Cebuano

"Cebuano" comes from the root word "Cebu," the Spanish

version of the original name "Sugbo,"
which most probably comes from the verb "sugbo,"

meaning "to walk in the water." In the old days, the shores of the Cebu port were shallow, so travellers coming from

the sea had to wade in the water to get to dry land. The

term is suffixed with "-hanon" to refer to the language,

culture, and inhabitants of Cebu; hence "Sugbuhanon" or "Sugbuanon." The Spaniards later modified
Sugbuhanon to "Cebuano" and the early Americans to

 "Cebuan." Today Cebuano may also refer to the speaker

of the language no matter where he comes from.

The Cebuano are also called "Bisaya," although this is a

generic term applying not only to the Cebuano but to other ethnic language groups in the Visayas. The etymology of "Bisaya" is uncertain although it is probably linked either to the word meaning "slaves," for the region was either target or staging area for slave-raiding forays in precolonial and

early colonial times, or to the word meaning "beautiful"

which was what a Bornean sultan declared upon seeing the islands according to a popular tale.

Bohol and Leyte, and in the west and southwest by Negros across Tanon Strait. Cebu is located in the geographical

center of the archipelago. This region-with 4 provinces, 9

cities, 123 municipalities, and almost 3,000 barangays-has a combined population of 4.6 million. The cultural reach of

 the Cebuano, however, extends beyond Central Visayas. Due to factors like a dense population and a lack of arable land, Cebu and Central Visayas are an important source area for population emigration. It is for this reason that the

Cebuano have also come to constitute a significant part of

 the populations in other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. Moreover, the role of Metro Cebu, the country's second

largest urban concentration, as southern center of

education, media and transportation, enables Cebu to

exercise cultural influence beyond provincial or regional

boundaries.