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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF CAMIGUIN
FAST FACTS
Capital : Mambajao
Area : 229 sq km
Population : 62,247
Cities : none
No. of Towns : 5
Click Here To View The
List Of Towns.
LOCATION
Camiguin is a volcanic island with seven volcanoes dominating the
rugged,
hilly terrain.. The three highest volcanoes in the province are
Mt. Tempoong,
(1,580 m), Mt. Mambajao (1,420 m), Mt. Hibok-Hibok (1,250) m).
The
coastline alternates between black or white sand beaches and
volcanic rock.
Bays surrounding the province are the coastal population's source
of
livelihood. Vegetation and natural springs make the island's
climate cool, mild,
and invigorating. Dry season starts in April and lasts for three
months;
November to January are the coldest months.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The name Camiguin is derived from the word kamagong, which is a
tree of
the ebony family. The original inhabitants were the Manobo who
migrated
from Surigao. When Visayan settlers arrived, the Manobo retreated
to the
highlands of Mindanao. The people of Camiguin were already
trading with
merchants of neighboring Asian countries when Ferdinand Magellan
and
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed here in 1521 and 1565
respectively. But it
was not until 1598 that a Spanish settlement was founded in what
later came
to be Guinsiliban. Catarman, where barangay Bonbon is now, became
the
major settlement in the island until 1871 when Vulkan Daan
erupted, sinking
part of the town in the sea, after which the town proper was
moved to its
present site. Mambajao was not established until 1855 but it grew
quickly to
be the busiest part in northern Mindanao in the early 1900s.
During World War II, the Japanese burned downtown Mambajao to
retaliate
against guerilla activities in the island. When Mt. Hibok-Hibok
erupted in
1951, lava covered many barrios in Mambajao and 3,000 people were
killed.
Camiguin was a part of Misamis Oriental until 1958 when it became
a
sub-province. It was made into a separate province on June 18,
1966 through
Republic Act No. 4669, but was formally inaugurated only in 1968.
THE PEOPLE
The population is of Visayan descent. Cebuano and Hiligaynon are
the main
dialects. A few people in Sagay and Guinsiliban still speak the
old native
language called Kinamiguin.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
The main occupation of the people are farming and fishing.
Camiguin clay is
considered to be the best for coconuts, bananas, coffee, and
fruit trees.
Lanzones grown on the slopes of Mt. Hibok-Hibok is said to be the
sweetest
in the country. Local fishing is mostly at the marginal or
subsistence level.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:February 02, 1999.
