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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF AGUSAN DEL SUR
FAST FACTS
Capital : Prosperidad
Area : 8,965 sq. km
Population : 419,920
Cities : none
No. of Towns : 14
Click here for the list of Towns
Map
LOCATION
Agusan del Sur is in northeastern Mindanao. It is bounded on the
north by
Agusan del Norte, on the east by Surigao del Sur, on the west by
Bukidnon
and Misamis Oriental and on the south by Davao.
THE LAND
The rugged terrain is marked by mountain ranges running east and
west of the
Agusan Valley. The Agusan River, which flows from Davao, flows
through
the middle of the Agusan Valley. The valley has fertile lowlands
with many
swamps and lakes, the biggest of which is Lake Lumao in
Talacogon. The
province lies outside the typhoon belt and has no definite dry
season. It rains
mostly from October to January.
A BRIEF HISTORY
In Massam, Esperanza, a 20-cm. tall artifact of a woman in pure
gold was
unearthed and traced to the Majapahit Empire. The discovery
attests to
Agusan's rich pre-Historic cultural history. During the Spanish
colonial
administration, Agusan was a part of the province of Surigao. The
Americans
made it a separate province in 1911, with Butuan as its capital.
During World
War II a unit of the Philippine United States defense forces was
located at
Manot, Talacogon, in the interior of the Agusan Valley. The site
included a
library that furnished information on the progress of the war.
Agusan was
divided into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur in 1967.
THE PEOPLE
The population consists predominantly of migrants form the
Visayas attracted
by the lumber industry. Cebuano is spoken by approximately 67% of
the
population. The hinterlands and riverbanks have particularly
large
concentrations of tribal settlers. The Manobos, who have
settlements in
Bayugan in the north and Sagunto in the south, are known for
their planting
and harvesting rituals, as well as wedding ceremonies. The
Higaonons, found
in Bayagan and neighboring Esperanza, live in high, swaying
treehouses
consisting of small family rooms linked by catwalks to a central
communal
area. To these people, oratory is an art form; sometimes they
even argue in
verse. Other groups include the Banwaon, Matigsalug and the
fierce Magahat
and Talaandig - vanishing tribes that have been driven deeper
into the jungles.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Logging is the main industry. There are some rice and corn mills
in addition to
the logging firms and lumberyards. Mining is another enterprise
but most
activities are small in scale.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:August 08, 1999.
