PROVINCE PROFILE

Agusan del Sur belongs to the Caraga Region. It is an elongated basin formation with mountain ranges in the eastern and western sides forming a valley, which occupies the central longitudinal section of the land. The Agusan River, which flows from Compostela Valley in the south towards Agusan del Norte in the north, runs almost in the middle of the valley and empties at Butuan Bay. The river has twelve tributaries: Wawa, Gibong and Simulao Rivers in the eastern side and Ojot, Pusilao, Kasilayan, Libang, Maasam, Adgawan, Cawayan, Umayam and Ihaon Rivers in the western side. These tributaries are fed by streams and creeks. The southern half of the province from the municipality of Veruela is an area filled with swamps and lakes, the biggest of which is Talacogon Lake. In 1976, the province's land area was 8,568 square kilometres, making it the seventh largest province in the country. After claiming the disputed boundary between Davao del Norte, Butuan City and with the creation of Sibagat, Agusan del Sur now has an area of 8966 km².

The province is geographically situated below the typhoon belt but is usually affected by depressions forming in the typhoon regions of Visayas and the province of Surigao del Norte.

2. Political Subdivision

Agusan del Sur is divided into two districts. The First District is composed of six (6) municipalities and one (1) city, namely: Sibagat, Esperanza, Bayugan City, Lapaz, San Luis, Talacogon, and Prosperidad. The Second District composed of seven (7)municipalities, namely: San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan, Trento, Sta. Josefa, Veruela, and Loreto. The province has a total of 314 barangays.

3. Major Crops and Natural Resources

Based on census, 75% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and forestry. Rice, corn and fruits are among the major agricultural crops.

Agriculture

• Rice occupies the largest cultivated area, with 243.85 square kilometres of irrigated area with a yield of 410 t/km², and rainfed rice with an area of about 165.73 km² with a yield of 300 t/km². The province's rice production has the estimated capacity to feed 1,072,456 people—far more than the provinces population. Ironically, rice insufficiency persists, especially in the upland and hard to reach barangays.

• Corn plantations cover 255.25 km² for both white and yellow corn with a total production of 55,767 t in 2000 with surplus corn grits of 31,106 MT enough to feed more than 2 million people, four times greater than the province's population.

• Banana is another abundant crop covering an area of 127.45 km² and could be seen everywhere but not in conventional plantation form. Banana chips are also processed in the province.

• Oil palm plantation covers 118 km². The plantation is a Malaysian-Filipino joint venture, with agrarian reform beneficiaries as land owners. Crude oil is processed in the sites of Rosario and Trento.

• Coconut trees are widespread in the province, covering 393.36 km².

DEMOGRAPHICS

In 2000, the province had a population of 559,294. This represented an increase of 44,558 persons or 7.96% since 1995. The annual population growth rate was 1.79%. The 103,637 households had an average household size of 5.39 persons. The population density was 62 persons per square kilometer, with a male to female ratio of 107:100.

The dominant religion is Roman Catholic (79% of the population). Other major religions include the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Aglipay, Iglesia ni Cristo, United Pentecostal Church, Born Again and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

Five tribal groups are found in the province: Aeta, Mamanwa, Bagobo, Higaonon and Manobo. The Manobos live along the national highway and river towns towards the boundary with the Compostela Valley. The Higaonons live mostly on the western side of Agusan River, specifically the town of Esperanza towards the boundary with Bukidnon.

The Agusan del Sur population is predominantly composed of immigrants from the Visayas. Intermarriages between immigrants and natives have pulled down the percentage of the lumad stock.

Cebuano is the most common language spoken in Agusan del Sur.