The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. The coastal plains are intensely cultivated and densely populated. The island was important agriculturally, but overpopulation and soil depletion have virtually halted production. There are coal and copper deposits.
Fertilizer is made from local pyrite, and seaweed farming and processing is a growing industry.
With its excellent port, which handles both interisland and overseas shipping, it is the trade and manufacturing center of the Visayan Islands. The city has diverse light industry as well as some manufacturing. As a major Japanese base in World War II, it was largely destroyed by U.S. bombs. It has been rebuilt and today is a charming mixture of old and new, East and West. A Roman Catholic archdiocese, it has a bishop's palace, a cathedral, and a church with a jewel-encrusted gold statue of the Holy Child, said to have been given by Magellan.