John Willy M.

Diola Places and Landscape in a Changing World

THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

SURIGAO DEL SUR
Location
Location
ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE LOCATION
Surigao del Sur is located along the northeastern coast of

125°40' to 126°20'
Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea between

east longitudes and 7°55' and 9°20' north latitudes. It is

bounded on the northwest by the province of Surigao del Norte,

on the southeast by Davao Oriental, on the west and southwest

by Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.

Situated west is the Diwata Mountain Range, isolating the

province from the rest of Mindanao. To the east lies the

Philippine Sea. The Mindanao Deep, one of the deepest

trenches in the world, is situated a few kilometers east of the

coastline.

Place
Place
PHYSICAL AND HUMAN CHARTERISTICS
The province has a total land area of 523,050 hectares. It

is elongated in shape extending from the northeastern part of

Carrascal to the southernmost Municipality of Lingig. It is

approximately 300 kilometers in length and 50 kilometers in its

widest stretch which runs from Cagwait to San Miguel.

Municipality of San Miguel has the biggest land area while

Municipality of Bayabas has the smallest land area. The

Northeastern part of the Province was facing the Pacific Ocean.

The province climate, falls under Type II climate of the

Philippines, characterized by rainfall distributed throughout the

year, although there is a distinct rainy season which begins from

the month of November and ends in March.

Spoken languages
Population (2015 census)
Surigaonon
• Total 592,250
Kamayo
• Rank 49th out of 81
Cebuano
• Density 120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Tagalog
• Density rank 66th out of 81
English

Human Environment
Human Environment Interaction
Interaction
SHAPING THE LANDSCAPE
Since most of the cities were facing the Pacific Ocean, people were mainly affected by

numerous typhoons every year. However, the Province acquires marine and aquaculture

abundance, being a primary livelihood of the inhabitants as Surigao del Sur is well known for

producing seafood and sea by-products. Also, Surigao del Sur is one of the suppliers of rice,

bananas, and other tropical fruits. Copper, chromite, and silver are also found here.

There are small and large-scale mining activities in the Province. Corporations operating on

a large scale are the Marc Ventures Mining Development Corporation at Carrascal and

Cantilan, within the Diwata Mountain Range. The CTP Construction and Mining Corporation,

also in Carrascal, focuses on gold and nickel mining, and also the Carac-an Development

Corporation. Small-scale mining activities are found in the municipalities of Barobo, Carmen,

and San Miguel.

John Willy M. Diola Places and Landscape in a Changing World

THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

SURIGAO DEL SUR
Movement
Movement
HUMANS INTERACTING ON EARTH

Surigao del Sur is very accessible when it comes to

transportation. The province has two Airports, located in the

city of Tandag and Bislig. Sea Ports are also found in different

cities and municipalities along the coast used as transportation

across the province and up until Cebu City, Fish Ports, and

Mining Company Ports. The road was also well cemented which

become more accessible to travel across nearby provinces and

regions.

Aside from transportation , communication in the Province

has improved. There are various local radio stations, three local

tv stations, one local internet provider company (morning star

cable), a Smart and Globe company, and one news publishing

company located in Tandag City, the capital of Surigao del Sur.

Region
Region
HOW THEY FORM AND CAHNGE

Surigao del Sur's people were mainly Catholic that belongs

to the Diocese of Tandag City, headed by Bishop Raul Dael.

People celebrate fiestas and festivals; however, it varies with the

Patron Saint's (San Nicolas de Tolentino were celebrated every

10th of September) and Festivals (Kaliguan Festival in

Municipality of Cagwait and Sangkaan Festival in Tandag City).

Surigao del Sur has various language; however, people

from the Municipality of Carascal down to Tandag City speaks in

Surigaonon. Meanwhile, people from the Municipality of Tago

down to the Municipality of Lianga speak in Kamayo. Lastly,

people from the Municipality of Barobo down to the Municipality

of Lingig speak Cebuano. Tagalog and English were the

secondary languages of the people. However, despite the

different languages we spoke every day, we were able to

understand each other.

Lastly, the Province of Surigao del Sur was divided into two

districts. The first district was headed by congressman Prospero

A. Pichay Jr. and had Tandag City as a component city. On the

other hand, the second district was headed by Congressman

Johnny T. Pimentel and had Bislig City as a component city.