Cebuano people

Cebuano people
Total population
	Official population are unknown.
Regions with significant populations
	Philippines (Central Visayas)
Languages
	Cebuano, English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, and other languages.
Religion
	Christianity (Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism), Islam, Paganism, and other religions.
Related ethnic groups
	Filipino people

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"Cebuano" redirects here. For the language that is spoken in Cebu, see Cebuano language.

Cebuano people are an ethnic group in Cebu, and form the largest group of the Visayan ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines.

[edit] Demography

The Cebuano language is spoken by about 20 million people in the country.^[1] Most speakers are found in the Central Visayas, and some parts of Mindanao region. Other languages spoken, includes English, Tagalog, Spanish, Chinese, and other languages. Cebuano people are an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) ethnic group, some individuals have Spanish, Chinese, and other foreign ancestries, as well as ancestries from other Philippine ethnolinguistic groups. Much of the Cebuano culture has been influenced by Spanish culture, and its indigenous tradition. The majority of its people are Christians, and there are also followers of Islam, Buddism, and Hinduism.

[edit] History

Taiwanese aborigines, and Negritos settled in the Philippines around 6,000 to 30,000 years ago. These people settled throughout the islands, and migrated into the Malay Archipelago, the Polynesian islands, and Madagascar. These mariners evolved into the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), and Australo-Melanesian ethnic group. They developed their culture, and ocean-sailing technology throughout South East Asia, and Oceania. The earliest Cebuanos were Islamic, and Animists tribal groups who worshiped their anito (god). Muslim traders from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Borneo established trade relations in the Philippines between the 13th, and 16th century. When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, Cebu were inhabited by Islamic tribes governed by chieftains called Datu, and Rajah. European colonization brought western culture to the islands, and it was adopted by the majority of the population.