The Chocolate Hills
On a Philippine island, more than a thousand almost identical round hills rise from the plain. In the dry season, they turn brown.
What was reported
In the middle of the island of Bohol, more than 1,200 smooth, dome-shaped hills, most 30 to 50 metres high, are scattered across the landscape. They are covered in grass that turns brown in the dry season, giving them their name.
Local legends say they were formed by two giants who threw rocks and sand at each other, or by the tears of a giant mourning a lost love.
Explanations offered
Geologists explain that they are made of marine limestone, formed from old coral reefs that were lifted up and then worn into rounded shapes by rain and erosion over millions of years. Exactly why they are so regular is still discussed. They are a national geological monument.
- When
- Formed over millions of years
- Where
- Bohol, Philippines
- Witnesses
- Islanders and visitors
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.