Bukidnon

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:28:33 +0100

Bukidnon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Province of Bukidnon
Provincial seal of Bukidnon
Map of the Philippines with Bukidnon highlighted
Region	Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Capital	Malaybalay City
Divisions
- Independent cities	0
- Component cities	2
- Municipalities	20
- Barangays	464
- Congressional districts	1st to 3rd districts of Bukidnon
Population
- Total (2007)	1,190,284 (21st out of 80) including independent cities: 1,190,284 (25th out of 80)
- Density	113.4/km² (63rd out of 80) including independent cities: 113.4/km² (63rd out of 80)
Area
- Total	10,498.6 km² (4th out of 80) including independent cities: 10,498.6 km² (4th out of 80)
Founded	March 10, 1917
Spoken languages	Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Binukid
Governor	Jose Maria R. Zubiri (Lakas-CMD/Team Unity)

Bukidnon (English pronunciation: /buːˈkɪdnɒn/; Cebuano: Probinsiya sa Bukidnon; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Bukidnon) is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Malaybalay City. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte.

Bukidnon is considered by Filipinos to be the food basket of Mindanao. It is the major producer of rice and corn in the region. Plantations in the province also produce pineapples, bananas and sugarcane.

There are no seaports in the province, although there is an airport in Malaybalay City. The airport is currently closed. To get to Bukidnon, one must travel by land from Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental Province.

History

Political History

Bukidnon became a part of Misamis in the latter part of 1850. The whole area was then called Malaybalay (few houses) and the people were known as Bukidnons (mountain people). The Philippine Commission, then headed by Commissioner Dean C. Worcester, Secretary of Interior, proposed the separation of Bukidnon from Misamis Province. On August 20, 1907, the Philippine Commission Act No. 1693 was enacted the Province of Agusan and sub- province of Bukidnon. Bukidnon became a regular province on March 10, 1917 by virtue of the creation of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu under Act 2711. In 1942, the Japanese troops entered Bukidnon. In 1945, the province was liberated from Japanese occupation by Filipino and American troops with the aid of Bukidnon-based Filipino guerrillas during the Second World War.

Bukidnon Provincial Capitol, Malaybalay City

One of the "tulugan" at Kaamulan Park, Malaybalay City

Cultural history

According to oral history of the indigenous people of Bukidnon, there were four main tribes in Central Mindanao: the Maranao who dwell in Lanao del Sur, and the Maguindanao, Manobo and Talaandig who respectively inhabit the eastern, southern, and north-central portions of the original province of Cotabato. When the civil government divided central Mindanao into provinces at the turn of the 20th century, the groups included in the province of Bukidnon are the Talaandig and the Manobo. The Bisayans, Cebuano, Boholanos and Ilonggos migrated into the province followed by various groups from Luzon, namely, the Ilocanos, Batangueños, the Igorots and the Ivatans. All contributed massive acculturation among the indigenous tribes. Most of those who moved to the mountains and forest continued to hold on their ancestors’ cultural heritage. The wide variety of Filipino groups now thrives in the province and contributed immensely in the socio-economic development.

Geography

Location

Bukidnon is a landlocked plateau in North Central Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City; on the south by North Cotabato, Davao del Sur and Davao City; on the east by Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte; and west by Lanao del Sur. It lies between parallels 7°25' and 8°38' North latitude and meridians 124°03' and 125°16' East longitude. Malaybalay City, the capital town, is about 850 kilometers by air from Manila and 91 kilometers by road from Cagayan de Oro City.

It has two important landmarks, Mt. Kitanglad and Pulangi River. Mt. Kitanglad is 2,955 meters above sea level. Pulangi River, on the other hand, traverses through the northeastern and southern part of the province towards the Rio Grande of Mindanao.

Land Area

The province's total land area is 829,378 hectares (8, 293.78 square kilometers). It accounts for 59 percent (59%) of Northern Mindanao. Thirty-eight percent (38%) is alienable and disposable. The rest is classified timberland.

It also accounts for 80 percent (80%) or 34 million metric tons of the region’s nonmetallic mineral deposits which include high grade white and red clay, gold, chromite, copper, serpentine, manganese, quartz and limestone deposits can also be found in the province.

Topography

Bukidnon is generally characterized as an extensive plateau but the southern and eastern boundaries are mountainous area. The province's average elevation is 915 meters above sea level. The slope gradient peaks at 2, 938 meters with Mt. Kitanglad, an extinct volcano occupying the central portion. Two other mountain bodies are found in its southern portion, Mt. Kalatungan and Mt. Tangkulan, which rise to 2, 287 meters and 1, 678 meters, respectively. Gently rolling grassland plateau cut deep and wide canyons of the Cagayan, Pulangi, and Tagoloan Rivers and their tributaries which cover a greater part of the province. The whole eastern and southern border adjoining the provinces of Agusan, Davao, and Cotabato are covered by lofty and densely forested mountains of the Pantaron Mountain Range (Central Cordillera).

The Bukidnon plateau is mainly of volcanic zone consisting of pyroclastic, basaltic and andesitic cones.

The Central Cordillera is a mountain range of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. About 49% of the land resource of the province is of rugged hills and mountains and 33% of undulating to rolling terrain. The rest of the province is composed of nearly level terraces, alluvial lowland, canyons and gorges. The volcanic terraces and volcanic foot slopes that are ≥500 meters above sea level are estimated to be about 221, 600 hectares.

At Mailag, 23 kilometers south of Malaybalay City, the plateau begins to descend and gradually merges into the lowlands of Cotabato province.

Climate

Two types of climate prevail between the northern and southern sections of Bukidnon, The northern part is classified as belonging to Type III, that is, there is no pronounced rain period but relatively dry during the months of November to May. In the southern portion of the province, the climate is classified as Type IV with no dry season. The driest area is Baungon, while the wettest is the Calabugao plain. The climate is relatively cool and humid throughout the year.

The average annual rainfall is 2, 800 millimeters (112.5 inches). Just like in other parts of the country, rainfall is more pronounced from June to October compared to other months of the year. February to April are the drier months.

Temperature ranges vary with elevation. In areas lower than 500 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.), the recorded temperature range is between 20°C to 34°C. Areas with elevations greater than 500 m.a.s.l. would have temperatures ranging from 18°C to 28°C.

Relative humidity also varies with elevation, with those above 500 meters having relative humidity of about 80%, while areas lying below 500 meters, 65-7 percent. Thus, the Malaybalay-Impasug-ong area and those around the volcanic cones approximate semi-temperate conditions and can support the cultivation of highland tropical crops.

Based on the records of climatological stations within and near the province, lithology and land form, three (3) agro-ecological zones are identified. One covers the mountainous eastern side (Central Cordillera) which is generally wet, with rainfall of about 2, 340 mm to 4, 000 mm per annum. Another covers the high altitude volcanic plains, the Malaybalay-Impasug-ong area and the footslopes of Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan. These areas have an annual rainfall in the range of 2, 490 mm to 3, 680 mm. The third zone covers the south-central and the north-western parts of the province, with elevations of less than 500 meters, relatively dry with mean annual rainfall in the range of 1, 700 mm to 2, 600 mm.

Bodies of Water

A waterfall found within the boundaries of the Kalatungan Mountain Range

Bukidnon is known as the watershed of Mindanao. It is endowed with six major river systems namely: Pulangi, Tagoloan, Cagayan, Manupali, Muleta, and Bobonawan Rivers. These rivers carved the landscape of the province creating numerous canyons.

The Pulangi River, considered the longest river in the province, is a tributary of the Rio Grande of Mindanao. Its headwaters are found in the mountains of Kalabugao, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon. It is the largest as well as the longest river found in the province. It covers the following cities and municipalities of the province: Impasug-ong, Malaybalay City, Cabanglasan, San Fernando, Valencia City, Maramag, Quezon, Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Dangcagan, Kibawe and Damulog.

The Tagoloan River has its headwaters in the mountains of Can-ayan, Malaybalay City. It traverses the province northwestward passing through Malaybalay City, Impasug-ong, Sumilao, Manolo Fortich, Malitbog and finally empties into the sea at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

The Cagayan River watershed is found mostly in the municipality of Talakag. Its headwaters are found in the Kitanglad Mountain Range in central Bukidnon. The river flows northward through the municipalities of Talakag and Baungon. Its mouth lies at Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, where it is the main source of potable water.

The Manupali River, a major tributary of the Pulangi River, start in the mountains of Lantapan, Bukidnon, picking up tributaries along the way from the Kalatungan and Kitanglad Mountain Ranges. It forms part of the natural boundary of the Valencia City and Lantapan. It flows eastward towards Malaybalay City, eventually joining the Pulangi River in Valencia City.

The Muleta River is found in the southern portion of the province covering the municipalities of Pangantucan, Don Carlos, Kitaotao, Dangcagan, Kibawe, Kadingilan and Damulog. It is another important tributary of the Pulangi River and flows southward. It will join the Pulangi River in the boundary of Bukidnon and Cotabato province.

The Bobonawan River, found in the municipality of Cabanglasan, is another tributary of the Pulangi River. It covers most of the parts of the municipality, flowing southward towards Pulangi River.

Aside from the relatively important river systems, various lakes also dot the landscape of the province. Pinamaloy Lake, in Don Carlos, Bukidnon, is the biggest in the province covering about 50 hectares. It was named after Barangay Pinamaloy, the place where the lake is located. Another lake is found in Pigtauranan, Pangantucan called the Napalit Lake. The lake covers an area of 36 hectares and is one of the tourist spots in Pangantucan, Bukidnon. There are 24 floating islets in the lake. The third significant inland body of water in the province is Apo Lake at Guinoyoran, Valencia City. It occupies an approximate area of 25 hectares. A man-made lake called Maramag Basin is found in Maramag, Bukidnon, which was the result of the construction of the Pulangi IV Hydroelectric Dam of the National Power Corporation (NPC) in the course of the Pulangi River.

Demographics

Age Distribution of Bukidnon's Population by Sex (2000)

Based on the National Statistics Office (NSO) Census last 2000, Bukidnon has a total population of 1,060,415. Males slightly edge the females with 546,234, accounting for about 52% of the province’s total population while females, with 514,181, account about 48%. It is expected that by 2010, the province of Bukidnon will have a total population of 1,344,301.

Based on age distribution, Bukidnon has a fairly young population, with ages 14 and below accounting 42.15% or 446, 952. The 15-34 age bracket account for 33.68% of the province’s population or 357,112. Ages 55 and above barely accounts 6.5% of the total.

The average population growth rate of the province is 2.41% from 1995–2000. Male-to-female ratio in the province stood at 1.06.

Population Density

The average population density for the province is 128 persons per square kilometer. The cities/municipalities with the highest population densities are the following: Don Carlos (353/km²), Kitaotao (250/km²), Valencia City (244/km²), Maramag (213/km²) and Quezon (202/km²). The cities/municipalities with the lowest densities, on the other hand are: Impasug-ong (29/km²), Talakag (58/km²), San Fernando (63/km²), Malitbog (75/km²) and Damulog (83/km²).

Bukidnon's Population by Congressional District (2000)

Population by Congressional Districts

By Congressional Districts, District II has the highest population among the three capturing almost 40% of the total population of the province. District II includes the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia. It is closely followed by District III with almost 33% of the total population. District I, although closer to the regional urban center of Cagayan de Oro City, has the least population with 28%.

Valencia City has the highest population among the cities/municipalities of the province with 147, 924 inhabitants, accounting 13.96% of the province’s total. It is closely followed by Malaybalay City with 123, 672 inhabitants or 11.67% of the total. Quezon is at third with 82, 567 inhabitants or 7.79% of the total. Maramag and Manolo Fortich are 4th and 5th with 74, 757 and 74, 252 inhabitants, respectively.

Bukidnon's Population by Ethnic Origin (2000)

Ethnicity

According to ethnicity, majority of the people in Bukidnon are Cebuano accounting approximately 58% of the total population. The Bukidnon lumads (Bukidnon, Higaonon, Manobo, Talaandig, etc.) account about 14% of the total population of the province. The Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and Boholano groups follow with 8.83% and 7.37%, respectively, of the province’s total population.

Languages Spoken

The major language spoken in the province is Cebuano, used by 77.92% of the total households in the province. It is followed by Binukid (Bukidnon) with 8.86%, and Hiligaynon/Ilonggo with 8.17%. Ilocano, Tagalog, Maranao, Waray, Ivatan, Tausug and Pampango are also spoken but at low percentage.

English is the medium of instruction in most schools in the province.

Education

11 Universities and Colleges of Bukidnon

The following Universities and Colleges of Bukidnon are the tertiary schools in Bukidnon.

Valencia Colleges (Bukidnon), Inc.

School	Location
Bukidnon State University	Malaybalay City
Central Mindanao University	Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon
San Isidro College	Impalambong, Malaybalay City
Mountain View College	MVC Complex, Mt. Nebo, Valencia City
Valencia Colleges (Bukidnon), Inc.	Valencia City
San Agustin Institute of Technology	Valencia City
Mindanao Arts and Technological Institute	Barangay 9, Malaybalay City
Philippine Computer College	Maramag, Bukidnon
Philippine College Foundation	Valencia City, Bukidnon
STI Learning Center	Malaybalay City and Valencia City
AMA Computer Learning Center	Hagkol, Valencia City

People and Culture

The traditional culture of Bukidnon is a pride to all. The cultures and traditions are embodied in oral folk literature of the province which are classified into; “Antoka” (riddles), “Basahan” (proverbs or wise sayings), “Kaliga” (ceremonial songs), “Limbay” (lyric poem), “Sala” (love song), “Idangdang” (ballad), “Ulaging” (epic) and “Nanangon” (folktales). Religion is monotheistic. They believe in one God. “Magbabaya” (the ruler of all) has minor gods and goddesses under his command (Example: “Bulalakaw” watches rivers and lakes, “Tumpas Nanapiyaw” or “Itumbangol” watches the bases of the earth night and day lost in crumbles).

The Bukidnons have different degrees of acculturation. The first-degree Bukidnons are those leading the most traditional life style. This includes those who lived remote from any center of lowland habitation, deep in the forest and along the watershed of the main rivers. The second-degree Bukidnons lived near the fringes and directly within the bounds of the lowlanders. The third-degree Bukidnons are highly assimilated and are generally able to send their children off to school. The fourth degree Bukidnons have fully assimilated the ways of urban living and hardly acknowledge the old ways of their background. The fifth degree Bukidnons are largely recent immigrants from their other parts of the Philippine archipelago and have made Bukidnon as their permanent home.

Festivals

Main article: Kaamulan Festival

The province celebrated the Kaamulan Festival, an ethnic cultural festival held annually in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon from the mid-February up to March 10, the founding date of the Bukidnon as a province in 1917. It is held to celebrate the culture and tradition of the seven ethnic tribal groups—Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Tigwahanon and Umayamnon—that originally inhabit the province. Kaamulan comes from the Binukid word “amul” meaning to gather. Kaamulan is gathering for a purpose—a datuship ritual, a wedding ceremony, a thanksgiving festival during harvest time, a peace pact, or all of these together. The festival started in 1974 and is celebrated until now.

Economy

Bukidnon is an agricultural economy. it is a major producer of rice, maize, sugar, coffee, rubber, pineapple, tomato, flowers, cassava, and other fruits and vegetables. It is also a major producer of chickens, hogs and cattle. Almost all large firms operating in the province are into production or processing of these agricultural products.

Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI), Lapanday Diversified Products Corp. and Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Development Corporation are engaged in pineapple production. Dole Philippines (Skyland) and Mt. Kitanglad Agri-Ventures, Inc. are into banana production. DMPI is also engaged in cattle fattening. Bukidnon Sugar Milling Corporation (BUSCO) and Crystal Sugar Milling are into sugar milling and refining.

Phil-Agro Industrial Corporation is in starch production. Menzi Agricultural Development is in cacao production. Agaropyta Phils. Inc., Bukidnon Greens Inc., FP Obrero Farms and ARDEM, Inc. are in cutflower production.

Food manufacturing giants, San Miguel Foods Corp. (SMFI_PFC), Monterey Farms Corp., Swift Foods, Inc. have intensified their contract breeding and growing operations in the province. Valencia Rubbertex, Inc., an 80-20 Japanese-Filipino joint venture produces rubber boots and rubber shoes for Japan.

As one of the major anchors in crop production, Bukidnon is moving forward towards establishing its position as a principal trader of rice, corn, sugar, potato, tomato and many other commercial and industrial crops. As the second largest producer of corn in the country, it reached a total production of 481,370 Mt. In year 2000, vast tracks of cornfields, rice paddles and sugar plantations are distributed all over the province.

Bukidnon has already assumed its role as producer and supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables. These produce are either sold in domestic markets or exported to Japan and other neighboring countries. Fresh pineapples, banana, sugarcane and cutflower grown over the years are among its exports. New agri-business industries are still growing. Even export of rubber boots and shoes, an infant industry in the province is increasing tremendously.

A wide variety of resource-based handicrafts is extensively produced from rattan, bamboo and wood. San Fernando is known for its rattan furniture. Bamboo baskets, wood wares and carvings, mats and other handmade products are ideal souvenir items.

Bukidnon Investment Grid (BIG)

During the mid-90's, the provincial government of Bukidnon, after careful studies and consultation, has adopted a strategic program called the Bukidnon Investment Grid or BIG. This program is aimed to confine all its investment promotion activities and projects to the strip of land three kilometers from both sides of the Sayre Highway from Damulog to Manolo Fortich, and along the national/provincial road from Kibawe to Kadingilan; Don Carlos to Kadingilan; Maramag to Quezon; Maramag to Kadingilan; Kadingilan to Pangantucan; Valencia City to San Fernando; Malaybalay City to Cabanglasan; Malaybalay to Lantapan; Manolo Fortich to Libona; Libona to Cagayan de Oro; Talakag to Pangantucan; and Malitbog to Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental.

Politics and Administration

The province of Bukidnon is subdivided into 20 municipalities and 2 cities.

City/Municipality

Date of Creation

Area (km²)

Population (2007)^[1]

Pop. Density (per km²)

Income Classification (DOF)

Baungon

July 1, 1956

175.86

29,757

152

4th Class Municipality

Cabanglasan

August 13, 1979

209.00

32,817

154

4th Class Municipality

Damulog

August 16, 1971

245.66

21,183

4th Class Municipality

Dangcagan

August 29, 1961

115.15

21,254

164

5th Class Municipality

Don Carlos

June 18, 1966

157.02

60,870

353

2nd Class Municipality

Impasug-ong

Sept. 1, 1914

1,071.67

39,315

2nd Class Municipality

Kadingilan

August 16, 1971

172.06

30,135

150

4th Class Municipality

Kalilangan

June 18, 1966

153.59

36,557

199

4th Class Municipality

Kibawe

July 1, 1956

214.35

35,213

154

4th Class Municipality

Kitaotao

June 18, 1966

150.74

42,212

250

2nd Class Municipality

Lantapan

June 18, 1966

240.76

51,406

176

3rd Class Municipality

Libona

July 1, 1956

244.95

35,670

136

3rd Class Municipality

Malaybalay City

March 23, 1998

984.38

144,065

126

3rd Class Component City

Malitbog

June 25,1963

260.53

21,948

4th Class Municipality

Manolo Fortich

June 21, 1957

506.64

82,051

146

1st Class Municipality

Maramag

July 1, 1956

351.72

85,647

214

1st Class Municipality

Pangantucan

June 25, 1963

343.34

46,689

Malaybalay City

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:25:50 +0100

Malaybalay City

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City of Malaybalay
Dakbayan sa Malaybalay

Seal

Nickname(s): South Summer Capital of the Philippines; City in the Forest

Map of Bukidnon showing the location of Malaybalay City

Country

Philippines

Region

Region X

Province

Bukidnon

Districts

Incorporated (town)

Incorporated (city)

Government

- Mayor

Florencio T. Flores, Jr.

- Vice Mayor

Ignacio W. Zubiri

Area

- Total

984.38 km² (380.07 sq mi)

Elevation ^[1]

622 m (2, 040.68 ft)

Population (2007)

- Total

144, 065

- Density

146/km² (379/sq mi)

Time zone

PST (UTC+8)

ZIP code

8700

Area code(s)

Malaybalay City (Filipino: Lungsod ng Malaybalay; Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Malaybalay), dubbed as the "South Summer Capital of the Philippines" and "City in the Forest", is a first class component city^[2] and the capital and administrative center of the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. The city is bordered north by Impasug-ong; west by Lantapan; south by Valencia City and San Fernando; and east by Cabanglasan and Agusan del Sur. According to the 2007 Census of Population by the National Statistics Office (NSO) the city is inhabited by 144, 065 residents.^[3]

When Spanish explorers came to the central portion of the province in the late 18th century, they inquired as to the name of the town. The people replied in Visayan "walay balay", which means "no house" in Visaya. The Spaniards mispronounced the name and repeated it as "Malaybalay".^[4]

It was formerly part of the province of Misamis Oriental as a municipal district in the late 19th century. When the special province of Agusan and its sub-province (Bukidnon) was created in 1907, Malaybalay was designated as the capital of Bukidnon. It was then formally established as a municipality in October 19, 1907 and was created into a city in February 11, 1998 by virtue of R.A. 8490.^[5]

Malaybalay City is the venue of the Kaamulan Festival, held annually from mid-February to March 10.^[6]

History

The original inhabitants of Malaybalay come from the seashores of Northern Mindanao (Misamis Oriental area) but were driven towards the mountains because of pirates and the arrival of Spanish colonizers. Before the final conquest of the central part of Mindanao (Bukidnon area), Sumilao, Linabo, Mailag and Silae has been established by Spanish missionaries (Dominicans and Jesuits). In 1850, Kalasungay (an old settlement site in Malaybalay), was burned down by the Spaniards during their final battle with the lumads, in which all male adults were killed and the women and children were taken as hostages. This battle is the last recorded resistance by the original inhabitants against the Spanish conquerors.^[1]^[7]^[8]

A few years after their defeat, the survivors of the said battle who fled to Silae slowly returned to the area ans established a new settlement near the Sacub River (present-day Rizal Park) under the protection of Datu Mampaalong. Together with thirty (30) other datus, Datu Mampaalong accepted Spanish dominion and embraced Christianity on June 15, 1877, ending the long standing war between them. On that day, the Spaniards made Malaybalay into a pueblo named Oroquita del Interior with a territory covering the area of what is now the province of Bukidnon, but the name of the settlement was still retained as Malaybalay.^[7]^[8]

Mayors of Malaybalay City

Juan Melendez – 1906-1908

Fernando Damasco – 1909-1913

Jose Ruiz – 1914-1918

Juan Melendez – 1924-1936

Faustino Caterial – 1936-1937

Catalino Damasco – 1937-1939

Gerardo Pimentel – 1940-1941

Salvador Alberto – 1943-1947

Teofilo Salcedo – 1948-1951

Fortunato Carbajal, Sr. – 1951-1954

Lorenzo S. Dinlayan – 1955-1971

Timoteo C. Ocaya – 1972-1979

Edilberto B. Mamawag – 1979-1980*

Reginaldo N. Tilanduca – 1980-1986

Violeta T. Labaria – 1986*

Almaco A. Villanueva – 1987*

Rogelio M. Bides – 1988*

Reginaldo N. Tilanduca – 1988-1992

Nicolas C. Jurolan – 1992-2001

Florencio T. Flores, Jr. – 2001 to present

* - Appointed

From 1877 until the coming of the Americans, covering a span of 20 years, Capitanes, who were acknowledge tribal chieftains and were appointed by the Spaniard missionaries, governed Malaybalay. Some of this leaders were Mariano Melendez (Datu Mampaalong), Doroteo Melendez, Juan Carbajal, Alejandro Bontao, Esteban Tilanduca and Faustino Abello

In 1850, Malaybalay became a part of the province of Misamis as a municipal district. The Philippine Commission then headed by Commissioner Dean C. Worcester, Secretary of Interior and a member of the Philippine Commission proposed the separation of Bukidnon from Misamis Province.

On August 20, 1907, the Philippine Commission Act No. 1693 was enacted creating the Province of Agusan and the sub-province of Bukidnon. Malaybalay was then formally created as a municipality on October 19, 1907. When Bukidnon was declared as a regular province and become an independent political unit on March 10, 1917 by virtue of the creation of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu under Act 2711, Malaybalay was designated as its provincial capital.

During the Second World War, in 1942, the Japanese occupation troops entered Bukidnon. They occupied Malaybalay, establishing a camp in Casisang. Guerrilla groups operating around Malaybalay made frequent raids on the Japanese camps from the time of the occupation until the arrival of the Americans. In 1945, American liberation forces, together with the Philippine Commonwealth Forces and Filipino guerrillas liberated Malaybalay.

On March 26, 1996, the Sangguniang Bayan of the municipality of Malaybalay passed Resolution No. 3699-96 petitioning to the House of Representatives for the conversion of Malaybalay into a city. Reginaldo Tilanduca, 2nd District Representative of Bukidnon at that time, files House Bill No. 6275, proposing the creation of Malaybalay into a component city. On February 11, 1998, President Fidel Ramos signed the act (R.A. 8490) that converted Malaybalay to a city, making it the first component city of Bukidnon.

Geography

Climate chart for Malaybalay City

137

106

112

263

324

292

263

327

288

186

168

260

average max. and min. temperatures in °C
precipitation totals in mm
source: ^[9]

Imperial conversion[show]

Location

Malaybalay City, the capital city of Bukidnon is located in the central part of the province. It is bounded in the east by the municipality of Cabanglasan and the Pantaron Range, which separates Bukidnon from the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte; on the west by the municipality of Lantapan and Mount Kitanglad; on the north by the municipality of Impasug-ong; and on the south by Valencia City and the municipality of San Fernando.^[10]

The whole eastern and southeastern border adjoining Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte is elevated and densely forested mountains, which is one of the few remaining forest blocks of Mindanao.

The city is landlocked, and the nearest sea and air ports are in Cagayan de Oro City, which is 91 kilometers away.

Climate

The climate classification of Malaybalay City falls under the Fourth Type or intermediate B type, which is characterized by the absence of a pronounced maximum period and dry season. The period from May to October is where heavy rains occur. Rain falls at a yearly average of 2,800 mil

Northern Mindanao

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:22:47 +0100

Northern Mindanao

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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 X Northern Mindanao
— Region —
Map of the Philippines showing the location of Region X
Country	Philippines
Island group	Mindanao
Regional center	Cagayan de Oro City
Area
- Total	20,132 km² (7,773 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	3,952,437
- Density	196.3/km² (508.5/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
Provinces	5
Cities	9
Municipalities	84
Barangays	2,022
Cong. districts	11
Languages	Cebuano, Maranao, Manobo and others

Designated as Region X of the Philippines, Northern Mindanao (Filipino: Hilagang Mindanao) is composed of five provinces and two cities classified as highly-urbanized, all occupying the north-central part of Mindanao Island, and the island province of Camiguin. The regional center is Cagayan de Oro City, where the national government's regional offices and other big establishments are located. Lanao del Norte was transferred to Region XII (then called Central Mindanao) by virtue of Executive Order No. 36.

[hide]

Cultural Groups

The majority of the region’s inhabitants are migrants from Cebu and Iloilo. There are also Waray-warays, Tagalogs and Maranaos.

Climate

Rainfall in Northern Mindanao is evenly distributed throughout the year. Its abundant vegetation, natural springs and high elevation contribute to the region’s cool, mild and invigorating climate.

Land Use

The region has a total land area of 14,032.93 km² of which 6,571 km² is alienable and disposable lands and the remaining 7,461.99 km².

Natural Resources

More than 60% of Northern Mindanao’s total land area are classified as forestland. Its seas abound with fish and other marine products.

Economy

The economy in Northern Mindanao is mainly agricultural. But there is also a booming growth of industries particularly in Cagayan de Oro City and in Iligan. The famous Del Monte Plantation is located in Bukidnon and its plant is located in Cagayan De Oro City. The Agus-IV to VII Hydroelectric Plants in Iligan City and Baloi, Lanao del Norte supplies most of its electrical power in Mindanao.

Political Divisions

Political map of Northern Mindanao

Province/City	Capital	Population (2000)	Area (km²)	Pop. density (per km²)
Bukidnon	Malaybalay City	1,060,265	8,293.8	127.8
Camiguin	Mambajao	74,232	229.8	323.0
Lanao del Norte	Tubod	473,062	2,278.6	207.6
Misamis Occidental	Oroquieta City	486,723	1,939.3	251.0
Misamis Oriental	Cagayan de Oro City	664,338	3,081.1	215.6

Cagayan de Oro City¹	—	461,877	488.86	944.8
Iligan City¹	—	308,046	813.37	479.5

¹ Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City are highly urbanized cities; figures are excluded from Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte respectively.

Component Cities

Bukidnon

Misamis Occidental

Misamis Oriental

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code listing for Northern Mindanao - National Statistical Coordination Board

Harbin

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:20:00 +0100

Harbin

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For other uses, see Harbin (disambiguation).

Harbin
哈尔滨
Харби́н

— Sub-provincial city —

哈尔滨市

From top: Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Hongbo Square and surrounding, Harbin Xinhua Bookstore, Saint Sofia Church, Harbin Mosque, and the Ji Le Temple

Flag

Seal

Nickname(s): Ice City, Oriental Paris

Location of the Harbin Prefecture within Heilongjiang

Harbin

Location within China

Coordinates: 45°45′N 126°38′E / 45.75°N 126.633°E

Country

China

Province

Heilongjiang

County-level divisions

Area

- Sub-provincial city

53,796 km² (20,770.8 sq mi)

- Urban

4,275 km² (1,650.6 sq mi)

Elevation

150 m (488 ft)

Population

- Sub-provincial city

9,873,742

- Density

183.5/km² (475.4/sq mi)

- Urban

4,754,753

- Urban Density

1,112.2/km² (2,880.6/sq mi)

Time zone

China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Postal code

150000

Area code(s)

451

License plate prefixes

黑A

GDP (2008)

CNY 286.82 billion

- per capita

CNY 29,012

Website

www.harbin.gov.cn

Harbin (help·info) (simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: Hāěrbīn; Wade-Giles: Ha-erh-pin; Russian Харби́н (help·info) Kharbin) is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. It lies on the southern bank of the Songhua River. Harbin is ranked as the tenth largest city in China, serving as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications center of Northeastern China.

Harbin is originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets". Harbin bears the nicknames "The Pearl on the swan's neck" because the shape of Heilongjiang resembles a swan, and "Ice City" for its long and cold winter. This city is most famous for its beautiful display of ice sculptures in winter and is known as China’s gateway to trade with Russia. In the 1920s, Harbin was considered to be the fashion capital of China as new designs from Paris and Moscow reached here first before arriving in Shanghai.^[1]

[hide] Weather averages for Harbin, China
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	-13 (9)	-9 (16)	2 (36)	13 (55)	21 (70)	26 (79)	28 (82)	26 (79)	21 (70)	12 (54)	0 (32)	-10 (14)
Daily Mean °C (°F)	-19 (-2)	-15 (5)	-7 (19)	7 (45)	15 (59)	20 (68)	23 (73)	21 (70)	15 (59)	6 (43)	-6 (21)	-15 (5)	2 (36)
Average low °C (°F)	-25 (-13)	-22 (-8)	-11 (12)	0 (32)	8 (46)	14 (57)	18 (64)	16 (61)	9 (48)	0 (32)	-11 (12)	-21 (-6)
Precipitation mm (inches)	3 (0.12)	5 (0.2)	10 (0.39)	21 (0.83)	37 (1.46)	78 (3.07)	159 (6.26)	115 (4.53)	60 (2.36)	23 (0.91)	8 (0.31)	5 (0.2)	524 (20.63)
Avg. rainy days	5	5	5	6	10	12	14	12	10	7	5	5	96
Source: Illinois State Climatologist Data^[2] July 2007

History

Human settlement in the Harbin area dates from at least 2200 BC (late Stone Age). It was formerly called Pokai.

The modern city of Harbin originated in 1898 from a small village, with the start of the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (KVZhD) by Russia, an extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway, shortcutting substantially the distance to Vladivostok and creating a link to the port city of Dalny (Dalian) and the Russian Naval Base Port Arthur.

Following the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), Russia's influence declined, and several thousand nationals from 33 countries including the United States, Germany, and France moved to Harbin. Sixteen countries established consulates and set up several hundred industrial, commercial and banking companies in Harbin. The Chinese also established their own businesses in brewing, food and the textile industry. Harbin had established its status as the center of northeastern China and as an international metropolis.

In December 1918, during the Russian Civil War, defeated Russian White Guards and refugees retreated to the city: it then became a major centre of White Russian émigrés. The city became the largest Russian enclave outside Russia. The Jewish community was formed by Russian Jews and included a group of German Jews, who fled Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. Under the pro bono efforts by Japanese government officials, they later emigrated to several cities in western Japan, notably Kobe, to ensure their safety and prosperity and established the largest synagogue in Japan. The Russians established the Russian school system and published Russian language newspapers and journals.

With the establishment of Manchukuo, Japanese troops occupied Harbin on 4 February 1932. In 1935 the Soviet Union sold the railway (KVZhD) to the Japanese, which resulted in the first exodus of Russian emigres from Manchuria and Harbin in particular. The bulk of the departing Russians went back to the Soviet Union, while a substantial number moved south to Shanghai or emigrated to the United States and Australia.

The Soviet Army took the city on 20 August 1945 and Harbin never came under the control of the Kuomintang, whose troops stopped 60 km short of the city. The city's administration was transferred by the departing Soviet Army to the Chinese People's Liberation Army in April 1946.

During the short occupation of Harbin by the Soviet Army (August 1945 to April 1946), thousands of Russian emigres who fled communism after the revolution, were forcibly moved to the Soviet Union. The rest of the European community (Russians, Germans, Poles, Greeks etc.) emigrated during the years 1950-54 to Australia, Brazil and the USA, or were repatriated to their home countries. By 1988 the original Russian community numbered just thirty, all of them elderly.

The eight Harbin counties originally formed part of Shokako/Songhuajiang Prefecture (松花江地区), and became incorporated into Harbin on 11 August 1999, making Harbin a sub-provincial city.

Toxic leak in benzene factory

Main article: Jilin chemical plant explosions 2005

A benzene plant situated upstream in the city of Jilin along the Songhua river exploded on 13 November 2005. Benzene levels reached more than 100 times normal levels, which led authorities in Harbin to shut off the water supply, and some residents left the city while others rushed to buy bottled water. After a few days the water supply was restored. The Harbin government originally declared to the public that the water supply was temporarily off while the supply system was checked. They also denied reports of a chemical leak, claiming that it was "just a rumour."^[3]

Subdivisions

The sub-provincial city of Harbin has direct jurisdiction over 8 districts (区 qu), 3 county-level cities (市 shi) and 7 Counties (县 xian):

Subdivision

Harbin City Proper		Harbin Suburban and Rural
■ Daoli-qu	道里区	■ Hulan-qu	呼兰区
■ Nangang-qu	南岗区	■ Acheng-qu	阿城区
■ Xiangfang-qu	香坊区	■ Shangzhi-shi	尚志市
■ Daowai-qu	道外区	■ Shuangcheng-shi	双城市
■ Pingfang-qu	平房区	■ Wuchang-shi	五常市
■ Songbei-qu	松北区	■ Fangzheng-xian	方正县
		■ Bin-xian	宾县
		■ Yilan-xian	依兰县
		■ Bayan-xian	巴彦县
		■ Tonghe-xian	通河县
		■ Mulan-xian	木兰县
		■ Yanshou-xian	延寿县

Economy

While Dalian is considered the region’s shipping center and Shenyang its financial hub, Harbin is striving hard towards becoming the key trade and shopping center of the region. Already, stores in the city include Missoni, Etro, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, and Christian Dior.The city is located in one of the fastest growing regions in the world and can boast a number of advantages such as an abundance of natural resources, good transport system and plenty of human resources.^[4]

In 2008, Harbin's GDP reached RMB286.82 billion, an increase of 13.2 percent over the previous year. Tertiary industry output remained the largest component of GDP reaching RMB140.04 billion, an increase of 13.9 percent from the previous year. The total value for imports and exports by the end of 2008 was US$3.64 billion.^[5]

The soil in Harbin, called “black earth” is one the most nutrient rich in all of China, making it valuable for cultivating food and textile-related crops. As a result, Harbin is China’s base for the production of commodity grain and an ideal location for setting up agricultural businesses. Harbin also has industries such as light industry, textile, medicine, foodstuff, automobile, metallurgy, electronics, building materials, and chemicals which help to form a fairly comprehensive industrial system. Harbin Power Equipment Group Company and Northeast Light Alloy Processing Factory are two key enterprises. Harbin is also known as the capital of “power manufacturing”; hydro and thermal power equipment manufactured here makes up one-third of the total installed capacity in China. ^[6]

Foreign investors seem upbeat about the city. The Harbin Trade and Economic fair, has been held for 17 years annually, cumulatively attracting more than 1.3 million exhibitors and visitors and resulting in contracts of over US$90 billion. Japanese, Russian and Eastern European nations are increasingly looking to North China and Harbin for investment. Foreign direct investment remains low, but is growing as a result of government efforts, with utilized FDI totaling US$570 million, up 28.1 percent, in 2008. ^[7]

Harbin is also home to Harbin Institute of Technology, one of China’s better known universities. Founded in 1920, the university has developed into an important research university focusing on engineering, with supporting faculties in the sciences, management, humanities and social sciences. The institute's faculty and students contributed to and invented China's first analog computer, the first intelligent chess computer, and the first arc-welding robot. Last year, research funding from the government, industry, and business sectors surpassed RMB1.13 billion, the second highest of any university in China. ^[8]

Economic Development Zones and Ports^[9]

Harbin Development Zone
- Harbin Economic and Technological Development Zone
- Harbin High and New Technological Development Zone
- Harbin Port
Daqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone

Infrastructure

Harbin is one of the largest railway hubs in Northeast China. Five major railways (Jingha, Binsui, Binzhou, Binbei and Labin) meet here. Currently 138 trains terminate in or pass through Harbin daily, with trains available to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Jinan and many other major cities in China. ^[10]

The Harbin Taiping International Airport is the second largest international airport in Northeast China. There are flights to/from more than 30 large and medium-sized cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.^[11]

There are more than 1,900 rivers in Heilongjiang, including the Songhua River, Heilongjiang River and Wusulijiang River, creating a convenient system of waterway transportation. Harbin harbor is one of eight inland ports in China and the largest of its type in Northeast China. Available from mid-April until the beginning of November, passenger ships sail from Harbin up the Songhua River to Qiqihar, or downstream to Jiamusi, Tongjiang, and Khabarovsk in Russia.^[12]

Architecture

Saint Sofia Church

Called the Oriental St. Petersburg, Harbin is considered one of China's most beautiful cities. The city is well-known for its unique, Russian and European-influenced architecture.

Zhong Yang Street (Central Street, also known as Kitaiskaya St.), one of the main business streets in Harbin, is a perfect remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. The 1.4-km long street is a veritable museum of European architectural styles: Baroque and Byzantine façades, little Russian bakeries, French fashion houses, American eateries, and Japanese restaurants.

The Russian Orthodox church, Saint Sophia Cathedral, is also located in this central district of Daoli. St. Sophia took nine years to build and was completed in 1932. It has now been made into a museum as a showcase of the multi-cultural architecture of Harbin.

Many citizens believe that the Orthodox church damaged the local feng shui, so they donated money to build a Chinese monastery in 1921, the Ji Le Temple. There were more than 15 Russian Orthodox churches and two cemeteries in Harbin until 1949. Mao's Communist Revolution, and the subsequent Cultural Revolution, saw many of them destroyed. Now, about 10 churches remain, while services are held only in one (Church of the Intercession in Harbin).

Culture

The Harbin local culture is based on Han culture, combined with Manchu culture and Russian culture. This combination of cultures influences the local architecture style, food, customs. Harbin is famous for its standard Mandarin pronunciation. It's a very good place to study Mandarin. As the says goes 'If you want to study Chinese language, come to China. If you want to study Mandarin, come to Beijing. If you want to study standard Mandarin, come to Harbin.'

Russian influence

Main article: Harbin Russians

Harbin today is still very much influenced by its Russian past. A city once under Russian rule, it is now a center of trade with that country.

The influence of Russia came with the construction of the China Far East Railway, an extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and Harbin, known formerly as a fishing village began to prosper as the largest commercial, economical center of North Eastern Asia.

Tsarist Russia encouraged Russian settlement in their important Trans-Siberian-Railway outpost by waiving the then 25 year long military service. For Jews who settled there, the restrictions applying in Russia were also waived.

The local cuisine in Harbin is also Russian-influenced. Harbin's bakeries are famous for their bread (lie-ba in local dialect, derived from the Russian word khleb for "bread"). Harbin's sausages (qiu-lin hong-chang) are another notable product, in that they tend to be of a much more European flavour than other Chinese sausages.

Winter culture

Harbin is located in Northeast China under the direct influence of the cold winter wind from Siberia. The average temperature in summer is 21.2 degrees Celsius, −16.8 degrees Celsius in winter.

The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has been held since 1985. Although the official start date is January 5th each year, in practice, many of the sculptures can be seen before. While there are ice sculptures throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas: En

Tainan City

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:12:32 +0100

Tainan City

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Jump to: navigation, search

Tainan City

Traditional Chinese:

臺南市 or 台南市

Simplified Chinese:

台南市

[show]Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin:	Táinán Shì
- Wade-Giles:	T'ai²-nan² Shih⁴
Min
- Hokkien POJ:	Tâi-lâm-Chhī

Tainan City 臺南市
Downtown Tainan
City Flag	City Seal
Abbreviation	Southern City 南市
Nickname	The Phoenix City,^[1] The Prefecture City 府城
Capital	Anping District (安平區)
Region	Southwestern Taiwan
Mayor	Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財)
Area	175.6456 km² (Ranked 17 of 25)
Population (Jan, 2009)
- Population	768,739 (Ranked 11 of 25)
- Density	4,376.65 /km²
Districts	6
Website	English Trad. Chinese
Symbols
- Bird	Black-billed magpie [1]
- Flower	Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
- Tree	Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)

Template ■ Discussion Parameter ■ WikiProject Taiwan

This article is about the city. For the county, see Tainan County.

Tainan City (traditional Chinese: 臺南/台南; simplified Chinese: 台南; pinyin: Táinán; Wade-Giles: T'ai-nan; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-lâm, literally "Southern Taiwan") is the fourth largest city in Taiwan after Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. By the end of 2010 the city and the adjacent Tainan County will merge to form a single municipality.^[2]

Tainan was established as the capital of Taiwan in 1661 and remained the capital until 1887 during the Qing Dynasty. In fact, "Tayoan"/"Tayouan" is the old name of Tainan and became the name of the island later. The city is famous for its abundant historical buildings and relics.

History

Little is known about Tainan prior to the Dutch rule except that it was a settlement of Han Chinese immigrants in the 14th and 15th centuries^{[citation needed]} and was named Tayoan (大員, POJ: Tāi-ôan, from Sirayan). The Dutch established a trading post in 1624 at present-day Anping^[3], and used it as a base of operation for a variety of business they conducted in the region. However, in 1661 the outpost was under siege by a fleet of Ming Dynasty remnants led by Koxinga, who established his own kingdom on Taiwan and renamed the city Tungtu (traditional Chinese: 東都; literally "East Capital") after the Dutch capitulated and withdrew from the island. In 1684, the Qing Dynasty conquered Taiwan and established Taiwan-fu (Taiwan Government) as the first official local government in Taiwan.^[4]

William Campbell described the city in the 1870s:

As to Taiwan-fu itself, I may say that the brick wall which surrounds it is about fifteen feet in thickness, twenty-five in height, and some five miles in circumference. Lofty watch-towers are built over the four main gateways, and large spaces within the city are given to the principal temples and yamens—or quarters occupied by the civil and military mandarins. There is much need in Taiwan-fu for the carrying out of a City Improvement Scheme. Pleasant walks, no doubt, there are, and some of the shops have an appearance which is decidedly attractive; but, as a rule, the streets are narrow, winding, ill-paved, and odorous.^[5]

Taiwan-fu was later renamed to Tainan-fu in 1885 when Taiwan was established as a province. Because it was formerly the capital of Taiwan, Tainan is also called Fu-cheng (traditional Chinese: 府城; literally "Government City"). Tainan also served as the capital of the Republic of Formosa after the Japanese took Taipei bloodlessly.

Tainan's Confucian Temple

Tainan has been historically regarded as one of the oldest cities in Taiwan, and its former name, Tayoan, has been claimed to be the source of the name Taiwan. It is also one of Taiwan's cultural capitals, as it houses the first Confucian School/Temple, built in 1665 on the island^[6], the remains of the Northern and Southern gates of the old city, and countless other historical monuments.

Tainan claims more Buddhist and Taoist temples than any city in Taiwan. Tainan City (台南市) is administratively a municipality of Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. It is surrounded by Tainan County to the north and east and the South China Sea to the west and south. Tainan's complex history of comebacks, redefinitions and renewals inspired its popular nickname "City of the Phoenix."^[1]

Climate

Tainan has a sub-tropical maritime climate characterised by year-round high relative humidity and temperatures (although temperatures do dip somewhat in the winter months), with a rainy season (April to September) and a dry season (October to March).

[hide] Weather averages for Tainan, Taiwan (1971-2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	23.0 (73)	23.8 (75)	26.6 (80)	29.4 (85)	31.3 (88)	32.2 (90)	32.9 (91)	32.3 (90)	32.2 (90)	30.8 (87)	27.7 (82)	24.3 (76)	28.9 (84)
Daily Mean °C (°F)	17.4 (63)	18.2 (65)	21.1 (70)	24.5 (76)	27.0 (81)	28.4 (83)	29.0 (84)	28.5 (83)	28.0 (82)	25.9 (79)	22.4 (72)	18.8 (66)	24.1 (75)
Average low °C (°F)	13.7 (57)	14.5 (58)	17.1 (63)	20.8 (69)	23.8 (75)	25.5 (78)	26.1 (79)	25.7 (78)	24.9 (77)	22.6 (73)	18.9 (66)	15.2 (59)	20.7 (69)
Precipitation mm (inches)	19.9 (0.78)	28.8 (1.13)	35.4 (1.39)	84.9 (3.34)	175.5 (6.91)	370.6 (14.59)	345.9 (13.62)	417.5 (16.44)	138.4 (5.45)	29.6 (1.17)	14.7 (0.58)	11.3 (0.44)	1,672.5 (65.85)
Sunshine hours	182.4	158.7	187.3	188.7	192.0	190.6	221.5	195.7	200.5	197.7	174.9	173.7	2,263.7
% Humidity	78.3	78.7	77.4	77.3	78.0	80.1	78.8	81.2	78.6	77.4	77.0	77.5	78.4
Avg. precipitation days	4.5	5.4	5.1	7.2	9.9	13.1	13.4	16.7	9.3	3.6	2.5	3.3	94
Source: ^[7] 2009-05-15

Government

Administrative districts

Tainan has 6 districts (區 qu):	District		Population	Land area
			as of 2009	km²
	■ Anping-qu	安平區	60,701	11.0663
	■ Annan-qu	安南區	176,015	107.2016
	■ East-qu	東區	194,436	13.4156
	■ West Central-qu	中西區	80,578	6.2600
	■ South-qu	南區	127,121	27.2681
	■ North-qu	北區	130,538	10.4340

Tainan City currently has 6 districts: Anping, Annan, East, West Central, South, and North districts.

Annan district was originally the An-Shun township of Tainan County, and was merged into Tainan City in 1946. In 2004, Central District and West District were merged into the new West Central district.

Foreign relationships

Tainan City Hall

Tainan District Court

Tungfeng Street in the eastern side of city

Sister cities

The following places are sister cities to Tainan City^[8]:

Monterey, California United States (1965)
Gwangju, South Korea (1968)
San Jose, California United States (1977)
Kansas City, Missouri United States (1987)
Pasay City, Philippines (1980)
Cavite City, Philippines (1980)
Tagaytay City, Philippines (1980)
Trece Martires, Philippines (1980)
Columbus, Ohio United States (1980)
Kinmen, Republic of China (1981)
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia (1981)
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa (1982)

Norfolk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For a full list of villages, towns and cities, see List of places in Norfolk.

This article is about the county in England. For the city in the United States, see Norfolk, Virginia. For other uses, see Norfolk (disambiguation).

Norfolk

Geography
Status	Ceremonial and Non-metropolitan county
Region	East of England^[1]
Area - Total - Admin. council	Ranked 5th 5,371 km² (2,074 sq mi) Ranked 5th
Admin HQ	Norwich
ISO 3166-2	GB-NFK
ONS code	33
NUTS 3	UKH13
Demography
Population - Total (2007 est.) - Density - Admin. council	Ranked 24th 840,600 157/km² (407/sq mi) Ranked 7th
Ethnicity	98.5% white
Politics
Arms of Norfolk County Council with supporters Norfolk County Council http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Richard Bacon (C) Henry Bellingham (C) Charles Clarke (L) Christopher Fraser (C) Chloe Smith (C) Norman Lamb (LD) Keith Simpson (C) Anthony Wright (L)
Districts
Norwich South Norfolk Great Yarmouth Broadland North Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Breckland

Norfolk (pronounced /ˈnɔrfək/) is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich, located at 52°37′59″N 1°17′38″E / 52.63306°N 1.29389°E / 52.63306; 1.29389. Norfolk is the fifth largest ceremonial county in England, with an area of 5,371 km² (2,074 sq mi).

Of the 34 non-metropolitan English counties, Norfolk is the seventh most populous, with a population of 832,400 (mid 2006). However, as a largely rural county it has a low population density, 155 people per square kilometre. Norfolk has about one-thirtieth the population density of Central London, the tenth lowest density county in the country, with 38% of the county’s population living in the three major built up areas of Norwich (194,200), Great Yarmouth (66,400) and King's Lynn (40,700).^[2] The Broads, a well known network of rivers and lakes, is located on the county's east coast, bordering Suffolk. The area has the status of a National Park and is protected by the Broads Authority. ^[3]Historical sites, such as the centre of Norwich, also contribute to tourism.

In a contest held by Plantlife, Norfolk's county flower was voted to be the Common Poppy^[4] after complaints that the first choice Alexanders was not representative.

[hide]

History

Main article: Prehistoric Norfolk

Main article: History of Norfolk

Norfolk was settled in pre-Roman times, with neolithic camps along the higher land in the west where flints could be quarried.^[5] A Brythonic tribe, the Iceni, inhabited the county from the first century BC, to the end of the first century (AD). The Iceni revolted against the Roman invasion in 47 AD, and again in 60 AD led by Boudica. The crushing of the second rebellion opened the county to the Romans. During the Roman era roads and ports were constructed throughout the county and farming took place.

Situated on the east coast, Norfolk was vulnerable to invasions from Scandinavia and northern Europe, and forts were built to defend against the Angles and Saxons. By the 5th century the Angles, for whom East Anglia and England itself are named, had established control of the region and later became the "north folk" and the "south folk", hence, "Norfolk" and "Suffolk". Norfolk, and several adjacent areas, became the kingdom of East Anglia, later merging with Mercia and then Wessex. The influence of the Early English settlers can be seen in the many "thorpes", "tons" and "hams" of placenames. In the 9th century the region again came under attack, this time from Vikings who killed the king, Edmund the Martyr. In the centuries before the Norman Conquest the wetlands of the east of the county began to be converted to farmland, and settlements grew in these areas. Migration into East Anglia must have been high, as by the time of the Conquest and Domesday Book survey, it was one of the most densely populated parts of the British Isles.

During the high and late Middle Ages the county developed arable agriculture and woollen industries. The economy was in decline by the time of the Black Death, which dramatically reduced the population in 1349, suffice to say that the current population has yet to equal the population from this time. By the 16th century Norwich had grown to become the second largest city in England, but in 1665 the Great Plague of London again killed around one third of the population.^[6] During the English Civil War Norfolk was largely Parliamentarian. The economy and agriculture of the region declined somewhat, and during the industrial revolution Norfolk developed little industry except in Norwich and was a late addition to the railway network.

In the 20th century the county developed a role in aviation. The first development in airfields came with the First World War; there was then a massive expansion during the Second World War with the growth of the Royal Air Force and the influx of the American USAAF 8th Air Force which operated from many Norfolk Airfields. During the Second World War agriculture rapidly intensified, and has remained very intensive since with the establishment of large fields for cereal and oil seed rape growing. Norfolk's low-lying land and easily eroded cliffs, many of which are chalk and clay, make it vulnerable to the sea, the most recent major event being the North Sea flood of 1953.

The low-lying section of coast between Kelling and Lowestoft Ness is currently managed by the Environment Agency to protect the Broads from sea flooding. Management policy for the North Norfolk coastline is described in the North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan which was published in 2006 but has yet to be accepted by the local authorities.^[7] The Shoreline Management Plan states that the stretch of coast will be protected for at least another 50 years, but that in the face of sea level rise and post-glacial lowering of land levels in the South East, there is an urgent need for further research to inform future management decisions, including the possibility that the sea defences may have to be realigned to a more sustainable position. Natural England have contributed some research into the impacts on the environment of various realignment options. The draft report of their research was leaked to the press, who created great anxiety by reporting that Natural England plan to abandon a large section of the Norfolk Broads, villages and farmland face to the sea to save the rest of the Norfolk coastline from the impact of climate change.^[8]

Economy and industry

Wells-next-the-Sea.

River Wensum, Norwich.

In 1998 Norfolk had a Gross Domestic Product of £9,319 million, making it 1.5% of England's economy and 1.25% of the United Kingdom's economy. The GDP per head was £11,825, compared to £13,635 for East Anglia, £12,845 for England and £12,438 for the United Kingdom. In 1999-2000 the county has an unemployment rate of 5.6%, compared to 5.8% for England and 6.0% for the UK.^[9]

Much of Norfolk's flat and fertile land has been drained and converted to arable land. Chief arable crops are sugar beet, wheat, barley (for brewing) and oil seed rape. Over 20% of employment in the county is in the agriculture and food industries.^[10]

Well-known companies in Norfolk are Norwich Union (part of Aviva), Colman's (part of Unilever) and Bernard Matthews. The Construction Industry Training Board is based on the former airfield of RAF Bircham Newton. The BBC East region is centred on Norwich, although covers an area as far west as Milton Keynes.

To help local industry in Norwich, Norfolk, the local council offers a wireless service.^[11]

Education

Norwich Cathedral: Spire and south transcept.

Primary and secondary

Norfolk has a completely comprehensive state education, with secondary school age from 11 to 16 or in some schools with sixth forms, 18 years old. In many of the rural areas, there is no nearby sixth form and so Sixth form colleges are found in larger towns. There are twelve independent, or private schools, including Gresham's School in Holt in the north of the county,Thetford Grammar School in Thetford - Britain's fourth oldest school,Norwich School and Norwich High School for Girls in the city of Norwich itself. The Kings Lynn district has the largest school population. Norfolk is also home to Wymondham College, the UK's largest remaining state boarding school.

Tertiary

The University of East Anglia is located on the outskirts of Norwich; and Norwich University College of the Arts (until November 2007, known as Norwich School of Art and Design) is situated at St. George's Street, in the city centre, and next to the River Wensum.

The City College Norwich and the College of West Anglia are colleges covering Norwich and Kings Lynn. Easton College, 7 miles west of Norwich provides agricultural based courses for the County as well as for parts of Suffolk.

Politics

Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral.

Norfolk is a shire county, under the control of Norfolk County Council. This is divided into seven local government districts, Breckland District, Broadland District, Great Yarmouth Borough, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough, North Norfolk District, Norwich City and South Norfolk.

In 2007 the Department for Communities and Local Government referred Norwich City Council's proposal to become a new unitary authority to the Boundary Commission for England.^[12]^[13] The Boundary Commission consulted local bodies and reported against the proposal, so Norfolk's local government structure remains unchanged.

However, consultation on the Committee's 2008 proposals^[14] for Norfolk closed on September 26 2008, with final recommendations to Government by 31 December, 2008. Thereafter, a decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Until then, the future organisation of the County remains uncertain.

Norfolk County Council is Conservative-controlled and led by Daniel Cox. There are 60 Conservative councillors, 13 Liberal Democrat councillors, 7 Green Party councillors, 3 Labour councillors and 1 UKIP councillor.^[15] There was a 63% turnout at the most recent local election.

In the House of Commons, Norfolk is represented by four Conservative Members of Parliament, three Labour MPs and one Liberal Democrat. The Labour party represents the more urban areas of Norwich and Great Yarmouth, whilst the Conservatives represent the more rural areas. The former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, represents Norwich South.

**Norfolk Election Results 5 May 2005**
Parliamentary					County Council ^[1]
Party	Votes	Votes %	Seats	Seats %	Party	Votes	Votes %	Seats	Seats %
Conservative	163224	40%	4	50%	Conservative	158942	39%	46	55%
Labour	122650	30%	3	38%	Green	18786	5%	2	2%
Liberal Democrat	103805	25%	1	13%	Labour	108043	27%	22	26%
Others ^[2]	19371	5%	0	0%	Liberal Democrat	113048	28%	14	17%
					Others ^[3]	6924	2%	0	0%
Totals	409050		8			405743		84
Turnout	64%					63%

Notes
^[1] Includes Town Close ward by-election held 26 May 2005, electors in Town Close didn't vote for a County Councilor on 5 May 2005 due to the death of one of the candidates between close of nominations and polling day. ^[2] UKIP, Green, LCA, Independents, Others ^[3] UKIP, LCA, Independents, Others

Settlements

Norfolk's county town and only city is Norwich, one of the largest settlements in England during the Norman era. Norwich is home to Norfolk's only university, the University of East Anglia, and is the county's main business and culture centre. Other principal towns include the port-town of King's Lynn and the seaside resort and Broads gateway town of Great Yarmouth. There are also several market towns: Aylsham, Downham Market, Dereham, Fakenham, Diss, Holt, North Walsham, Swaffham, Thetford and Wymondham.

Transport

Further information: Railways in Norfolk

Norfolk is one the few counties in England that does not have a motorway. The A11 connects Norfolk to Cambridge and London via the M11. From the west there only two routes from Norfolk, the A47 which runs into the East Midlands via Peterborough and the A17 which runs into the East Midlands via Lincolnshire that have a direct link with the A1. Both of these routes meet at King's Lynn which is also the starting place for the A10 which provides West Norfolk with a direct link to London via Ely, Cambridge and Hertford . The Great Eastern Main Line is a major railway from London Liverpool Street Station to Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Norwich International Airport, offers flights within Europe including a link to Amsterdam which offers onward flights throughout the world.

Dialect, accent and nickname

Main article: Norfolk dialect

The Norfolk dialect, also known as "Broad Norfolk", is the accent/dialect of people living in Norfolk, although over the modern age much of the vocabulary and many of the phrases have died out due to a number of factors, such as radio, TV and people from other parts of the country coming to Norfolk. As a result, the speech of Norfolk is more of an accent than dialect, though one part retained from the Norfolk dialect is the distinctive grammar of the region.

More cutting, perhaps, was the formerly-used pejorative medical term "Normal for Norfolk", now discredited, the use of which is banned by the profession.

Tourist highlights

Norfolk is a popular tourist destination and has several major examples of holiday attractions. There are many seaside resorts, including some of the finest British beaches, such as those at Great Yarmouth, Waxham, Cromer and Holkham bay. Norfolk is probably best known for the Broads and other areas of outstanding natural beauty and many areas of the coast are wild bird sanctuaries and reserves with some areas designated as National Parks. Tourists and locals enjoy the wide variety of monuments and historical buildings in both Norfolk and the city of Norwich. The Queen's residence at Sandringham House in Sandringham, Norfolk, provides an all year round tourist attraction, whilstthe rural parts of the county, notably the area around Burnham Market, are also popular locations for people from the conurbations to purchase weekend holiday homes. Arthur Conan Doyle first conceived the idea for The Hound Of The Baskervilles whilst holidaying in Cromer with Bertram Fletcher Robinson after hearing local folklore tales regarding the mysterious hound known as Black Shuck.

The historic city of Norwich

The Norfolk coast at Cromer

The Norfolk Broads

The beach at Holkham Bay

Notable people from Norfolk

see also Category:People from Norfolk Some notable people who were born and/or raised in Norfolk:

Peter Bellamy folk singer and musician, was born and brought up in North Norfolk
Henry Blofeld, Cricket commentator
Henry Blogg, the UK's most decorated lifeboatman, was from Cromer
James Blunt, English acoustic folk rock singer-songwriter who was raised in Norfolk during his childhood.
Boudica, queen of the Iceni people in ancient Britain and scourge of the occupying Roman Army, was born in the part of Norfolk that is close to Norwich, at a settlement near the River Wensum
James Blyth, author of weird fiction and crime mysteries, many of which are set in and around the Norfolk Broads
Sir Thomas Browne, English Renaissance writer, physician and early archaeologist
Martin Brundle, former motor-racing driver and now popular commentator was born in King's Lynn
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, born at Heydon
Dave Bussey Former BBC Radio 2 and current BBC Radio Lincolnshire presenter
Howard Carter, archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamuns tomb. His childhood was spent primarily in Swaffham
Edith Cavell, a nurse who aided the escape of prisoners in WW1
Cathy Dennis, the singer and songwriter, from Norwich
Nick Conrad, UK speech radio presenter, born in Norwich
Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, was born and grew up near Sandringham
Anthony Duckworth-Chad, landowner and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk
Sir James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur, was born at Cromer, grew up at Holt and was educated at Gresham's School
Bill (1916-1986), Brian (1922–), Eric (1914-1993), Geoff (1918-2004), John (1937–), and Justin (1961–) Edrich, cricketers
Nathan Fake, electronic dance music producer/DJ
Natasha and Ralph Firman, racing drivers, were both born and brought up in Norfolk and educated at Gresham's
Margaret Fountaine, the butterfly collector, was born in Norfolk, and her collection is housed in Norwich Castle Museum
Elizabeth Fry, prominent 19th century Quaker prison reformer pictured on the Bank of England £5 note, born and raised in Norwich
Stephen Fry, Actor, comedian, writer, producer, director and author. Was born in London and was brought up in the village of Booton near Reepham and also briefly attended Gresham's
Samuel Fuller, signed the Mayflower Compact
Claire Goose, the actress who starred in Casualty, was raised in Norfolk
Sienna Guillory, the actress, from north Norfolk was educated at Gresham's School
Ed Graham, drummer of Lowestoft band The Darkness, was born in Great Yarmouth
Henry Rider Haggard, author
Jake Humphrey, BBC presenter, spent most of his childhood in Norwich
Andy Hunt footballer, grew up in Ashill

Sid Kipper, Norfolk Camiguin

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This is the article on the island province of Camiguin in the Philippines. There is a different Camiguin Island, part of the Babuyan Islands, also in the Philippines.

Province of Camiguin
Provincial seal of Camiguin
Map of the Philippines with Camiguin highlighted
Region	Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Capital	Mambajao
Divisions
- Independent cities	0
- Component cities	0
- Municipalities	5
- Barangays	58
- Congressional districts	Lone district of Camiguin
Population
- Total (2007)	81,293 (79th out of 80) including independent cities: 81,293 (79th out of 80)
- Density	341.6/km² (15th out of 80) including independent cities: 341.6/km² (17th out of 80)
Area
- Total	238.0 km² (79th out of 80) including independent cities: 238.0 km² (79th out of 80)
Founded	1565
Spoken languages	Cebuano, Kinamigin
Governor	Jurdin Jesus Romualdo (Lakas-CMD/NPC)

Silhouette of Camiguin as seen across the Bohol Sea

Camiguin is a small island province of the Philippines off the northern coast of Mindanao. It belongs to the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Mambajao and it is the second-smallest province both in population and land area. Only Batanes is smaller. The island of Camiguin is in the Bohol Sea about ten kilometers north of Misamis Oriental.

Accessibility

Camiguin is accessible by air and sea from Cebu City however flights into the province's only airport is only seasonal. Most fly in to Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental Province, the gateway to Northern Mindanao. One would then take 2 more or less hours bus or hired van from Cagayan de Oro City to the port of Balingoan. Ferries leave Balingoan to Camiguin Island every hour from 6:00 am until 5:00 pm.

People and culture

The people of Camiguin are called “Camiguingnon.” The main occupation of the people is fishing and farming, with copra providing the greatest income contribution. Other plantations are abaca, rice, mangoes, lanzones and other fruit trees. Small cottage industries are increasing in number to accommodate the influx of visitors. The population is of Visayan descent. Visayan and Hiligaynon languages are widely spoken while a few speak Kinamigin. Nearly everyone speaks English fairly well.

Education

Camiguin was a center of secondary-level education in northern part of Mindanao especially before the eruption of Mt. Hibok-hibok in 1951. Several prominent people in Misamis Oriental graduated in Camiguin Institute (now Fatima College of Camiguin).

Economy

Reports from Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI), total amount of trade and investments for the year 2001 reached to 195.645 million pesos broken down from the following sector:

Agri-Based: PHP 28.027M
Services: PHP 64.116M
Consumer manufacturers: PHP 1.230M
Others (bank releases): PHP 80.888M
Trading: PHP 21.385M

Total: PHP 195.645 M

Geography

Political

The first governor of Misamis Oriental was Governor Pacencio Ysalina whose wife was Josefa Rodriguez Gabucan of Catarman, Camiguin. Misamis Oriental first judge was Eufrosino Palarca Limbaco of Mambajao,Camiguin, whose brother Meliton Limbaco used to be the Municipal Mayor of Mambajao, Camiguin. Dr. Jose Palarca Neri was the first Governor in the island.

Municipalities

Camiguin is subdivided into 5 municipalities:

Physical

Camiguin is composed of four young stratovolcanoes overlying older volcanic structures. One of these, Hibok-Hibok, last erupted in 1953 and is still considered active. The other major volcanic edifices are Mt. Vulcan (671 meters (2,201 ft), northwest of Hibok-Hibok), Mt. Mambajao (1,552 meters (5,092 ft), in central Camiguin), Mt. Ginsiliban (581 meters (1,906 ft), southernmost Camiguin), and Mt. Uhay (north of Mount Ginsiliban). There are also domes and cones at Campana Hill, Minokol Hill, Tres Marias Hill, Mt. Carling, Mt. Tibane, and Piyakong Hill.

History

The name Camiguin is derived from the native word “Kamagong”, a tree of the Ebony family that thrives near lake Mainit in the Province of Surigao del Norte. The original inhabitants of Camiguin were “manobos” who migrated from Surigao. The old native language in Camiguin is called “Kinamiguin”, which is similar to the dialect spoken in Surigao.

Spanish colonial era

Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers, Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel López de Legazpi landed in Camiguin in 1521 and 1565, respectively. The first Spanish settlement in what was later to be known as Guinsiliban was established in 1598. Guinsiliban comes from the old Kinamiguin word “Guinsiliban” which means “to look out for pirates from a watchtower”. An old Spanish watchtower where the Camiguinon kept watch for Moro pirates still stands in Guinsiliban. The first major Spanish settlement established in 1679 was called Katagman or Katadman (known as Catarman). The settlement grew and prospered to what is now Barangay Bonbon.

On May 1, 1871, Mt. Vulcan Daan erupted and destroyed Catarman. A portion of the town sank beneath the sea. After the eruption, the settlement moved to were the town center is presently located. Today, all the remains of old Catarman are the ruins of the ancient Spanish church, a convent and a bell tower.

Sagay, located south of Catarman, was formally established as a town in 1848. The word Sagay is derived from the name of poisonous fruit tree that grow in the area. Mambajao became a town in 1855. The name was coined from the Visayan terms “mamahaw”, meaning to usher breakfast, and “bajao”, which is leftover boiled rice. In the early 1900s, Mambajao prospered to become the busiest port in Northern Mindanao. Mahinog was established as a municipality in 1860. The name Mahinog comes from a Visaya word meaning “to ripen” or “to become ripe”. Although Guinsiliban was the oldest settlement in the island, it was only in 1950 when it became a municipality. Mahinog was formerly governed by Mambajao while Guinsiliban was formally governed from Sagay.

American colonial era

In 1901, in the middle of the Philippine-American War (1898-1904), American soldiers landed in Camiguin to assume political control over the island. A group of Camiguinon, armed with bolos and spears, led by Valero Camaro fought for the island’s independence from foreign invasion during a short battle in Catarman. Valero Camaro was killed by a bullet on the forehead. He became one of the unsung Camiguin patriots of the early independence movement.

In 1903, the first public school in Camiguin was built in Mambajao and in 1904 the first public water system was installed.

World War II

Battle of Camiguin

Part of World War II

Date	1945
Location	Camiguin
Result	Filipino Victory

Belligerents

Philippines

Philippine Commonwealth Army
Recognized Guerrilla Units

Japan

Imperial Japanese Army

On June 18, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Camiguin and set up a government in Mambajao. The Japanese Army gutted down central Mambajao in reprisal to guerrilla activities that helped the Philippine Commonwealth forces there. The remains of some of these buildings still exist today.

In 1945, Philippine Commonwealth forces landed in Camiguin and liberated the Island during the Battle of Camiguin against the Japanese Imperial forces at the end of World War II .

Independence

On July 4, 1946, the country gained independence from the US and became the Republic of the Philippines. From 1946 to 1958, Camiguin was part of Misamis Oriental. In 1958, it became a sub-province and in 1968, a full-fledged province with Mambajao as its provincial capital.

From 1948 to 1951, Mt. Hibok-Hibok constantly rumbled and smoked. Its minor eruption in 1948 caused little damage and loss of life. In 1949, its eruption caused 79 deaths due to landslides. In the morning of December 4, 1951, the volcano erupted again. This, time, however, it unleashed boiling lava, poisonous gases, and landslides enough to destroy nearly 19 squares kilometers of land particularly in Mambajao. All in all, over 1,000 people were killed. Before the eruption of Mt. Hibok-Hibok in 1951, the population of Camiguin had reach 69,000. After the eruption, the population was reduced to about 34,000 due to massive out-migration.

A disastrous typhoon hit the province in the dawn of November 7, 2001. The tropical storm named "Typhoon Nanang" brought with it watersprouts that dropped on the mountains causing multiple massive mudslides killing about 200 inhabitants, most are missing.

Camiguin was part of Misamis Oriental until 1958 when it became a sub-province. It was made into a separate province on June 18, 1966, but was formally inaugurated only in 1968.

Highlights

Sagay Church facade

Several centuries-old churches are found in various parts of the island. One of the famous churches is the Sto. Rosario Church in the municipality of Sagay built in 1882, and the church ruins of San Roque in Barangay Bonbon. Another famous church located in Baylao is said to be miraculous during the volcanic eruption and claimed to have saved many lives. Camiguin Island is famous for the ancestral homes dotting the streets all over the island.

Each year there is a Lanzones (a small grape-sized tropical fruit) Festival held in October. The week-long festival is one of the more colorful events in the Philippines. The Lanzones festival is celebrating its 30th Anniversary on October 2009.

Sunken Cemetery marker

This island is also famous for its underwater sunken cemetery, submerged after a volcanic eruption of the Daan in 1871. The place is marked by a huge cross installed in 1982.^[1]

New Zealand grant

On September 2007, The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Camiguin provincial government for the implementation of a 5-year integrated coastal resource management system in 40 coastal barangays (villages) and 5 municipalities. Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said the 5-year project got P 116 million funding from the New Zealand Agency for International Aid (NZAID). The system includes granting of livelihood enterprises for small-scale fishermen and 10,378 households will benefit from the project. ^[2]

Endemic species

At least four vertebrate species are believed to be endemic to Camiguin:

Bullimus gamay, a rodent
Apomys camiguinensis, a mouse
Loriculus camiguinensis, the Camiguin Hanging-parrot
Oreophryne nana, a frog.

Gallery

Camiguin Gallery
Mambajao Church	Sagay, Camiguin Church	Catarman, Camiguin Church
Ferry to Camiguin

References

"Camiguin". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0701-08=. Retrieved on 2009-01-01.

External links

Island

Province of Camiguin official website

References

^ "Camiguin is famous for..." - Department of Tourism
^ Inquirer.net, Camiguin gets NZ funding to protect coastal resources

[show] v • d • e Component local government units of Camiguin

Municipalities: Catarman • Guinsiliban • Mahinog • Mambajao • Sagay

[show] v • d • e Philippines

Capital	Manila • National Capital Region

Autonomous region	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Provinces	Abra • Agusan del Norte • Agusan del Sur • Aklan • Albay • Antique • Apayao • Aurora • Basilan • Bataan • Batanes • Batangas • Benguet • Biliran • Bohol • Bukidnon • Bulacan • Cagayan • Camarines Norte • Camarines Sur • Camiguin • Capiz • Catanduanes • Cavite • Cebu • Compostela Valley • Cotabato • Davao del Norte • Davao del Sur • Davao Oriental • Dinagat Islands • Eastern Samar • Guimaras • Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur • Iloilo • Isabela • Kalinga • La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur • Leyte • Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Mountain Province • Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija • Nueva Vizcaya • Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro • Palawan • Pampanga • Pangasinan • Quezon • Quirino • Rizal • Romblon • Samar • Sarangani • Siquijor • Sorsogon • South Cotabato • Southern Leyte • Sultan Kudarat • Sulu • Surigao del Norte • Surigao del Sur • Tarlac • Tawi-Tawi • Zambales • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga del Sur • Zamboanga Sibugay

Other subdivisions	Island groups • Regions • Cities • Municipalities • Barangays • Legislative districts

Territorial disputes	Benham Plateau • North Borneo (Sabah) • Scarborough Shoal • Spratly Islands

Coordinates: 9°10′N 124°43′E / 9.167°N 124.717°E / 9.167; 124.717

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camiguin"

Categories: Provinces of the Philippines | Islands of the Philippines | Volcanoes of Mindanao

Butuan City

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:01:24 +0100

Butuan City

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City of Butuan
Dakbayan sa Butuan
Lungsod ng Butuan

Seal

Nickname(s): Timber City of the South, Historic City, Ancient Kingdom of Butuan

Map of Agusan del Norte showing the location of Butuan City.

City of Butuan

Location in the Philippines

Coordinates: 8°57′N 125°32′E / 8.95°N 125.533°E

Country

Philippines

Region

Region XIII (CARAGA)

Province

Agusan del Norte

Districts

First District of Agusan del Norte

Barangays

Official Languages

Cebuano Widely Spoken, Butuanon, Filipino, English

Incorporated (town)

1902

Incorporated (city)

August 02, 1950

Government

- Mayor

Democrito D. Plaza II (1992-2000, 2001-2003 & 2007-2010)

- Vice Mayor

Dino Claudio M. Sanchez (2007-2010)

- Congress

Jose Aquino Jr. (2007-2010)

Area

- Total

817.28 km² (315.6 sq mi)

Population (August 2007)^[1]

- Total

298,378

- Density

365.1/km² (945.6/sq mi)

Time zone

PST (UTC+8)

ZIP code

8600

Area code(s)

Patron Saint

Saint Joseph, the worker

Website

www.butuan.gov.ph

The City of Butuan (Filipino: :Lungsod ng Butuan; Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Butuan) is the regional center of the Caraga Region in the Philippines. It is located at the northeastern part of Agusan Valley Mindanao, sprawling across the Agusan River. It is bounded to the north, west and south by Agusan del Norte, to the east by Agusan del Sur and to the northwest by Butuan Bay. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 298,378 people.^[1]

The name "Butuan" is believed to have originated from the sour fruit "Batuan". Other etymology sources say that it comes from a certain "Datu Buntuan", a chieftain who once ruled over Butuan.

Butuan city is the regional center of Caraga Region. The regional offices of the different government agencies is located here almost.

History

As early as the 10th century, people from Butuan had already established trading relations with the Kingdom of Champa (now southern Vietnam) and Srivijaya empire of Java.

By the 11th century, Butuan was the center of trade and commerce in the Philippines. The evidence to prove this fact is the discovery of 9 balangays (the Butuan Boat) and other archaeological find in the vicinities of Butuan City, particularly in Ambangan, Libertad near the old El Rio de Butuan and Masao River.

Much controversy and debate have been generated with regard to the holding of the first mass—whether it was held in Limasawa, Leyte in Masao, Butuan City, in the hidden isle made up of barangays Pinamanculan and Bancasi inside Butuan, in the latest discovered site in between agusan sur and surigao sur, the little barangay of Barobo, or elsewhere. It is sure, however, that Ferdinand Magellan did not drop anchor by the mouth of Agusan River in 1521 and hold mass to commemorate the event which was held at Mazaua, an island separate from 1521 Butuan which was in the geographical conception of Europeans who wrote about it was a larger entity than what it is now. Antonio Pigafetta who wrote an eyewitness account of Magellan's voyage described in text and in map a Butuan that stretched from today's Surigao up to the top edge of Zamboanga del Norte.

The first municipal election in Butuan took place on March 1902 in accordance with Public Law No. 82 which coincided with the American occupation of the place.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Butuan was razed to the ground when the guerrilla forces attacked the enemy garrison during the middle of 1943. In 1945, entered of the Philippine Commonwealth troops in Butuan together with the recognized guerrillas attacked the Japanese forces during the Battle of Agusan. On October 20, 1948, still recovering from the war, the entire municipality was ruined by a fire.

The boom of the logging industry during the 1950s up the middle of 1970s has made Butuan the "Timber City of the South". The outcome of which was the influx of business and fortune seekers from other provinces. The once lethargic town suddenly became a bustling locality. The flourishing logging industry inspired and prompted Congressman Marcos M. Calo to file a bill converting Butuan into a city.

The City Hall of the city of Butuan.

On August 2, 1950, Butuan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 523 otherwise known as the City Charter of Butuan.

From being a chartered city, Butuan was reclassified into a highly urbanized city on February 7, 1995 pursuant to the provision of section 166 and 168 of Local Government code of 1991 and Memorandum circular 83-49 of the ministry of local Government. The re-classification was based on its outcome and population as certified by the ministry of finance and national census and statistics office.

Geography

Topography

Butuan City has a land area of 816.62 km², which is roughly 4.1% of the total area of the Caraga region. With an estimated total population of 300,000, it has an average density of 367 persons per km², higher than the regional average density of 101 persons per km².

The existing land use of the city consists of the following uses: agriculture areas (397.23 km²), forestland (268 km²), grass/shrub/pasture land (61.14 km²) and other uses (90.242 km²). Of the total forestland, 105 km² is production forest areas while 167.5 km² is protection forest areas.

The forestland, as mentioned earlier, comprised both the production and protection forest. The classified forest is further specified as production forest and protection forest. In the production forest industrial tree species are mostly grown in the area. The production forest on the other hand, is preserved to support and sustain necessary ecological performance. One is the watershed areas will dry up and during heavy rain, rapid water run-off will occur creating flash floods. And in sunny days, rapid evaporation happens, leaving the area arid.

The city is endowed with swamplands near its coastal area. These swamp areas are interconnected with the waterways joined by the Agusan River. Most of the swamplands are actually mangroves that served as habitat to different marine species.

Filling material needs of the city are extracted usually from the riverbank of Taguibo River. Others are sourced out from promontories with special features and for special purpose.

The fishing ground of Butuan is the Butuan Bay of which two coastal barangays are located. It extends some two kilometers to the sea and joins the Bohol Sea. These are barangays Lumbocan and Masao.

Barangays

Butuan City is politically subdivided into 86 barangays (abbreviated as "Brgy." or "Bgy."). Of these, 27 are classified as urban and the remaining 59 are classified as rural.

Agao (Bgy. 3)
Agusan Pequeño
Ambago
Amparo
Ampayon
Anticala
Antongalon
Aupagan
Baan Km. 3
Baan Riverside (Bgy. 20)
Babag
Bading (Bgy. 22)
Bancasi
Banza
Baobaoan
Basag
Bayanihan (Bgy. 27)
Bilay
Bit-os
Bitan-agan
Bobon
Bonbon
Bugsukan
Buhangin (Bgy. 19)
Cabcabon
Camayahan
Dagohoy (Bgy. 7)
Dankias
Datu Silongan (Bgy. 5)

De Oro
Diego Silang (Bgy. 6)
Don Francisco
Doongan
Dulag
Dumalagan
Florida
Fort Poyohon (Bgy. 17)
Golden Ribbon (Bgy. 2)
Holy Redeemer (Bgy. 23)
Humabon (Bgy. 11)
Imadejas (Bgy. 24)
Jose P. Rizal (Bgy. 25)
Kinamlutan
Lapu-lapu (Bgy. 8)
Lemon
Lumbocan
Leon Kilat (Bgy. 13)
Libertad
Limaha (Bgy. 14)
Los Angeles
M J Santos
Maguinda
Mahay
Mahogany (Bgy. 21)
Maibu
Mandamo
Manila de Bugabos
Maon

Masao
Maug
New Society Village
Nongnong
Obrero (Bgy. 18)
Ong Yiu (Bgy. 16)
Pagatpatan
Pangabogan
Pianing
Pigdaulan
Pinamanculan
Rajah Soliman (Bgy. 4)
Salvacion
San Ignacio (Bgy. 15)
San Mateo
San Vicente
Santo Nino
Sikatuna (Bgy. 10)
Sumile
Sumilihon
Tagabaca
Taguibo
Taligaman
Tandang Sora (Bgy. 12)
Tiniwisan
Tungao
Urduja (Bgy. 9)
Villa Kananga

Education

Archbishop Carmelo D. F. Morelos Campus of Fr. Saturnino Urios University in Brgy. Libertad

Dancers performs during Balangay Festival.

Butuan City is the center of education in the Caraga region. It has also the home grown university of the region the Father Saturnino Urios University. An upcoming university is the Caraga State University, though until the bill in Congress will become law, it will still remain as the Northern Mindanao Institute of Science and Technology (NORMISIST). There is also the Timber City Academy, the oldest Chinese school in the region. Other than the privately-run academic institutions that address the collegiate-level needs of the locals, most basic-level schools are publicly-run, notably the Butuan Central Elementary School and the Agusan National High School - both adjacent to the other and found at the old center of the city. Teachers from these two schools have significant exposure to complimentary seminars and workshops with partnership programs such as the Philippine-Australia Project on Basic Education (PROBE) - and have enabled these two, among other schools to maintain high rating National Achievement Test results. There are also religious schools in the city that are aimed at producing "God-loving, smart and trust-worthy students" like the Liberty Foundational Christian Academy(LFCA).

Festivals

The Kahimunan Festival is celebrated every third Sunday of January in celebration of the city patron Sr. Sto. Niño. This celebration is the version of the Sinulog festival of Cebu City. Kahimunan is a Lumad term which means "gathering".

Cultural festival/tourism consciousness week is a long celebration that lasts from the last week of July up to August 2 in celebration of the Charter Day of Butuan.

Abayan Festival is part cultural festival in celebration of St. Anne patroness of Agusan River celebrated every last Sunday of July.

Adlaw Hong Butuan is the charter day celebration of Butuan, which includes a thanksgiving mass, motorcade, palagsing festival, street party recognitions of outstanding Butuanons and city government employees night.

Butuan celebrates its annual fiesta for the celebration of city patron St. Joseph every May 19 of the year. Many events will be seen such as summer league basketball championship game, thanksgiving mass, and more.

Food delicacies

“PALAGSING” is a local delicacy popularly made in Banza, one of the old poblacion of Butuan City. Butuan City is located in Northeastern Mindanao, bounded by Agusan del Norte to the south, west and north, Agusan del Sur to the east and Butuan Bay to the northwest. The popularity of making delicious “Palagsing” in Banza is attributed to the abundance of Nipa or Asiatic palm tree (Nipa fruticans) where “Unaw”(nipa starch) is harvested from the Palm Treer. Another popular ingredient is young coconut meat taken from coconut trees. The mixture of “unaw”, young coconut , and brown sugar make “palagsing” moist and chewy. They are delicately wrapped by banana leaves and are boiled for 30 minutes to create the soft consistency of “palagsing”.

Shopping

Major Shopping Center and Malls

Gaisano Mall Butuan - Jose C. Aquino Avenue cor. Jose Rosales Avenue
Otis Superstore - Jose C. Aquino Avenue
Otis Mall (not operating) - Km. 3 J.C. Aquino Ave.
Uni city - located along Montilla Boulevard
Crown Trifhti Mart - along Montilla Blvd.
Mancao Square - A. D. Curato

List of major Universities, Colleges in Butuan City

- Father Saturnino Urios University
- Saint Joseph Institute of technology
- Agusan Colleges
- Northern Mindanao State Institute of Science & Technology
- Holy Child Colleges
- Butuan Doctors College
- Butuan City Colleges

Media Institutions

Butuan city has 20 national daily newspapers and 2 local newspapers. It has 3 TV stations, 4 AM radio stations and 6 FM radio stations. Some of the radio stations went off air for some reasons.

AM Radio Stations

DXBC 693 kHz. Radyo Agong owned by Radio Mindanao Network
DXJM 756 kHz. Radyo Asenso (formerly Phil Radio)
DXBN 792 kHz. Radyo ng Bayan owned by PBS.
DXBR 981 kHz. Bombo Radyo Butuan owned by Consolidated Broadcasting System

FM Radio Stations

DXGL 88.7 mHz. Real Radio owned by PEC Broadcasting
DXMB 95.1 mHz. Love Radio owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
DXMK 97.5 mHz. Magik FM owned by Quest Broadcasting
DXBB 98.5 mHz. Wild Fm owned by University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network
DXXX 100.7 mHz. I-Fm owned by RMN
DXNS 102.3 mHz. Killer Bee owned by Northern Mindanao Broadcasting Network (not operating)
DXIL 106.5 mHz. Lite Fm

Highlights

The Agusan River

The Balangay Shrine Museum

The Macapagal Bridge

Agusan river

Agusan River is the widest, deepest and longest navigable river in Mindanao. A cruise along the river barangays reveals much about Butuan's history, culture, arts, and people, and as a tribute to the Patroness of the Agusan River Senora Sta. Ana, the Abayan Festival was born – a day-long celebration of baroto races and fluvial procession at the Agusan River.

Balangay Shrine museum

Five kilometers east of the city proper lays the graveyard of the Balangay 1 dated 320 A.D. or 1688 years old. This wooden plank-build and edge-pegged boats measured an average of 15 meters in length and 3 meters wide across the beam. To date, 9 Balangays have already been discovered in Ambangan, Libertad sites. Three have been excavated and others are still in Situ.

Butuan regional museum

This museum is the repository of historical and cultural materials and artifacts that proves Butuan's prehistoric existence and rich cultural heritage. There are two exhibit galleries. The Archaeological Hall and Ethnological Hall specimens of stone crafts, metal crafts, woodcrafts, potteries, goldsmith, burial coffins, and other archaeological diggings are exhibited. At the Ethnological Hall are exhibits of contemporary cultural materials the Butuanon or every Filipino for matter used for a living.

Mount Mayapay

Looming southwest of the Agusan Valley is this majestic mountain plateau. It rises to 2,214 feet (675 m) above sea level. Mount Mayapay got its name from the ancient Madjapahit Empire. The history behind the Sri-Vishaya period bears much meaning and influence of Butuan's pre-historic and archaeological discoveries.

Sister cities

References

^ ^a ^b 2007 Census of population: Caraga region, Philippine Government: National Statistics Office, http://www.census.gov.ph/data/census2007/index.html, retrieved on 2009-02-24

External links

A History of Butuan City at the Agusan–Surigao Historical Archive
Butuan statistics at the Philippines National Statistical Coordination Board

Etymology

The name Cagayan can be traced back during the arrival of the Recollect friars in 1622, the area around Himologan was already known as cagayan. In fact, early Spanish documents in the 1500s already referred to the place as cagayan. The area of Northern Mindanao, which included Cagayan, was granted as an encomienda to a certain Juan Griego on January 25, 1571. Language researchers trace the etymology of the name "Cagayan" as coming from the Proto-Philippine language, the root of many Filipino languages. In this language, which was Malayo-Polynesian, the word for water was "Ag". "Agus" was the "flow of the water" hence "Agusan" was "the place where there is a flow of the water". In that same language, "Kagay" means "river". "Kagay-an" means "the place of the river". That is the root of the name of Cagayan de Oro, derived from the great river that runs through the city. It also derived from a lost, ancient sound that evolved into "Kagayan", "Karayan", "Kalayan" and others. These derivatives all mean "River".^[2] Former Congressman and Vice President of the Philippines Emmanuel Pelaez appended "de Oro" to "Cagayan" in recognition of the gold mining activities in the area known to Spanish explorers which is a combination of the ancient Malayo-Polynesian and Spanish languages that translates to "City of the River of Gold."

Meanwhile, the abbreviation "CDO" which has become the most popular contraction of the official name of the city has considerably lost popular support from local folks in recent years as a conscious effort to dissociate the city from the brand of processed meat sporting the same name.

History

Cagayan de Misamis circa 1900s

The area was first inhabited around 377 AD (the late Neolithic Period), island natives lived in a settlement then known as Himologan^[3] (now known as Huluga), eight kilometers from present day Cagayan de Oro. The natives were polytheistic animist and paid tributes to Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, the Sultan of Maguindanao. In 1622, two Spanish Augustinian Recollect missionaries came in contact with the natives of Himologan and in 1626, Fray Agustin de San Pedro persuaded the chief of Himologan, Datu Salangsang, to transfer his settlement down river, to the present day Gaston Park. Fray Agustin later fortified the new settlement against warriors who were sent by Sultan Kudarat.

On February 27, 1872, the Spanish Governor General Carlos Maria de La Torre issued a decree declaring Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis. During this era, the name of the town was known as Cagayan de Misamis. On January 10, 1899, Cagayan de Misamis joined the Philippine government of Emilio Aguinaldo and celebrated its independence from Spain. It was the second time the Aguinaldo government was declared and the new Philippine flag raised on the Mindanao island. By virtue of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States; this caused friction and resulted in the Philippine-American War. In March 31, 1900, the Americans occupied Cagayan de Misamis and on April 7, 1900, battle erupted in the town center led by General Nicolas Capistrano^[4] and Filipino resistance fighters. This would later be known as the Battle of Cagayan de Misamis. The Americans won the war, and about forty years later, gave the Philippines its independence July 4, 1946.^[5]

The first settlement down river, to the present day Gaston Park and St.Augustine Cathedral.

In 1738, Spanish dominance was felt in Cagayan de Oro. When Misamis gained status of province in 1818, one of its four districts was the Partidos de Cagayan. In 1871, the "Partidos" became a town and was made permanent capital of Misamis. In 1883, the town became seat of the Spanish government in Mindanao for the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte. Consequently, from a purely farming-fishing area, Cagayan de Oro emerged into a booming commerce and trade center.

The war years in Cagayan de Oro were prompted by the presence of the Americans in 1898. The Americans were initially and successfully repulsed by the local forces led by former Mayor Apolinar Velez at the historic battle of Macahambus in June 4, 1900. After the troubled years, peace finally brought back the economic activities to normal under the guidance of Americans. On June 15, 1950 former President Elpidio Quirino signed Republic Act No. 521 in Malacañang Palace, which granted the status of a chartered city to the Municipality of Cagayan de Misamis. This was made possible through the efforts of then former Congressman and Vice President of the Philippines Emmanuel Pelaez. Today, Cagayan de Oro is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and was declared a highly-urbanized city by the Ministry of Local Government on November 22, 1983.

Geography

Cagayan de Oro is located along the central coast of Northern Mindanao. It is situated in Mindanao, the second giant of the archipelago of all the mass of the Philippines. To the south, the city is bordered by the Bukidnon Province and Lanao del Norte (Iligan City). The Municipality of Opol, Misamis Oriental borders the city on the west and Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental to the east. To the north lies Macajalar Bay facing the Bohol Sea. Its total land area is 488.86 km² representing 13.9 percent of the entire Misamis Oriental Province. It includes 25 kilometers of coastline and a fine deep water harbor, Macajalar Bay. 44.7 percent of the surface of Cagayan de Oro is classified as agricultural land, and 38.4 percent is classified as open spaces.^[6]

Topography and Soil Type

Urban sprawl of Cagayan de Oro City

Cagayan de Oro is characterized by a narrow coastal plain along the Macajalar Bay and by highland areas separated by sleepy inclined escarpment. The lowland is relatively flat and its elevation is not more than 10 meters above the mean sea level. The highlands bound the city in the south from east to west. They consists of plateaus, terraces, gorges. Creeks and rivers traverse and drain to Macajalar Bay. There are seven rivers namely: Cagayan de Oro River, Iponan River, Bigaan River, Cugman River, Umalag River, Agusan river and Alae River. The more notable creeks are Binono-an, Bitan-ag, Indulong, Kolambog, Sapong, and Umalag. About 13,587 hectares or 28 percent of the city's land area have a slope between 0 and 8 percent, which is appropriate for most land uses. Such areas are concentrated on the narrow coastal plain, the flood plain areas of the Cagayan de Oro and Iponan Rivers, and in the upland terraces. The remaining 72 percent of the land have slopes that are greater than 8 percent which pose a challenge to development.

Cagayan de Oro soils are predominantly clayey. Other soil structure are sand, sulfaquent, loam, and clayey loam. Soils which are good for agricultural production are San Manuel Loam and Bantog Clay. The Matima Clay and Umingan Clay Loam are of lesser quality for agricultural production. Other soil types which do not have any agricultural value are hydrosol, beach sand and stony clay. Some of these soils are in rough mountain regions not suitable for exploitation, others are in lowland which are suitable for resort and urban-related uses. The concentration of clay in Barangay Bulua has produced a pottery industry, patronized not only in Cagayan de Oro City but also by surrounding areas. Recently, a German ceramist has made experiments on Bulua clay, mixing it with materials from Surigao and other places in Mindanao.

Climate

Cagayan de Oro has a tropical climate. The average temperature whole year round is 28 °C (82 °F). The highest recorded temperature in the city was 39 °C (102 °F) on June 1998. Cagayan de Oro receives an even amount of rain through out the year. The driest month is April, while July is the wettest. Wet season in the city starts in June and ends in November. Drier season starts in December and ends in May.

[hide] Weather averages for Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	37 (99)	38 (100)	38 (100)	38 (100)	38 (100)	39 (102)	37 (99)	37 (99)	36 (97)	37 (99)	38 (100)	37 (99)	39 (102)
Average high °C (°F)	30 (86)	30 (86)	31 (88)	32 (90)	32 (90)	32 (90)	31 (88)	32 (90)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	31 (88)
Average low °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)
Record low °C (°F)	17 (63)	17 (63)	18 (64)	20 (68)	22 (72)	18 (64)	17 (63)	21 (70)	22 (72)	18 (64)	20 (68)	18 (64)	17 (63)
Source: Weatherbase^[7] February 2007

Language

Cebuano or Visayan, is the city's main conversational language. English is mainly used for business, written text and is also widely used by the academic community. Most of the local population are also fluent in Filipino, the country's national language. Other ethnic dialects are Higaonon, Spanish, Ilongo, Maranao, Waray among others.

People

The residents of Cagayan de Oro are a mixture of Spanish-American, Maranao, Bukidnon and Chinese blood. People from Cagayan de Oro are called Cagayanons or Kagayanons, the Higaonon are early settlers of Cagayan de Oro. Most are brown-skinned of Malay descent and some with mixed ancestry popularly known to locals as mestizo. People from Cagayan de Oro are warm and hospitable giving it the name the City of Golden Friendship.

There are about 44 percent of the household population in Cagayan de Oro classified themselves as Binisaya/Bisaya, 22.15 percent as Cebuano, 4.38 percent as Boholano, while 28.07 percent as other ethnic groups (2000 Philippine census).^[8]

City Events

Higaonon street dancing competition, Kagay-an Festival in 2007

Kagay-an Festival is held every 26th to the 28th of August in celebration of Cagayan de Oro's patron, Saint Augustine of Hippo (Señor San Agustin). Highlights of the Kagay-an Festival are the Kagay-an Agro-Trade Fair, Miss Kagay-an Tourism, Higaonon Street Dancing, Golden Float Parade and the Lambagohan Fluvial Parade. There are also cultural shows, competitions and concerts. The word "Kagay-an" means "the place of the river" is the root of the name of Cagayan de Oro, derived from the great river that runs through the city.
Charter Day every 15th of June, the city celebrates the cityhood of Cagayan de Oro. It was on June 15, 1950 that Cagayan de Misamis became a city and its name changed to Cagayan de Oro.
Kumbira a culinary show and exhibit that started in 1996 by local hoteliers and restaurants, it is now one of the most anticipated culinary show and exhibit in the region. There are food demonstrations, culinary competition and seminars. Hotel and Restaurant Management schools from neighboring provinces participate and showcase their students talent along with local hoteliers. This is usually held in mid of August as part of the Kagay-an Festival.
Kagay-an Agro-Trade Fair a trade fair showcases the different indigenous and home-made products from various parts of Northern Mindanao including Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental province. Products include woven bags, goat's milk, soap, local wine, processed food and others. It is one of the core activities of the Kagay-an Festival.
Holy Week Trek March or April (movable) on the eve of Good Friday (Thursday evening), thousands of Cagayanons trek Malasag Hill for the annual "Via Crucis" or "Way of the Cross". The 3 kilometer trek ends at the Corsillo Retreat House.
Sakay-Sakay sa Lumbago organized way back in the mid 1980's, this fluvial parade, also called Lambagohan Festival, is held along the Cagayan de Oro river. Lambago (scientific name Hibiscus Tiliaceus) is a type of tree that used to be commonly found along the banks of Cagayan de Oro river.
Miss Kagay-an Tourism Filipinos are fond of beauty pagents and Cagayan de Oro is no exception. Local girls compete for the most prestigious beauty pageant in the city. The event, also known as Miss Cagayan de Oro, is held before the city fiesta or Kagay-an Festival.
Golden Float Parade started in 2007, it includes marching bands from different city schools. It is also participated by local government departments and commercial establishments. It is one of the core events in the Kagay-an Festival.
Independence Day every June 12, Philippine Independence Day is celebrated also in the city. Government, military parades and exhibits mark on this event.

Religion

St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral originally built in 1845

Roman Catholic is the city's dominant religion, represented by almost 80 percent of the population. Other religious affiliations include Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals, Iglesia Ni Kristo, Philippine Independent Church, Islam and Pentecostal. The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro is an Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. It is a Metropolitan See in the island of Mindanao the archdiocese comprises three civil provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and Camiguin. Today, the current Archbishop is the Most Reverend Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J., D.D., who was installed on March 4, 2006 and its seat is located in the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral.

Recently, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo Church has also decided to move the replica statue of the Black Nazarene to San Agustin's Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro, in Mindanao, so that Nazarene devotees from Mindanao may not have to travel to Quiapo, Manila for their annual pilgrimage.

Infrastructure

As the trade and services center of Northern Mindanao, the city is a prime location for cost-effective air, land and sea transit. Moreover, its striving business community and the necessary business support facilities makes the process of doing business relaxed and pleasurable. The soundness of the Cagayan de Oro business climate with its rural flavor combined with the warm and easy nature of the local people gives it a self-contained setting that motivated an increasing number expatriate business to stay in the city for good. As an urban center with a regional market orientation, a high level of market sophistication and an economy closely intertwined with the economies of the entire region, the city is poised for planned, rapid and sustained growth.

Utilities

There are six major land based phone companies PLDT-PhilCom, MisOrTel, Smart Broadband (formerly CruzTelCo), ItalTel, SoTelCo and BayanTel serving the city.
Mobile phone services are provided by Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular and Red Mobile, operate vital transmission towers in the city.
There are several internet companies operating in the city offering dial up, broadband, Wi-Fi and cable services. The Pueblo de Oro IT Park located in Upper Carmen is the first PEZA-registered IT park in Mindanao. The IT Park currently houses one of Cagayan de Oro's call centers.
The only cable-based company in the city is the home-grown Cable 21 Technologies, a sister-company of the Parasat Cable TV Inc.
Water services is provided by the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), it was the first water district established in the entire country.
Electricity is provided by the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO). CEPALCO, which began operations in 1952, covers the City of Cagayan de Oro and the Municipalities of Tagoloan, Villanueva and Jasaan, all in the Province of Misamis Oriental, including the 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate and caters to more than 100,000 consumers. The Company's distribution system network now includes 138KV, 69KV, 34.5KV and 13.8KV systems. CEPALCO is also operating the developing world’s first and largest (at the time of its inauguration in 2004) on-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant. The 1-megawatt polycrystalline silicon-based PhotoVoltaic plant in Indahag of this city is connected with the distribution network of CEPALCO.
Road network of the province and that of Cagayan de Oro City already reached 797.133 and 406.87941 kilometers respectively. This already includes the 210.137 kilometers all-weather, two-lane highway connecting the province to Iligan and Butuan cities. Davao is accessible via Butuan City and the alternative route that passes through the province of Bukidnon.
Bridges there are 65 bridges, covering 2,219 linear meters. Length ranges from 6 to 199 linear meters. Types: reinforced concrete deck girder bridge (RCDG), steel, bailey, timber, spillway and footbridge.

Education

Cagayan de Oro is the education hub in Northern Mindanao, home to several universities, colleges and tertiary schools. It has three major private universities, namely: Capitol University, Liceo de Cagayan University and Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan as the first Mindanao university. These institutions specialize in various disciplines such as medicine, nursing, commerce, engineering, and law, as well as graduate and post-graduate courses. The Mindanao University of Science and Technology formerly (Mindanao Polytechnic State College) is the only state university in the city^[9].

index

Bukidnon

Bukidnon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

History

Political History

Cultural history

Geography

Location

Land Area

Topography

Climate

Bodies of Water

Demographics

Population Density

Population by Congressional Districts

Ethnicity

Languages Spoken

Education

People and Culture

Festivals

Economy

Bukidnon Investment Grid (BIG)

Politics and Administration

Malaybalay City

Malaybalay City

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

History

Geography

Location

Climate

Northern Mindanao

Northern Mindanao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

Cultural Groups

Climate

Land Use

Natural Resources

Economy

Political Divisions

Component Cities

External links

See also

Harbin

Harbin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

History

Toxic leak in benzene factory

Subdivisions

Economy

Infrastructure

Architecture

Culture

Russian influence

Winter culture

Tainan City

Tainan City

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

History

Climate

Government

Administrative districts

Foreign relationships

Sister cities

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

History

Economy and industry

Education

Primary and secondary

Tertiary

Politics

Settlements

Transport

Dialect, accent and nickname