The City of Surigao (Filipino: Lungsod ng Surigao; Surigaonon: Siyudad nan

Surigao;Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Surigao), is located at the north-easternmost tip ofMindanao in

the Philippines and the capital of the province of Surigao del Norte. It has a total land area of
245.34 km2 which is roughly 1.4% of Caragaregion. According to the 2015 census, it has a
population of 154,137 with an annual growth rate of 1.77% over the period 2010-2015.
The absence of a fort in Surigao belies its significance and sphere of influence during the Spanish
period. It was the capital of the expansive province of the same name from 1750 until its dissolution
in 1911, covering a third of Mindanao Island's total land area. It is one of the oldest port towns in
Mindanao, founded by Spanish colonizers in 1655. It has abundant mineral reserves including gold,
iron, manganese, silica, cobalt, copper, chromite and among the world's largest nickel deposits in
Nonoc Island. The Asian Institute of Management ranks the city as among the most competitive
small-sized cities in the Philippines, with an estimated total income of 600 million pesos in 2012.The
city serves as a jump off point to visitors of nearby Siargao, Dinagat andBucas Grande islands. It
is Mindanao's closest landmass to the Visayasregion. Eleven nautical miles across Surigao
Strait separates the city fromPanaon Island in the Visayas. Surigao is the center of politics,
commerce, banking, industry and education of Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands as well as
parts of neighboring provinces of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norteand Southern Leyte.
History:
The site around Surigao was settled early on, even before the Spanish conquest. Fishing villages
dotted along the coast facing the Hinituan Passage while Mamanwa tribes inhabited the interior
highlands. The confluence of three major bodies of water-Pacific Ocean, Surigao
Strait and Mindanao Sea, kept the area inhabited continuously for many centuries, although its
historical importance waxed and waned as other parts of the archipelago were explored and
developed. Nearby archeological digs attest early influences by Chinese, Hindu and Moro traders. At
which time, it had been a territory ruled under the Rajahnate of Butuan.
Spanish Era
Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the Philippine Archipelago, reaching the island ofHomonhon in an
epic voyage of discovery and eventual circumnavigation of the world in 1521. Magellan's fleet
proceeded to Limasawa through Surigao Strait, a notch north-west of the city's pelagic boundaries,
before dropping anchor on the waters off the island of Cebu, ushering the Spanish colonization of
the Philippines.
Present day Surigao originated from a site in the city proper formerly known asBilang-Bilang where
it served as a port of call for inter-island vessels. It was renamed Banahao which became an integral
part of the old district of Caraga, a town founded on June 29, 1655. After Caolo, present day
Siargao, burned in 1750, Surigao became the capital of the expansive geopolitical, eclessiastical and
military district of Surigao which reached the fringes of Davao and would include today's provinces
of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, parts of Compostela Valley, Misamis
Oriental, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. It officially became the permanent residence of
the Augustinian Recollects on February 1, 1752 when all the canonical books were moved from
Caolo to Surigao. The first canonical books bore the signature of Fr. Lucas de la Cruz. Previously, the
place was just a "vista" of the parish in Caolo. Its strategic location and new status as the seat of
government was costly. Surigao witnessed violent territorial struggles as it suffered ultimately from
relentless Moro raids. In 1752, the town was devastated. Most of its 2,000 inhabitants were either
killed or taken as slaves by the Moros.