Caraga (Region XIII) Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
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Regions of the Philippines Philippines is an archipelagic country which is composed of approximately 7,109 islands with Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as the major islands. These islands are divided into 17 regions which are based on the geographical, cultural and ethnological characteristics of the country. These regions are: LUZON Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Ilocos Region (Region I) Cagayan Valley (Region II) Central Luzon (Region III) National Capital Region (NCR) CALABARZON (Region IV-A) MIMAROPA (Region IV-B) Bicol Region (Region V) VISAYAS Western Visayas (Region VI) Central Visayas (Region VII) Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) MINDANAO Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) Northern Mindanao (Region X) Davao Region (Region XI) SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) Caraga (Region XIII) Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) These regions, although separated from one another do not possess individual government authority except the ARMM which has exercised a separate sovereignty even before the Spanish came to colonise the country. ARMM is predominantly home to Muslim Filipinos which has its own elected regional assembly and is ruled by the Regional Governor. While ARMM nestles in the southern Philippines, CAR (originally called as Cordillera Autonomous Region) is located at the northern part of the country. CAR initially intended as an autonomous region was changed into an administrative region due to the failure of two referendums. This region vastly governs and protects the indigenous tribes mainly called as Igorots. Every region is divided into provinces which individually govern the local government units (districts, cities and towns) except the NCR. The National Capital Region which is mainly the Metropolitan Manila or Metro Manila is the smallest administrative region in the country and the only region without any provinces. It is instead, subdivided into 17 local government areas (cities and municipalities), which are grouped together into districts for administrative purposes. Caraga From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Caraga Region) Jump to: navigation, search This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) Region XIII Caraga ² Region ² Map of the Philippines showing the location of Region XIII Country Philippines Island group Mindanao Regional Butuan City center Area - Total 21,471 km2 (8,290 sq mi) Population (2007) - Total 2,293,480 2 - Density 106.8/km (276.7/sq mi) Time zone PST (UTC+8) Provinces 5 Cities 6 Municipalities 70 Barangays 1,310 Cong. 7 districts Surigaonon, Cebuano, Butuanon, Languages Manobo, others For the municipality in the province of Davao Oriental, see Caraga, Davao Oriental Caraga is an administrative region of the Philippines, on the northeastern portion of the island of Mindanao. It is the newest region in the Philippines, and is also called Region XIII. The Caraga Region was created through Republic Act No. 7901 on February 25, 1995. The region is composed of four (4) provinces: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur; three (3) cities: Butuan, Surigao, Bislig; seventy (74) municipalities and 1,346 barangays. Butuan City is the regional center. Contents [hide] y 1 History y 2 Political divisions o 2.1 Location and size o 2.2 Climate y 3 Land classification and major land uses y 4 Gross regional domestic product (GRDP) y 5 Demography o 5.1 Population o 5.2 Language o 5.3 Religion y 6 Cultural Groups y 7 Poverty y 8 Regional economy o 8.1 Caraga¶s GRDP: 2001-2003 o 8.2 Exports and investments y 9 Natural resources y 10 Major products y 11 Tourist attractions o 11.1 Surfing o 11.2 Island-hopping o 11.3 Mountain-biking o 11.4 Trekking o 11.5 Scuba diving o 11.6 Caving o 11.7 Bird-watching o 11.8 Events and festivals y 12 Facilities y 13 Social development o 13.1 Education and skills development o 13.2 Health and nutrition o 13.3 Social welfare services o 13.4 Housing y 14 Infrastructure-utilities development o 14.1 Roads and bridges o 14.2 Ports and airports o 14.3 Telecommunication facilities y 15 References y 16 See also [edit] History The history of Caraga can be traced back to the 15th century when explorers discovered the existence of "Kalagans", believed to be of Visayan Origin in one of the three districts in Mindanao. The word Caraga originated from the Visayan word Kalagan: kalag meaning soul or people, and a meaning land. The Kalagans have a long history of being brave and fearless. Thus, the region was called by early chroniclers as the "Land of the Brave and Fierce People". The "Kalagans", called "Caragans" by the Spaniards, occupied the district composed of the two provinces of Surigao, the northern part of Davao Oriental and eastern Misamis Oriental. The two Agusan Provinces were later organized under the administrative jurisdiction of Surigao and became the independent Agusan province in 1914. In 1960, Surigao was divided into Norte and Sur, and in June 1967, Agusan followed suit. While Butuan then was just a town of Agusan, the logging boom in the 1950s drew business to the area. On August 2, 1950, by virtue of Republic Act 523, the City Charter of Butuan was approved. It is reported that during the early years of the Caraga region, its inhabitants came from mainland Asia, followed by Malayans, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Americans. Migrants from the Visayan and Luzon provinces later settled in the area. Most of its inhabitants speak Cebuano and reside in the rural areas. [edit] Political divisions Caraga is subdivided into 4 provinces and Butuan City. Political map of Caraga Population Area Pop. density Province/City Capital (2007)[1] (km²) (per km²) Agusan del Norte Cabadbaran City 285,570 1,773.2 161.0 Agusan del Sur Prosperidad 559,294 8,966.0 62.4 Surigao del Norte Surigao City 481,416 1,936.9 175.8 Surigao del Sur Tandag City 501,808 4,552.2 110.2 ² Butuan City 298,378 (2007)307,942 (2009) 817.3 327.0 ¹ Butuan City is a highly urbanized city; figures are excluded from Agusan del Norte. [edit] Location and size Caraga Region, situated in the northeast section of Mindanao, is located between 8 00¶ to 10 30¶ N. latitude and 125 15¶ to 126 30¶ E. longitude. It is bounded on the north by the Bohol Sea; on the south by the provinces of Davao, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental of Region XI; on the west by Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental of Region X; and on the east by the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The region has a total land area of 18,846.97 km². This represents 6.3% of the country¶s total land area and 18.5% of the island of Mindanao. 47.6% of the total land area of the region belongs to the province of Agusan del Sur. Topography The region is characterized by mountainous areas, flat and rolling lands. Mountain ranges divide Agusan and Surigao Provinces and sub-ranges separate most of the lowlands along the Pacific Coast. The most productive agricultural area of the region lies along the Agusan River Basin. The famous Agusan Marsh also sits in the middle of Agusan del Sur. Among the lakes in the region, Lake Mainit is the widest. It traverses eight (8) municipalities: Alegria, Tubod, Mainit and Sison in the Province of Surigao del Norte and Tubay, Santiago, Jabango and Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte. [edit] Climate Caraga Region has Type II kind of climate, with no pronounced wet and dry season. It has been observed that during the months of November to February, occurrence of heavy rains is usually experienced in the region. [edit] Land classification and major land uses Of the total land area, 71.22% is forestland and 28.78% is alienable and disposable land. Major land uses include forestland comprising 31.36% and 23.98% of agricultural and open spaces. [edit] Gross regional domestic product (GRDP) The region performed fairly well in terms of regional output contributing 8.01% in 1998, 8.25% in 1999 and 8.29% in 2000 to the Mindanao GRDP. The region contributed 1.44% in 1998, 1.48% in 1999 and 1.50% in 2000, to the Philippine economy. In terms of growth rate, the region accelerated faster and outpaced the other regions in Mindanao from 1998 to 2000, except for the Southern Mindanao Region which posted a 6.06% increase in 1999-2000. Caraga Region recorded a 5.42% increase during the same period. GRDP in 2000 amounted to P14.336 Billion as against the 1999 performance of P13.599 Billion. The deceleration of the region¶s economy from 6.03% in 1999 to 5.42% in 2000 was attributed to the slowdown of the Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry (AFF) and Services sectors. The improved performance of the Industry sector, from 5.69% in 1999 to 6.69% in 2000, cushioned the effects of what could have been a slowdown of the region¶s economy. [edit] Demography [edit] Population Based on the final results of the 2000 census, the total population of the region was 2,095,367 which was 7.86% higher than the 1995 population of 1,942,687. The annual population growth rate over the last five years was pegged at a manageable 1.63%, one of the lowest in the country. Among the four (4) provinces, Agusan del Sur registered the largest population at 559,294, and Surigao del Norte the smallest at 481,416. In terms of growth rate, Surigao del Norte was the fastest growing province with an annual average growth rate of 1.84% over the last five (5) years, while Surigao del Sur was the slowest at 1.35% over the same period.