Cebu City lies at the centre of the eastern coast of Cebu island. It has over 800000 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area including it has 2.5 million inhabitants and is the second most populous metropolitan area in the Philippines after the Manila one. Cebu City is a major economic and cultural centre in the Philippines. It was established in 1200 and became a Spanish colony in 1565. From a tourist perspective the city is unremarkable, but it is relatively pleasant and easy to explore.