Description of the attraction
Mactan is a small island located a few kilometers from the east coast of Cebu, opposite the city of the same name. Mactan and Cebu are connected by the Marcelo Fernana and Mactan-Mandaue bridges. The island is part of the province of Cebu and consists of two large cities - Lapu Lapu City and Cordoba. It is on Mactan that Cebu International Airport is located, which is the second most important airport in the Philippines.
Prior to the Spanish colonization of Mactan in the 16th century, the island was dominated by Muslim communities. In 1521, the Portuguese navigator Fernand Magellan arrived here, who was involved in inter-tribal strife and was killed by the leader Lapu-Lapu. Later, at the site of Magellan's death, a 30-meter memorial to his name was erected.
In 1730, the Augustinian monks founded the city of Opon on Mactan, which in 1961 was renamed Lapu Lapu City in honor of the warlike leader revered by the Filipinos as a fighter for independence.
Today Mactan is a large industrial center - there are about 35 enterprises, many of which are considered among the most successful in the country. Interestingly, more than half of these businesses are Japanese-owned. Furniture, ukuleles and other musical instruments are produced here.
But, of course, tourism plays one of the leading roles in the economy of the island. First of all, Mactan is known as a resort with many beautiful beaches, historical sites and entertainment centers. The proximity to the island capital - the city of Cebu - has influenced the development of the local tourist infrastructure. The only oceanarium in the region of the Visayas is located here.
Since Mactan is a coral island, a variety of water sports are especially popular: diving, snorkeling, aquabike, windsurfing. Mactan and the neighboring island of Olango are separated by the Hilutangan canal up to 300 meters deep, which is perhaps the main "diving" attraction of the island. Other famous diving spots in Mactan include the coral reef at the Shangri La Mactan, the Vista Mar wall up to 40 meters deep, the sandy slope of Tambuli, at the bottom of which the remains of the plane rest, Whale Rock, the Kon-Tiki wall and the Marigondon underwater cave.
