DAVAO CITY - "From Highlands to the Islands"

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The City of Davao is known for a lot of things -- A Land of Promise, Most Peaceful City in East & Southeast Asia, and one of the Best 20 Cities in Asia. It is the Philippines' largest city in Mindanao and outside of Metro Manila. The tagline - "From Highlands to the Islands" is used by the Davao since the city is set against the backdrop of fertile valleys, rolling hills, lush foliage and sparkling beaches. It is known to abound with natural attractions in its countryside. Beautifully landscaped resorts, botanical gardens and weekend retreats attract not only locals but tourists as well who want to experience the natural wonders of Davao. The centre of trade tourism for the entire southern Philippines, Davao also boasts of a history of ethnic diversity, making it one of the most versatile destinations any visitor to the Philippines is likely to visit.

GEOGRAPHY 地理

The city has a land area of 2,443.61 square kilometres, 3 times as large as Metro Manila and 7 times as large as Metro Cebu. Almost 50% of its total land area is classified as timberland of forest. Davao City is approximately 588 miles (946 km) southeast of Manila, 971 kilometres (524 nmi) by sea.

CLIMATE 氣候

Davao City is typhoon-free due to its location outside the typhoon belt (達沃全年不受颱風影響地區). The city enjoys a weather that remains balmy through out the year. It is characterized by a uniform distribution of rainfall, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It has no pronounced dry or wet season. Weather predictability makes it highly conducive to agricultural production. Average temperature year-round ranges from 20 –32°C and average rainfall is up to 2,000 mm yearly. The weather is especially dry and hot from March to May. June to October is rainy. November to February is cool.

LANGUAGE 語言

Cebuano or visaya is the most widely spoken language in the city, while Tagalog comes a distant second. Bisaloglish, an informal mixing of the above languages, is spoken as well. English is the medium of instruction in schools and is widely understood and spoken especially in the business community and also for all official documents. Other dialects spoken include Chinese and Muslim.

POPULATION 人口

Davao City has a total population of 1,464,301 as of 2010 Philippine Census.

達沃有總人口1,464,301，資料於2010年人口普查。

RELIGION 宗教

The most dominant group is the Roman Catholic at 83.83%, other Christian groups comprise 15% such as Protestants, Evangelicals, Born Again Christians and the remaining 1.17% belongs to other non-Christian faiths (Islam).

最主要的群體是羅馬天主教為83.83％，其他的基督教團體佔15％，如基督教，福音，重生的基督徒，其餘的1.17％屬於其他非基督教信仰（伊斯蘭教）。

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 民族的文化

Davaoeños is an even mix of tribes, migrants from all over the Philippine archipelago and traders from all corners of the world. Some of these tribes include the ethnic Bagobo, Mandaya, Manobo, Tiboli, Mansaka and the B'laan tribes. The solemn rituals of the tribes, their rhythmic dance steps and chanting music, and the rich customs and traditions of migrants make up the Davao culture of today. Davao's position as the melting pot of Mindanao makes it one of the best destinations to view and better understand the cultural diversity of Southern Philippines.