PICTURESQUE CHOCOLATE HILLS OF PHILIPPINES
They really aren’t made of chocolate, but they do look so. It’s unbelievable that something such unique has been created by nature and not man-made. The Chocolate Hills are one of the most bizarre natural formations in Bohol, Philippines. These Chocolate Hills are spread out through three different towns of Bohol namely Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan.
They are called Chocolate Hills because of the brown grass that covers them during the dry season, which appears good enough to taste. For the rest of the seasons it is as green as the forest surrounding them. In a survey it was declared that there are about 1268 individual mounds also called as cone-shaped or dome-shaped hills ranging up to 1776 which spread over an area of about 50 square kilometers made of grass-covered limestone. The shapes of these chocolate hills are conical and almost uniform. The size of their domes varies from 30 to 50 m high and the largest among them is about 120m in height.
There are many theories with reference to the formation of these hills such as limestone weathering, sub-oceanic volcanism, the uplift of the seafloor and volcanic eruptions but the latest theory suggests that these hills were formed due to the tidal movement and the rise of the coral deposits from the sea due to a geological shift. There are also four legends regarding the formation of these hills and two among them are mostly talked about by the locals since generations. One story is that there were two rival giants who threw rocks, boulders and sand at each other for days. As they were exhausted, they forgot about their conflict and became friends leaving behind all the mess they made during the fight. The other story is a romantic legend about a giant named Arogo who was very young and powerful. He fell in love with a girl named Aloya who was a mortal. Aloya’s death caused the giant great pain and in this sorrow he couldn’t stop crying. After his tears dried up, it is said these hills were formed.
Due to its unique geological formation, it has found a place in the Philippine Tourism Authority’s list and was also announced the country’s 3rd National Geological Monument. It has also been forwarded for its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
