Cagayan Province History
Profile of Cagayan Province (Geography)
Location –> Cagayan Valley Region in northeastern Luzon, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Ilocos Norte
Capital –> Tuguegarao City
Area –> 9,295.75 km2 (3,589.11 sq mi)
Population –> 1,199,320 (2015 census)
Terrain –> Mountainous in the east and west, broad lowland at the middle part, bisected by the mighty Cagayan River
Industries –> Agriculture, Cottage Industries
Major Products –> Rice, Corn, Tobacco, Livestock
People/Language –> Ilocano, Ibanag, Tagalog
City –> Tuguegarao
Municipalities (Towns) –> (28) Abulug, Alcala, Allacapan, Amulung, Aparri, Baggao, Ballesteros, Buguey, Calayan, Camalaniugan, Claveria, Enrile, Gattaran, Gonzaga, Iguig, Lal-lo, Lasam, Pamplona, Penablanca, Piat, Rizal, Sanchez Mira, Santa Ana, Santa Praxedes, Santa Teresita, Santo Nino, Solana, Tuao
Government Officials
Go here to see the elected officials of Cagayan Province.
Cagayan Province History
Recent Archaeological findings point out that Cagayan has one of the earliest settlements in Philippines dating back to around 500,000 years ago. Migrations of Malayo-Polynesian groups settled along the banks of the river valleys in the province. Later, the Agtas or Aeta group emerged to be the first tribal group to populate the region. As more people moved to the province, other tribal groups such as Ibanags, Itawes, Yogads, Gaddangs, Irayas and Malawegs were formed and the aboriginal people were pushed to the hinterlands. These group of people had trading relations with other nations particularly the Japanese and the Chinese.
The Spanish colonizers led by Juan de Salcedo explored the coastal areas and on June 29, 1583, established what is now the province of Cagayan after driving away the Japanese pirates. The town of Lallo became the seat of the diocese of Nueva Segovia in 1595 which covered the whole of northern Luzon. On September 7, 1758, the seat of the diocese was transferred to Vigan in Ilocos Sur.
The original province of Cagayan covered the whole Cagayan Valley. Through the centuries, other provinces such as Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, Batanes, and Quirino were created. In 1901, Cagayan as a province was again formalized with the enactment of Ac No. 209 by the the United States Philippine Commission.
When the First Philippine Legislature was established in 1907, the province was represented by Pablo Guzman (1st District) and Gabriel Lasam (2nd District).
During World War II, the town of Aparri was one of the earliest landing areas of the invading Japanese forces.
Go here to see all the famous people from cagayan.
Go here to see all the candidates and results of the 2019 election in Cagayan Province.
Read the history of Cagayan Province in Tagalog here.
Economy of Cagayan Province
Cagayan is one of the biggest producers of rice, corn, and tobacco. It is also a major producer of sugarcane. With its varied natural and man-made attractions, it is fast becoming a tourism hub in northern Luzon.
Cagayan Province is home to the Cagayan Special Economic Zone with its anchor freeport being developed in the town of Sta. Ana. This economic zone is envisioned to attract investment and eventually provide job opportunities to the people of northern Luzon.
RELATED: Callao Cave in Penablanca Town
See also:
Batanes travel and History
List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region