BOHOL

island, Visayan group, south-central Philippines. Roughly oval in shape, the island has an area of 1,492 square miles (3,865 square km) and lies between the Camotes Sea (north) and the Bohol Sea (south). Its volcanic core is mostly covered with coralline limestone. The rivers are short, and there are few good anchorages. Settlement is mainly coastal, except for a low central plateau that encircles the town of Carmen. The spectacular chocolate hills, or haycock hills, in west-central Bohol are named for their brown appearance in the dry season and their symmetrical, conical shapes. They are limestone remnants of an earlier erosion cycle, a phenomenon known to be present in only two or three other places in the world. The area has been developed for tourists. Bohol's character is essentially rural. Rice, corn (maize), and coconuts are the principal crops. A secondary livestock industry is centred at Ubay, on rougher terrain near the east coast. Extensive, low-grade deposits of manganese are mined in the southeast. Loon and Talibon are important towns. Pop. (1990 est.) 881,051.