Donsol

Donsol
Municipality
Seal
Nickname(s): The Butanding Capital of the Philippines
Map of Sorsogon showing the location of Donsol
Donsol Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°55′N 123°36′E / 12.92°N 123.6°E / 12.92; 123.6Coordinates: 12°55′N 123°36′E / 12.92°N 123.6°E / 12.92; 123.6
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol (Region V)
Province	Sorsogon
Legislative district	1st District of Sorsogon
Barangays	51
Government
• Mayor	Josephine Alcantara-Cruz
Area
• Total	156.20 km2 (60.31 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	47,563
• Density	300/km2 (790/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Donsolanon
Time zone	PHI (UTC+8)
ZIP code	4715
IDD : area code	56
Income class	3rd class

Donsol is a third class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines, located at the south of Luzon island. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 47,563 inhabitants.

Donsol is politically subdivided into 51 barangays.

Majority of the population speak Eastern Miraya, an Albay Bikol language of Inland Bikol group of languages. The language is also spoken in four towns of Albay and some parts of Pilar and Castilla, Sorsogon. It is mutually intelligible with Western Miraya. People of Donsol can also speak and understand Tagalog or Filipino, the national language, and English.

Since the majority or the people adhere to Catholicism, each barangay has a patron saint and fiestas are held annually. Iglesia ni Cristo is the second largest religion of the population and has several local congregations in the municipality.

Swimming with whale sharks, locally known as butanding, was featured as the Best Animal Encounter in Asia by Time magazine in 2004. Whale sharks can be seen between November and June, with presence peaking between February and May.

The presence of whale sharks in the town of Donsol was known to the local residents over 100 years. But the locals believed these gentle giants were dangerous. This wrong notion changed when in December 26, 1997, a group of scuba divers led by Romir Aglugub – a PADI diving instructor, discovered its presence, and interacted and came in contact with the whale sharks. Even the members of the diving group of Romir was having second thought if the fish is docile, until the instructor led the way into the water and came in contact with the whale shark. Copy of video footage taken by the group was passed on to the media and the WWF-Philippines. By March 1998, Donsol became world-class tourist destination and now known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World”.

Interaction with the whale sharks is regulated by the local Department of Tourism (DOT) office. WWF guidelines are generally observed to protect the sharks. Rules include limiting the number of swimmers per boat to six, no scuba divers and staying further than three meters from the sharks.

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Wikipedia