itself with the execution of the decrees of the Council of Trent; and the last council held at Toledo, 1582–1583, was guided in detail by Philip II. Toledo was famed for religious tolerance and had large communities of Jews and Muslims until they were expelled from Spain in 1492; the city therefore has important religious monuments like the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca, the Synagogue of El Transito, and the Mosque of Cristo de la Luz. In the 13th century Toledo was a major cultural center under the guidance of Alphonso X, called "El Sabio" ("the Wise") for his love of learning. The Toledo school of translators rendered available great academic and philosophical works in Arabic and Hebrew by translating them into Latin, bringing vast stores of knowledge to Europe for the first time. The cathedral of Toledo (Catedral de Toledo) was modeled after the Bourges Cathedral though it also combines some characteristics of the Mudéjar style. It is remarkable for its incorporation of light and features the Baroque altar called El Transparente, several stories high, with fantastic figures of stucco, painting, bronze castings, and multiple colors of marble, a masterpiece of medieval mixed media by Narciso Tomei topped by the daily effect for just a few minutes of a shaft of sunlight striking it through a similarly ornamented hole in the roof. The effect gives the impression that the whole altar is rising to heaven. It is from the play of light that this feature of the cathedral derives its name. Toledo was home to El Greco for the latter part of his life, and is the subject of some of his most famous paintings, including The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, exhibited in the Church of Santo Tomé. Additionally, the city was renowned throughout the middle ages and into the present day as an important center for the production of swords and other bladed instruments. See also: Spain, Iberian Peninsula

External links

- [http://www.ayto-toledo.org/ Toledo City Hall]
- [http://www.leyendasdetoledo.com/ History, legends and culture about the Imperial City]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.867588,-4.023657&spn=0.031229,0.060176&t=k&hl=en Toledo in Google Maps] Category:Castile-La Mancha Category:Municipalities in Spain ja:トレド

United States

:For alternative meanings, see the disambiguation page for US, USA, United States, or American. The United States of America is a federal democratic republic situated primarily in central North America. It comprises 50 states and one federal district, and has several territories. It is also referred to, with varying formality, as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., the States, or simply and most commonly, America. The official founding date of the United States is July 4, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress—representing thirteen British colonies—adopted the Declaration of Independence. However, the structure of the government was profoundly changed in 1788, when the states replaced the Articles of Confederation with the United States Constitution. The date on which each of the fifty states adopted the Constitution is typically regarded as the date that state "entered the Union" (became part of the United States). Since the mid-20th century, following World War II, the United States has emerged as a dominant global influence in economic, political, military, scientific, technological, and cultural affairs.

Geography and climate

The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south), and territorial water boundaries with Canada, Russia, the Bahamas, and numerous smaller nations. It is otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, in the west; the Arctic Ocean, in the northernmost areas; and the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, in the eastern and southeastern areas. Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is referred to, with varying precision and formality, as the continental or contiguous United States, sometimes abbreviated CONUS, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by Canada. The archipelago of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington, District of Columbia is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland. (Virginia also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization. When inland water is included in the total area, only Russia and Canada are larger than the United States; if inland water is excluded, China ranks third and the U.S. ranks fourth. The United States' total area is 3,718,711 square miles (9,631,418 km²), of which land makes up 3,537,438 square miles (9,161,923 km²) and water makes up 181,273 square miles (469,495 km²). The United States' landscape is one of the most varied among those of the world's nations: among its many features are temperate forestland and rolling hills, on the east coast; mangrove, in Florida; the Great Plains, in the center of the country; the Mississippi–Missouri river system; the Great Lakes, four of the five of which are shared with Canada; the Rocky Mountains, west of the Great Plains; deserts and temperate coastal zones, west of the Rocky Mountains; and temperate rain forests, in the Pacific northwest. Alaska's tundra, and the volcanic, tropical islands of Hawaii add to the geographic diversity. Hawaii The climate varies along with the landscape, from tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida to tundra in Alaska and atop some of the highest mountains. Most of the North and East experience a temperate continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Most of the South experiences a subtropical humid climate with mild winters and long, hot, humid summers. Rainfall decreases markedly from the humid forests of the Eastern Great Plains to the semi-arid shortgrass prairies on the high plains abutting the Rocky Mountains. Arid deserts, including the Mojave, extend through the lowlands and valleys of the southwest, from westernmost Texas to California and northward throughout much of Nevada. Some parts of California have a Mediterranean climate. Rainforests line the windward mountains of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon to Alaska.

History

American history started with the migration of people from Asia across the Bering land bridge approximately 12,000 years ago following large animals that they hunted into the Americas. These Native Americans left evidence of their presence in petroglyphs, burial mounds, and other artifacts. It is estimated that 2-9 million people lived in the territory now occupied by the U.S. before European contact, and the subsequent introduction of foreign diseases such as small pox that greatly diminished the native populations. Some advanced societies were the Anasazi of the southwest, who inhabited Chaco Canyon, and the Woodland Indians, who built Cahokia, located near present-day St Louis, a city with a population of 40,000 at its peak in AD 1200. Vikings first visited North America around 1000, but did not settle permanently. Following the discovery voyages of Christopher Columbus around 1492, other Europeans began to explore and settle there. During the 1500s and 1600s, the Spanish settled parts of the present-day Southwest and Florida, founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and Santa Fe (in what is now New Mexico) in 1607. The first successful English settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, also in 1607. Within the next two decades, several Dutch settlements, including New Amsterdam (the predecessor to New York City), were established in what are now the states of New York and New Jersey. In 1637, Sweden established a colony at Fort Christina (in what is now Delaware), but lost the settlement to the Dutch in 1655. This was followed by extensive British settlement of the east coast. The British colonists remained relatively undisturbed by their home country until after the French and Indian War, when France ceded Canada and the Great Lakes region to Britain. Britain then imposed taxes on the 13 colonies, widely regarded by the colonists as unfair because they were denied representation in the British Parliament. Tensions between Britain and the colonists increased, and the thirteen colonies eventually rebelled against British rule. British Parliament, George Washington (1789-1797).]] In 1776, the 13 colonies split from Great Britain and formed the United States, the world's first constitutional and democratic federal republic, after their Declaration of Independence of that year, and the Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). The original political structure was a confederation in 1777, ratified in 1781 as the Articles of Confederation. After long debate, this was supplanted by the Constitution in 1789, forming a more centralized federal government. Prior to all these was the Albany Congress in 1754, in which a union was first seriously proposed. From early colonial times, there was a shortage of labor, which encouraged unfree labor, particularly indentured servitude and slavery. In the mid-19th century, a major division occurred in the United States over the issue of states' rights and the expansion of slavery. The northern states had become opposed to slavery, while the southern states saw it as necessary for the continued success of southern agriculture and wanted it expanded to the territories. Several federal laws were passed in an attempt to settle the dispute, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. The dispute reached a crisis in 1861, when seven southern states seceded¹ from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, leading to the Civil War. Soon after the war began, four more southern states seceded. During the war, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, mandating the freedom of all slaves in states in rebellion, though full emancipation did not take place until after the end of the war in 1865, the dissolution of the Confederacy, and the Thirteenth Amendment took effect. The Civil War effectively ended the question of a state's right to secede, and is widely accepted as a major turning point after which the federal government became more powerful than state governments. Thirteenth Amendment). The title of the painting, from a 1726 poem by Bishop Berkeley, was a phrase often quoted in the era of Manifest Destiny, expressing a widely held belief that civilization had steadily moved westward throughout history. [http://americanart.si.edu/t2go/1lw/1931.6.1.html (more)] ]] During the 19th century, many new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the continent. Manifest Destiny was a philosophy that encouraged westward expansion in the United States. As the population of the Eastern states grew and as a steady increase of immigrants entered the country, settlers moved steadily westward across North America. In the process, the U.S. displaced most American Indian nations. This displacement of American Indians continues to be a matter of contention in the U.S. with many tribes attempting to assert their original claims to various lands. In some areas American Indian populations were reduced by foreign diseases contracted through contact with European settlers, and US settlers acquired those emptied lands. In other instances American Indians were removed from their traditional lands by force. Though some would say the U.S. was not a colonial power until the Spanish-American War when it acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, the dominion exercised over land in North America the United States claimed is essentially colonial. The Philippines became independent in 1946. During this period, the nation also became an industrial power. This continued into the 20th century, which has been termed "the American Century" because of the nation's overriding influence on the world. The US became a center for innovation and technological development; major technologies that America either developed or was greatly involved in improving include the telephone, television, computer, the Internet, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, aviation, and aeronautics. In addition to the Civil War, another major traumatic experience for the nation was the Great Depression (1929 to 1939). The nation has also taken part in several major foreign wars, including World War I and World War II (in both of which the US later joined the Allies). During the Cold War, the US was a major player in the Korean War and Vietnam War, and, along with the Soviet Union, was considered one of the world's two "superpowers". With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the world's leading economic and military power. Beginning in the 1990s, the United States became very involved in police actions and peacekeeping, including actions in Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia and Liberia, and the first Persian Gulf War driving Iraq out of Kuwait. After attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States and other allied nations found themselves involved in what has come to be called the "War on Terrorism," which has primarily encompassed military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Government

Iraq of the United States.]]

Republic and suffrage

The United States is an example of a constitutional republic, with a government composed of and operating through a set of limited powers imposed by its design and enumerated in the United States Constitution. Specifically, the nation operates as a presidential democracy. There are three levels of government: federal, state, and local. Officials of each of these levels are either elected by eligible voters via secret ballot or appointed by other elected officials. Americans enjoy almost universal suffrage from the age of 18 regardless of race, sex, or wealth. There are some limits, however: felons are disenfranchised and in some states former felons are likewise. Furthermore, the national representation of territories and the federal district of Washington, DC in Congress is limited: residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes but their only Congressional representative is a non-voting delegate.

Federal government

The federal government is the national government, comprising the Legislative Branch (led by Congress), the Executive Branch (led by the President), and the Judicial Branch (led by the Supreme Court). These three branches were designed to apply checks and balances on each other. The Constitution limits the powers of the federal government to defense, foreign affairs, the issuing and management of currency, the management of trade and relations between the states, and the protection of human rights. In addition to these explicitly stated powers, the federal government—with the assistance of the Supreme Court—has gradually extended these powers into such areas as welfare and education, on the basis of the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution.

The Congress

necessary and proper The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members, each of whom represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population; in contrast, each state has two Senators, regardless of population. There are a total of 100 senators, who serve six-year terms. The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the necessary-and-proper clause, which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers."

The President

necessary-and-proper clause At the top level of the executive branch is the President of the United States. The President and Vice-President are elected as 'running mates' for four-year terms by the Electoral College, for which each state, as well as the District of Columbia, is allocated a number of seats based on its representation (or ostensible representation, in the case of D. C.) in both houses of Congress (see U.S. Electoral College). The relationship between the President and the Congress reflects that between the English monarchy and parliament at the time of the framing of the United States Constitution. Congress can legislate to constrain the President's executive power, even with respect to his or her command of the armed forces; however, this power is used only very rarely—a notable example was the constraint placed on President Richard Nixon's strategy of bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The President cannot directly propose legislation, and must rely on supporters in Congress to promote his or her legislative agenda. The President's signature is required to turn congressional bills into law; in this respect, the President has the power—only occasionally used—to veto congressional legislation. Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The ultimate power of Congress over the President is that of impeachment or removal of the elected President through a House vote, a Senate trial, and a Senate vote. The threat of using this power has had major political ramifications in the cases of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. The President makes around 2,000 executive appointments, including members of the Cabinet and ambassadors, which must be approved by the Senate; the President can also issue executive orders and pardons, and has other Constitutional duties, among them the requirement to give a State of the Union address to Congress once a year. Although the President's constitutional role may appear to be constrained, in practice, the office carries enormous prestige that typically eclipses the power of Congress: the Presidency has justifiably been referred to as 'the most powerful office in the world'. The Vice President is first in the line of succession, and is the President of the Senate ex officio, with the ability to cast a tie-breaking vote. The members of the President's Cabinet are responsible for administering the various departments of state, including the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and the State Department. These departments and department heads have considerable regulatory and political power, and it is they who are responsible for executing federal laws and regulations. George W. Bush is the 43rd President, currently serving his second term.

The Courts

George W. Bush The highest court is the Supreme Court, which consists of nine justices. The court deals with federal and constitutional matters, and can declare legislation made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. Below the Supreme Court are the courts of appeals, and below them in turn are the district courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law. Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the individual court systems of each state, each dealing with its own laws and having its own judicial rules and procedures. A case may be appealed from a state court to a federal court only if there is a federal question; the supreme court of each state is the final authority on the interpretation of that state's laws and constitution.

State and local governments

supreme court of each state. Note that Alaska and Hawaii are shown at different scales, and that the Aleutian Islands and the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are omitted from this map.]] The state governments have the greatest influence over people's daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution and has different laws. There are sometimes great differences in law and procedure between the different states, concerning issues such as property, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor. Each state also has an elected legislature (bicameral in every state except Nebraska), whose members represent the different parts of the state. Of note is the New Hampshire legislature, which is the third-largest legislative body in the English-speaking world, and has one representative for every 3,000 people. Each state maintains its own judiciary, with the lowest level typically being county courts, and culminating in each state supreme court, though sometimes named differently. In some states, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system. The institutions that are responsible for local government are typically town, city, or county boards, making laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol, and keeping animals. The highest elected official of a town or city is usually the mayor. In New England, towns operate directly democratically, and in some states, such as Rhode Island and Connecticut, counties have little or no power, existing only as geographic distinctions. In other areas, county governments have more power, such as to collect taxes and maintain law enforcement agencies.

Political divisions

With the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen colonies proclaimed themselves to be nation states modeled after the European states of the time. Although considered as sovereigns initially, under the Articles of Confederation of 1781 they entered into a "Perpetual Union" and created a fully sovereign federal state, delegating certain powers to the national Congress, including the right to engage in diplomatic relations and to levy war, while each retaining their individual sovereignty, freedom and independence. But the national government proved too ineffective, so the administrative structure of the government was vastly reorganized with the United States Constitution of 1789. Under this new union, the continued status of the individual states as sovereign nation states fell into dispute in 1861, as several states attempted to secede from the union; in response, then-President Abraham Lincoln claimed that such secession was illegal, and the result was the American Civil War. Since the Union victory in 1865, the independent status of the individual states has not been broached again by any state, and the status of each state within the union has been deemed by mainstream officials and academics to be settled as being subordinate to the union as a whole. In subsequent years, the number of states grew steadily due to western expansion, the purchase of lands by the national government from other nation states, and the subdivision of existing states, resulting in the current total of 50. The states are generally divided into smaller administrative regions, including counties, cities and townships. The United States–Canadian border is the longest undefended political boundary in the world. The U.S. is divided into three distinct sections:
- the "continental United States," also known as "the Lower 48" and more accurately termed the conterminous, coterminous or contiguous United States
- Alaska, which is physically connected only to Canada
- the archipelago of Hawaii, in the central Pacific Ocean. The United States also holds several other territories, districts, and possessions, notably the federal district of the District of Columbia, which is the nation's capital, and several overseas insular areas, the most significant of which are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. The Palmyra Atoll is the United States' only incorporated territory; it is unorganized and uninhabited. The United States Navy has held a base at a portion of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 1898. The United States government possesses a lease to this land, which only mutual agreement or United States abandonment of the area can terminate. The present Cuban government of Fidel Castro disputes this arrangement, claiming Cuba was not truly sovereign at the time of the signing. The United States argues this point moot because Cuba apparently ratified the lease post-revolution, and with full sovereignty, when it cashed one rent check in accordance with the disputed treaty.

Foreign relations and military

sovereign] The immense military and economic dominance of the United States has made foreign relations an especially important topic in its politics, with considerable concern about the image of the United States throughout the world. Reactions towards the United States by other nationalities are often strong, ranging from uninhibited admiration and mimicking of all things American to anti-Americanism. US foreign policy has swung about several times over the course of its history between the poles of strict isolationism and imperialism and everywhere in between. Three of the nation's four military branches are administered by the Department of Defense: the Army, the Navy (including the Marine Corps), and the Air Force. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime, but is placed under the Department of the Navy in time of war. The combined United States armed forces consist of 1.4 million active duty personnel, along with several hundred thousand each in the Reserves and the National Guard. Military conscription ended in 1973. The United States Armed forces are considered to be the most powerful military (of any sort) on Earth and their force projection capabilities are unrivaled by any other nation. The 2005 defense budget amounted to $401.7 billion, which is an increase of 4% over 2004 and of 35% since 2001. Over 50% of that number is spent in research & development. (For comparison, in 2004 the European Union (considered as the second-largest military force) had a combined total of 1.6 million troops, and a defense budget of €160 billion, with less than 10% of that being spent on R&D.)

Largest cities

The United States has dozens of major cities, including 11 of the 55 global cities of all types — with three "alpha" global cities: New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The figures expressed below are for populations within city limits. A different ranking is evident when considering U.S. metro area populations, although the top three would be unchanged. Note that some cities not listed (such as Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.) are still considered important on the basis of other factors and issues, including culture, economics, heritage, and politics. The twenty largest cities, based on the United States Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, are as follows:

Economy

The United States has the largest single-country economy in the world, with a per-capita gross domestic product of $40,100. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. gross domestic product The largest industry of the U.S. is now service, which employs roughly three quarters of the U.S. work force. The United States has many natural resources, including oil and gas, metals, and such minerals as gold, soda ash, and zinc. In agriculture, the U.S. is a top producer of, among other crops, corn, soy beans, and wheat; the United States is a net exporter of food. The U.S. manufacturing sector produces goods such as, cars, airplanes, steel, and electronics, among many others. Economic activity varies greatly from one part of the country to another, with many industries being largely dependent on a certain city or region; New York City is the center of the American financial, publishing, broadcasting, and advertising industries; Silicon Valley is the country’s primary location for high-technology companies, while Los Angeles is the most important center for film production. The Midwest is known for its reliance on manufacturing and heavy industry, with Detroit, Michigan, serving as the center of the American automotive industry; the Great Plains are known as the "breadbasket" of America for their tremendous agricultural output; the intermountain region serves as a mining hub and natural gas resource; the Pacific Northwest for fish and timber, while Texas is largely associated with the oil industry; the Southeast is a major hub for both medical research and the textiles industry. Several countries continue to link their currency to the dollar or even use it as a currency (such as Ecuador), although this practice has subsided since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system. Many markets are also quoted in dollars, such as those of oil and gold. The dollar is also the predominant reserve currency in the world, and more than half of global reserves are in dollars. The largest trading partner of the United States is Canada (19%), followed by China (12%), Mexico (11%), and Japan (8%). More than 50% of total trade is with these four countries. In 2003, the United States was ranked as the third most visited tourist destination in the world; its 40,400,000 visitors ranked behind France's 75,000,000 and Spain's 52,500,000. Labor unions have existed since the 19th century, and grew large and powerful from the 1930s to the 1950s. See Labor history of the United States. Since 1970 they have shrunk in the private sector and now cover fewer than 8% of the workers. However union membership has grown rapidly in the public sector, especially among teachers, nurses, police, postal workers, and municipal clerks. There have been few strikes in recent years. The United States' imports exceed exports by 80%, leading to an annual trade deficit of $700,000,000,000, or 6% of gross domestic product. It is the largest debtor nation in the world, with total gross foreign debt of over $13,000,000,000,000 (2005 estimate); and it absorbs more than 50% of global savings annually. Since the 1980s, the U.S. has increased the use of neoliberal economic policies that reduce government intervention and reduce the size of the welfare state, backing away from the more interventionist Keynsian economic policies that had been in favor since the Great Depression. As a result, the United States provides fewer government-delivered social welfare services than most industrialized nations, choosing instead to keep its tax burden lower and relying more heavily on the free market and private charities. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the national level ($5.15 per-hour), including the highest, Washington State at $7.35. Twenty-six states are the same as the federal level; two--Ohio and Kansas--are below; and six do not have state laws. America's wealth is relatively highly concentrated. The average C.E.O. earns 500 times the typical amount a worker grosses, this is up from 25 times in the late 1970s. In terms of wealth the top 1% of Americans own 40% of all assets and 50.1% of the country's income goes to the top twenty percent of households. Average wages for the majority of employees have been largely stagnating since the 1970s. America's poverty line defined as a family of four earning less than $19,157 is at 12.7% of the general population. Approximately one out of every five children in the United States grows up below the official poverty line. Among racial groups; African Americans have the lowest median income while Asians had the highest. Regionally, the southern states had the lowest median incomes while the West Coast and New England had the highest. The current Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan remarked that the U.S.’s growing income inequality since the 1970s is, "not the type of thing which a democratic society - a capitalist democratic society - can really accept without addressing."[http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0614/p01s03-usec.html?s=itm] However, Greenspan also noted, "...you can look at the system and say it's got a lot of problems to it, and sure it does. It always has. But you can't get around the fact that this is the most extraordinarily successful economy in history."

Transportation

Alan Greenspan ]] Because the United States is a relatively young nation, most of the development of U.S. cities has taken place since the invention of the automobile. To link its vast territory, the United States built a network of high-capacity, high-speed highways, of which the most important element is the Interstate Highway system, commissioned in the 1950s by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and modeled after the German Autobahn. The United States also has a transcontinental rail system, which is used for moving freight across the lower forty-eight states. Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak, which serves forty-six of the lower forty-eight states. Many cities in the United States have extensive mass-transit systems. New York City operates one of the world's largest and most heavily used subway systems. The regional rail and bus networks that extend into Long Island, New Jersey, Upstate New York, and Connecticut are among the most heavily used in the world. Air travel is often preferred for destinations over 300 miles (500 kilometers) away. In terms of passengers, seventeen of the world's thirty busiest airports in 2004 were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; in terms of cargo, in the same year, twelve of the world's thirty busiest airports were in the U.S., including the world's busiest, Memphis International Airport. There are several major seaports in the United States; the three busiest are the Port of Los Angeles, California; the Port of Long Beach, California; and the Port of New York and New Jersey. Others include Houston, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington; plus, outside the contiguous forty-eight states, Anchorage, Alaska, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Society

Demographics

Hawaii The mean center of the U.S. population continues to drift farther west and south. The fastest growing region is the western United States followed by the southern portion. According to Census 2000, the states that saw the greatest increases from 1990 were: Nevada (66.3%), Arizona (40%), Colorado (30.6%), Utah (29.6%), Idaho (28.5%), Georgia (26.4%), Florida (23.5%), Texas (22.8%), North Carolina (21.4%), and Washington (21.1%). [http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t2/tab03.pdf]

Ethnicity and race

:Main article: Racial demographics of the United States The United States is a very racially diverse country. According to the 2000 census, it has 31 ethnic groups with at least one million members each, and numerous others represented in smaller amounts. The majority of Americans descend from white European immigrants who arrived at the establishment of the first colonies (most after Reconstruction). This majority--69.1% in 2000--decreases each year, and is expected to become a plurality within a few decades. The most frequently stated European ancestries are German (15.2%), Irish (10.8%), English (8.7%), Italian (5.6%) and Scandinavian (3.7%). Many immigrants also hail from Slavic countries such as Poland and Russia. Other significant immigrant populations came from eastern and southern Europe and French Canada. Russia Hispanics from Mexico and South and Central America are the largest minority group in the country, comprising 12.5% of the population (2000 census). People of Mexican descent made up 7.3% of the population in the 2000 census, and this proportion is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades. About 12.3% (2000 census) of the American people are African Americans (Blacks). African Americans are spread throughout the country, but their presence is largest in the South. Asian Americans--including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders--are a third significant minority (3.7% of the population in 2000). Most Asian Americans are concentrated on the West Coast and Hawaii. The largest groups are immigrants or descendants of emigrants from the Philippines, China, India, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. Indigenous peoples in the United States, such as American Indians and Inuit, make up 0.9% of the population (2000 census). About 35% live on Indian reservations.

Religion

Polls estimate that just under 80 percent of Americans are Christians of various denominations. The other 20 percent comprises other religions such as Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, other various faiths, and those without a specific religion. The United States is noteworthy among developed nations for its relatively high level of religiosity. According to a 2004 Gallup poll, about 44% of Americans attend a religious service at least once a week. However, this rate is not uniform across the country; attendance is more common in the Bible Belt—composed largely of Southern and Midwestern states—than in the Northeast and West Coast. In the Southern states, Baptists are the largest group, followed by Methodists; Roman Catholics are dominant in the Northeast and in large parts of the Midwest due to their being settled by descendants of Catholic immigrants from Europe (such as Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Poland) or other parts of North America (mainly Quebec and Puerto Rico). The rest of the country for the most part has a complex mixture of various Christian groups.

Education

West Coast's home at Monticello and the University of Virginia (library building shown above, and designed by Jefferson), the only collegiate campus on the list. Both sites are located in Charlottesville, Virginia.]] In the United States, education is a state, not federal, responsibility, and the laws and standards vary considerably. However, the federal government, through the Department of Education, is involved with funding of some programs and exerts some influence through its ability to control funding. In most states, all students must attend mandatory schooling starting with kindergarten, which children normally enter at age 5, and following through 12th grade, which is normally completed at age 18

Toledo Settlement

Toledo Settlement is a town in Belize's Toledo District. Toledo Settlement is located at , at an elevation of 37 meters above sea level. It was originally settled by refugees from the United States who fled here during the American Civil War. Category:Cities in Belize

Pedro de Toledo

Pedro de Toledo is a municipality/county in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. Its latitude is 24.275/24°16'29" S and the longitude is 47.23/47°13'58" W. The population in 2004 is 9,880, the density is 14.69/km² and the area is 672.62 km² The elevation is 45 m. The southern part of the municipality are heavily forested and are part of the Serra do Mar mountain range. The rest of the area are farmlands and the northern part are hilly and mountainous. The neighboring municipalities are Itanhaém to the east.

History

The city was affected by the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution.

Other

Pedro de Toledo has a few schools or a collegiate, a high school, churches, banks and a few parks.

External links

- In Portuguese:
- http://www.pedrodetoledo.sp.gov.br
- [http://www.citybrazil.com.br/SP/pedrodetoledo citybrazil.com.br]
- [http://www.explorevale.com.br/cidades/pedrodetoledo/index.htm Pedro de Toledo on Explorevale]
- Maps and Aerial photos:
- Coordinates:
- Street maps: [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=-45.23&longitude=-23.275&zoom=6 Street map from Mapquest], [http://maps.msn.com/map.aspx?&lats1=-45.23&lons1=-23.275&alts1=35 MapPoint] or [http://maps.google.com/maps?||=-23.275,-45.23 Google]
- Satellite images and Aerial photos: [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-23.275,-45.23&spn=0.11,0.18&t=k Google] Category:Towns in São Paulo

São Paulo

:For other meanings, see São Paulo (disambiguation). São Paulo (Portuguese for Saint Paul) is the capital of the state of São Paulo in south eastern Brazil. It is located at , 400 km (250 miles) from Rio de Janeiro, and 1030 km (640 miles) from federal capital Brasília. Brasília The city has an area of 1,575 square kilometres (575 sq miles) and a population of approximately 10 million (according to CityMayors, 2005), which makes it the largest city in Brazil and South America and the [http://www.citymayors.com/features/largest_cities1.html second largest in the world.] About 18 million people live in the São Paulo metropolitan area — defined by Brazilian norms, which is currently ranked as the fourth-largest in the world and by far the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. If using international norms for metropolitan area, and adjoining metropolitan regions Campinas and Baixada Santista are included, the population encompasses some 24 million, without even including major satellite cities like Sorocaba and São José dos Campos.

Highlights

São José dos Campos São Paulo is a major business centre. The city has a multicultural metropolitan area, which some have compared to New York City, with heavy Italian, Portuguese, German, Arabian and Japanese influences. São Paulo is known for its varied and sophisticated cuisine, ranging from Chinese to French, from fast food chains to five star restaurants. Its night life is animated by thousands of bars, pubs, lounges and discos that cater for a variety of music tastes and are often open all night. São Paulo is home to University of São Paulo, to two major art museums (MASP and Pinacoteca do Estado), a major symphonic orchestra (OSESP), and a Formula One Grand Prix racing circuit (Interlagos). There are two major airports in the São Paulo metropolitan area: Guarulhos (GRU, for domestic and international flights) and Congonhas (CGH, for domestic flights).

History

CGH The city was founded on January 25, 1554, by Portuguese Jesuit missionaries José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega, who established a mission — the Colégio de São Paulo de Piratininga — to convert the Tupi-Guarani Native Brazilians to Catholic religion. Located just beyond the Serra do Mar cliffs overlooking the port city of Santos, and close to River Tietê, the new settlement became the natural entrance to the vast and fertile plateau that would eventually become the State of São Paulo. First named São Paulo de Piratininga, São Paulo became officially a city in 1711. It experienced a boom during the coffee cycle, starting in the late 19th century — chiefly because of its privileged position next to the port of Santos, through which most of the country's exports were shipped. After 1881, waves of immigrants from Italy, Japan and many other countries arrived in São Paulo, at first to work at the enormous coffee plantations established in the State. In the 20th century, with the increasing industrial development of the country, many of them moved to São Paulo, which also attracted new contingents of immigrants. Another important historical landmark is the Universidade de São Paulo's Law School, also known as Largo São Francisco, claimed to be (though it is not true) the first academic institution in Brazil. First installed into a monastery, it was [http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/cotidian/ff2206200511.htm founded] on 1 March 1828, right after the beginning of the Brazilian Empire, following the increasing need for lawyers and politicians. As rich Brazilians used to go to Lisbon to take undergraduate Law courses, the Brazilian Emperor, Dom Pedro I, decided that it was time to create a national law school. It attracted students from all over the country, who gave São Paulo a bohemian lifestyle.

Economics

Dom Pedro I São Paulo is the financial and industrial centre of Brazil. The city is said to have more German companies than any other single city outside Germany. São Paulo's stock exchange is the Bovespa, while its futures exchange is BM&F. Its financial districts are located on the surroundings of Avenida Paulista and in the Centro Velho (Old Centre). Other important business districts are located near Avenida Berrini, Itaim Bibi, Vila Olímpia and Chácara Santo Antônio neighbourhoods. There are a number of highly specialised regions, like Bom Retiro and Brás (wholesale garment districts), Consolação (lighting equipment), Rua Santa Ifigênia (electrical and electronic parts), Rua Teodoro Sampaio (furniture and musical equipment), the posh Rua Oscar Freire (designer and label stores) and the crowded Rua Vinte e Cinco de Março. São Paulo is also home to a large number of advertising and broadcasting companies. As in many other large cities in developing countries, about 18% of São Paulo's population live below the poverty line. The city has several extensive shantytowns (favelas and cortiços).

Politics

cortiços Because of its economic and demographic weight, São Paulo has always played a pivotal role in Brazilian politics. With a constituency larger than that of many Brazilian states, the mayor's office is viewed by politicians as a springboard for state and national-level offices. São Paulo's current mayor is José Serra of the Party of the Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB). His mandate expires on December 31, 2008. São Paulo's latest mayors were: See also: List of Mayors of São Paulo

Metropolitan Region

São Paulo has an officially defined metropolitan region, with 39 municipalities, for a list see [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_São_Paulo] List of Mayors of São Paulo and São Vicente (below).]]

Boroughs

São Paulo is divided into 31 boroughs, whose names are: Each borough is divided into several districts (in most cases, two or three). The borough with the greatest number of districts is the borough of Sé, in the historical downtown, with eight districts (Sé, República, Consolação, Santa Cecília, Bom Retiro, Bela Vista, Liberdade and Cambuci). In second place are the boroughs of Lapa, with six districts (Lapa, Perdizes, Barra Funda, Vila Leopoldina, Jaguara and Jaguaré) and Mooca, also with six districts (Mooca, Tatuapé, Belém, Pari, Brás and Água Rasa). The peripherical boroughs of Jabaquara and Ermelino Matarazzo have only one district.

Culture

São Vicente

Videobrasil

Festival for Electronic Art Every two years, the Festival brings groundbreaking work by cream-of-the-crop artists from all over the world to São Paulo. In keeping with the constant transformations in media and support, the curatorship has added installations, performances, VJs, CD-ROM art, and internet art to the programme. The Festival includes a competitive exhibition of so-called southern circuit and an extensive parallel programme. Art shows, debates and meetings introduce new ideas and art work, setting new guidelines for contemporary art in Brazil. Exhibitions featuring work by prominent electronic artists are also part of the Festival. Brazilian pioneers such as Rafael França and Olhar Eletrônico, and international guests such as Nam June Paik, Bill Viola and Gary Hill, have featured in the event’s past editions. Each edition has a theme of its own. http://www.videobrasil.org.br

Bienal de São Paulo

The Bienal is a cultural event hosted every two years. Close to 1 million people visited the 26th Bienal in 2004. Its theme was chosen to enable a wide range of artistic positions to feel comfortable. The concept of "Free Territory" involved various dimensions: it had a physical-geographical, a socio-political as well as an aesthetic dimension – the latter, of course, being of greatest interest in the context of this exhibition. In order to emphasise the thematic unity of the overall exhibition, the invited artists and those representing the countries are mixed together on the 25,000 square metres of the spacious Oscar Niemeyer Pavilion. Despite the complexity of individual voices, the end result was intended to be a unity. In addition to an intensification of the North-South dialogue inside Brazil, the Bienal's aims include the promoting of links between non-European cultures along a South-South orientation.

São Paulo Fashion Week

It seems that Brazil has finally entered the world of fashion with the increasing reputation of famous Brazilian top models such as Adriana Lima, Gisele Bündchen, Fernanda Tavares, Ana Beatriz Barros and Ana Hickmann, and the "discovery" of some fresh talents such as Alexandre Herchcovitch by some international fashion magazines. As a consequence of this, São Paulo Fashion Week is the place to see and to be seen in Brazilian fashion scene, always attracting a number of international fashion editors and models. Nowadays, São Paulo Fashion Week is one of the most relevant fashion events in Brazil. It takes place twice a year at the building of Bienal de São Paulo.

São Paulo Gay Parade

Also a major event in the city, the São Paulo Gay Parade has brought to Avenida Paulista about 2 million people in 2005, according to official statistics. It is usually opened by the city's mayor. A huge carnival goes all the way through the centre of the city.

São Silvestre Race

The São Silvestre Race takes place every New Year's Eve (31 December). It was first held in 1925, when the competitors ran about 8,000 metres around the streets. Since then, the distance raced has varied, and it is now fixed at 15km. Registration takes place from 1 October, with the maximum number of entrants limited to 15,000.

March for Jesus

The March for Jesus is a major event in the city on Avenida Paulista at Easter, drawing about 1.5 million people in 2005. This event brings together members of the many and growing Evangelical churches in the region. http://www.estadao.com.br/cidades/noticias/2005/mai/26/49.htm (?)

Transportation

March for Jesus The city is crossed by many of the most important motorways in the country, such as the BR-116, SP-270, SP-280, Rodovia Anhanguera, Rodovia dos Bandeirantes, Rodovia Anchieta, Rodovia Castelo Branco and Rodovia dos Imigrantes. Some railways also cross the city. They are, however, very old and were constructed intending not to transport people, but to transport coffee to the Santos seaport. São Paulo has three airports. Congonhas Domestic Airport operates domestic and regional flights, mainly to Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasília. Campo de Marte handles some private and small aeroplanes. Guarulhos International Airport, located 25 km north east from the city centre in the neighbouring city of Guarulhos, operates domestic and international flights to the city. The city has approximately 60 km of underground railway systems (the São Paulo Metro, locally known as the Metrô), complemented by another 270 km of CPTM (Companhia de Trens Metropolitanos, or "Company of Metropolitan Trains") railways. Both CPTM and the underground railway lines carry some 3.5 million people on an average weekday, and a few new underground lines to be constructed are expected to add another million people to the system within the next five years. The bulk of the public transportation (public and private companies) is composed by more than 10,000 buses. Also, there is a strong presence of informal transportation (dab vans). São Paulo grew quickly from the 1940s to the 1980s and many roads and buildings were constructed without major planning. As a result, heavy traffic is common in the main avenues of the city, and traffic jams are relatively common in its larger highways (mainly during floods). The main means of commuting into the city is by car and by bus. traffic jam São Paulo has the highest per capita helicopter ownership in the developing world and now rivals Tokyo and New York as the world's leading helicopter user. The owners are an elite wealthy class who take advantage of around one hundred helipads and heliports to conveniently avoid heavy traffic and to rise above contact with the more dangerous aspects of urban life. Some private individuals purchase their own helicopters; others buy shares in them to use in conjunction with neighbours.

Ethnic diversity

helicopter São Paulo has significant ethnic diversity, comparable to other major cities:
- 7,500,000 people are direct or indirect descendants of Italians. There is a building named Edifício Itália (Italy Building), in honour of the Italians. It was once the tallest building of the city (165m).
- 2,300,000 people are direct or indirect descendants of Portuguese.
- 1,500,000 people have direct or indirect African heritage.
- 1,000,000 people are direct or indirect descendants of Germans.
- 850,000 people are direct or indirect descendants of Lebanese — by far the largest number of Lebanese outside Lebanon. Most are Christian (Roman Catholic).
- 800,000 people are direct or indirect descendants of Japanese. São Paulo has the largest number of Japanese outside Japan.
- Note that many "paulistanos" have mixed ethnic origins; the numbers above may count individual people in multiple groups. Other considerable groups are:
- Chinese
- Jewish
- Korean
- Armenian
- Bolivian
- Lithuanian
- Spanish
- Syrian

Current critical problems

Since the beginning of the 20th century, São Paulo has been the major economic city of Brazil. With the advent of the two World Wars and the Great Depression, exports of coffee to the US and Europe were critically affected, which led the rich coffee farmers to invest in industrialisation in the city. This fact attracted many people from other regions of the country, especially from the north east. From a population of merely 32,000 inhabitants in 1880 São Paulo increased its population to approximately 250,000 in 1900, 1,800,000 in 1940, 4,750,000 in 1960 and 8,500,000 in 1980. The effects of this population boom in the city are:
- São Paulo grew quickly and in a very disorganised manner. With no proper organisation the city grew without leaving much space for main roads and parks. Major traffic jams are relatively common on many roads of the city.
- Migrants, especially from the north eastern region of the country, often move to São Paulo with hopes of a better life, but, more often than not, are unable to find work in the city's saturated labour market and end up living in impoverished conditions or returning to the regions from which they originally came.
- Approximately 1,500,000 people live in favelas in São Paulo and surrounding areas.
- The crime rate is high. Kidnappings and robbery are considered relatively common in the city.
- Floods are common in São Paulo as a consequence of the lack of undeveloped green spaces and the relative impermeability of the ground. Rain water cannot be properly drained and water accumulates quickly, causing floods in particular areas of the city.
- Air pollution is high. The two major rivers crossing the city, the Rio Tietê and the Rio Pinheiros, are severely polluted, although these rivers are currently being cleaned up.
- Although there are several parks across the city, the per capita green area of São Paulo is very small. This fact, associated with high crime rates, has led to many Paulistanos choosing to live in gated complexes of flats. Condominiums, with security cameras and guards, and homes and apartments, with barred windows, are common throughout the city.

Major holidays

- January 1 – New Year
- January 25 – São Paulo's Anniversary — city holiday
- Between February and March – Carnival (Brazilian national holiday, it happens on the Friday to Tuesday preceding Lent. The holiday ends at noon on Ash Wednesday)
- At the beginning of April – Easter
- April 21 – Tiradentes
- May 1 – Labour Day
- Second Sunday in May – Mothering Sunday
- Mid June – Corpus Christi
- July 9 – Constitutional Revolution of 1932 (a state holiday in São Paulo State)
- Second Sunday in August – Fathers' Day
- September 7 – Brazil Independence Day
- October 12 – Our Lady's Day/Children's Day
- November 2 – All Souls' Day
- November 15 – Republic Day
- December 25 – Christmas

External links

- [http://www.apontador.com.br Apontador – São Paulo Street Map]
- [http://urbanrail.fotopic.net/c318757.html Photo gallery of São Paulo's rail systems]
- [http://www.citymayors.com/politics/brazil_04elections.html São Paulo mayoral race 2004 pages]
- [http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br São Paulo City Hall Website] (in Portuguese)
- [http://anhembi.terra.com.br/turismo/eng/default.asp São Paulo Official Tourism Site]
- [http://www.saopaulo.sp.gov.br/ingles/saopaulo/index.htm São Paulo Official Home Page]
- [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A42332-2002May31 Brazil's Elites Fly Above Their Fears] Washington Post article dated June 1, 2002.
- [http://www.renatojanine.pro.br/LEstrangeira/rich.html Rich Brazilians Rise Above Rush-Hour Jams]

Photographs

- [http://www.brazilskyscrapers.hpg.com.br Brazil Skyscrapers] – Many Photos of São Paulo and its skyscrapers
- [http://members.aol.com/pochetti5/sampa-brazil.html A very complete photo album]
- [http://anhembi.terra.com.br/turismo/eng/ Virtual postcards] (requires to locate and click on the option entitled "postcards")
- [http://www.arrakeen.ch/saopaulo/saopaulomay2001.html skyscrapers] Category:Cities in São Paulo Category:São Paulo state ja:サンパウロ市 simple:São Paulo (city)

Cebu

:Cebu is also a variant spelling of the cattle known as Zebu. Cebu is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is Cebu City. Cebu is a long narrow island that stretches 225 km from north to south and is surrounded by 167 neighboring small islands, including Mactan Island, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Malapascua, Olango the Camotes Islands, etc. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country. The metropolitan area of Cebu City (which includes Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City) is second only to Metro Manila in population in the country. Cebu lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province. It is flanked on both sides by the straits of Cebu (between Cebu and Bohol) and Tañon (between Cebu and Negros). Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is located in Lapu-Lapu City, some thirty minutes drive from downtown Cebu City.

People and Culture

The people of Cebu are called Cebuanos and are of Bisaya, Chinese, Spanish, and Negrito ancestries. Cebu is also home to a number of Spanish and ethnic Chinese communities who play an important economic and marketing role in the Cebuano society. Visayan - Cebuano culture is laid back and easy going; the people are friendly and have preserved strong Spanish-oriented traditions in its cultural life to this very day.

Native Language

Linguistically, Cebu is home to the country's second largest native group. "As a language, Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, Bohol, western Leyte, Negros Oriental, the northern and eastern coasts of Mindanao, and parts of Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao, Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga del Sur. Differences exist but in many of these places the variations are slight. It is also spoken in many parts of Mindanao, the eastern part of Negros Island, the western and southern parts of Leyte, Bohol, and in Samar. The term Visayan came from an ancient Malay kingdom, called the Sri Vishayan Empire which ruled some parts of the Philippines in the 14th century before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

Religion

The patron saint of Cebu is the Santo Niño de Cebu, who is Jesus represented as a child. The statue is housed in the country's oldest church, the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. According to historical accounts, the Santo Niño was given by the Portuguese sea captain and explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the wife of the chief, Rajah Humabon as a gift to celebrate their alliance. Soon, Magellan died in a battle at Mactan Island. That act is depicted in Cebu's largest, most popular cultural event, the Sinulog where street-dancing and loud drum beats preceded by a holy Mass is the main attraction. Previously a part of the Archdiocese of Manila, Cebu was later made into a separate diocese, independent of the Manila archdiocese. It has several major churches, including the Basilica, the [http://www.ngkhai.net/cebupics/albums/userpics/10027/normal_CATHED_2.jpg Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral], the San Carlos Church, the Sto. Rosario Parish Church, San Jose-Recoletos Church, Sacred Heart of Jesus, etc. as well as several other non-Catholic churches. Most of the population in Cebu are Roman Catholic (as in most Philippine provinces, with the possible exception of Mindanao) though there are some thriving Muslim communities, most of whom are migrants from the islands of Mindanao. Other religious minorities include Protestant churches of Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, God's Kingdom, the Baptists, [http://sgbc.faithweb.com Reformed Baptist], United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), etc.

Population

In the [http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2002/pr02150tx.html|2000 Census of Population and Housing] (Census 2000), Cebu City recorded a total population of 718,821 persons, 56,522 more compared to the 1995 Census of Population (POPCEN) results. Cebu City has one of the country's highest annual population growth rate, recording at 1.77 percent for the years 1995 to 2000. At the national level, the city shared 0.94 percent to the total population of 76.5 million as recorded in the Census 2000 within cebu.

Economy

Cebu's economy is a hodgepodge of industries and commercial ventures. Recently, due to its burgeoning furniture-making industry, Cebu has been hailed as the furniture capital of the Philippines. The Department of Trade and Industry in Cebu is aiming to develop this aspect of Cebu economy by specifically targeting small to medium enterprises or SMEs whose products are considered export-quality. Cebu itself does not have a rich source of raw materials for furniture-making due to denudation of the forests, however, several the manufacturers are able to procure their materials from other islands and from imports as well. Cebu has two major economic zones located in Mactan - the Mactan Export Processing Zone I and II (MEPZ I & MEPZ II). Besides furniture-making, Cebu is also fast becoming the IT capital of Southern Philippines. Many companies, either local or outsourced, are establishing their headquarters in Cebu. The city has become a site for various U.S. call centers and BPOs. The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an organization comprised of Cebu's businesses, are hedging the city's growth and economy on information and communications technology, with the aim of making it a premier ICT investment, software, and e-services hub in Southeast Asia.

Cebuano Brands

Like any other region, Cebu has its own original brands of products and services which brings pride to its people. In effect, these local grown business form what people call as "Cebuano Enterprise" and these include:
- Bo's Coffee Club- a home grown designer's coffee shop founded by local entrepreneur Steve Benitez. More commonly called as "Bo's", the coffee firm now has over 15 branches over the Philippines, including one in Makati City and one in Bohol. Although its brand is strong and its following is huge in Cebu, Bo's Coffee Club lost a significant share of the province's coffee market to Starbucks Coffee which has two coffee shops operating in Cebu City.
- Orange Brutus - reportedly a Cebuano imitation of the famous Orange Julius company, Orange Brutus is a fast food firm serving hamburgers, pork chops, cakes and juices. Operating since 1980, Orange Brutus is more known for its food than its orange juice despite its name.
- Thirsty Shakes - one of Cebu's more original businesses. Thirsty Shakes produces and sells fruit juices and shakes made from natural ingredients reflecting the tropical nature of Cebu as well as its richness in fruits.
- Burger Joint - a new alternative on hamburgers and French fries. Instead of imitating the more oily cooking of Jollibee and McDonald's, Burger Joint flame broils and grills its burgers.
- Jonie's Flavored Chicken- is a local restaurant chain imitating the more popular Kenny Rogers Roasters. Like its famous counterpart, it sells roasted chicken, ribs and assorted side dishes. Jonie's also offers three different kinds of sauces (oriental, barbeque and garlic) to complement its chicken. Recently the managers of the restaurant chain announced plans to expand its business beyond Cebu. Noteworthy however is that Jonie's lost a huge share of its customers in Cebu to Kenny Rogers Roasters, which now has one restaurant operating in the same province. It remains to be seen if Jonie's can actually survive from the onslaught of its famous rival, which they imitated in the first place.
- Julie's Bakeshop - a 100% pure Cebuano-owned chain of bakeshops and even fastfood cafeterias.

Mass media

Television

Cebu is largely dependent on Manila-based television and media networks for news and information on both regional and nationwide scopes. Despite its growing economy and population of over 3.5 million people, Cebu only has 2 local networks, Cebu Channel 28 and Real Cebu Television (RCTV), both of which can only run 1 channel each and are also limited to cable television. Despite the creative programming and strong promotions, most Cebuano televiewers (especially people living outside Metro Cebu) continue to miss out on the two local networks. Like the rest of the country, Cebu's TV market is dominated by the duopoly between GMA Network and ABS-CBN. While ABS-CBN has led GMA in the island for many years, recent surveys showed that GMA has signifcantly reduced ABS-CBN's share of the market. "Balitang Bisdak", GMA's Cebuano-language news program, is currently the number 1 news program in Cebu averaging more than 10 points better than the Cebuano version of "TV Patrol" (ABS-CBN) in the ratings. Cebu is the newest battleground for TV ratings between GMA Network and ABS-CBN. On May 1, 2005 both giant networks conducted its own "fans day" activities with concerts, autograph signing, free medical services, all-star appearances and more. GMA invested P40,000,000 for its week-long activities while ABS-CBN spent P30,000,000. It was estimated that during the May 1 activities, GMA attracted more people than ABS-CBN, 55,000 to 28,000.

Newspapers

While national newspapers have presence in the island, Cebu has three English-language local newspapers: The Freeman, Sun Star and Cebu Daily News. As of 2005, each of the local dailies sell for P10 a copy, which is much cheaper than their national counterparts. The Freeman is owned by the Gullas political clan while Sun Star is owned by the Garcia clan. Cebu Daily News on the other hand is controlled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the nation's leading newspaper.

Geography

Cebu is located between 9°25'N and 11°15'N latitude and between 123°13'E and 124°5'E longitude in the center of the Philippine archipelago. It is 365 miles south of Manila.

Political

Cebu is subdivided into 47 municipalities and 6 cities.

Cities

- Cebu City
- Danao City
- Lapu-Lapu City
- Mandaue City
- Talisay City
- Toledo City

Municipalities

- Alcantara
- Alcoy
- Alegría
- Aloguinsan
- Argao
- Asturias
- Badian
- Balamban
- Bantayan
- Barili
- Bogo
- Boljoon
- Borbon
- Carcar
- Carmen
- Catmon
- Compostela
- Consolación
- Cordoba
- Daanbantayan
- Dalaguete
- Dumanjug
- Ginatilan
- Liloan

- Madridejos
- Malabuyoc
- Medellin
- Minglanilla
- Moalboal
- Naga
- Oslob
- Pilar
- Pinamungahan
- Poro
- Ronda
- Samboan
- San Fernando
- San Francisco
- San Remigio
- Santa Fe
- Santander
- Sibonga
- Sogod
- Tabogon
- Tabuelan
- Tuburan
- Tudela

Physical

The main island of Cebu is a long, narrow slither of land flanked on both sides by Tañon Strait and the Strait of Cebu. To its southeastern tip is a small body of land that is Mactan Island. Cebu is comprised of hundreds of small islands, some of which are uninhabited which make them the targets of adventure-seeking tourists. Cebu is known for its narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains, all characteristics of a typical tropical island. However, Cebu also has predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu's steep mountains reach over 1,000 meters but there is actually a substantial lack of adequate forest cover. Flat tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Cebu, Medellin, and Daan Bantayan at the northern tip of the province.

Infrastructure

Cebu is continuing to develop its infrastructure to make travel more efficient as it continues to attract more investors and tourists, especially the Koreans. To date, Cebu's infrastructure is highlighted by the two steel bridges that connect Mactan Island with the main island. A 3rd Mactan-Cebu bridge as well as an underwater tunnel are both being discussed by local leaders citing the growing inconveniences related to the existing two steel bridges. Funding for the new projects however are out of reach.

South Reclamation Project

Cebu City on the other hand has the much-anticipated South Reclamation Project (SRP), a massive pile of reclaimed land estimated to be at around 300 hectares. Cebu City has plans to sell or lease land to potential investors and big businesses. Among the planned construction projects for the SRP is a modern sports complex (replacing the overused Cebu City Sports Center) and a hotel. Mall operators also expressed interest to build malls and pour their investments in the SRP. The SRP has a modern highway (called South Coastal Road) which connects Cebu City to Talisay City and due to its quality and isolation, the road cuts travel time between the two cities by as much as 50 minutes.

History

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cebu, then known as Zubu (or Sugbo in Visayan), was a thriving fishing village and a busy trading post, with trade routes to China, Siam, Arabia as well as the nearby Malay islan