Caraga is an administrative region of the Philippines, on the northeastern portion of the island of Mindanao, also called Region XIII. The Caraga Region was created through Republic Act No. 7901 on February 23, 1995. The region is composed of five provinces: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands;^[1] six cities: Bayugan, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao, Tandag, Bislig; 67 municipalities and 1,311 barangays. Butuan City is the regional center.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Political divisions 3.1 Location and size 3.2 Topography 3.3 Climate 4 Land classification and major land uses 5 Gross regional domestic product (GRDP) 6 Demography 6.1 Population 6.2 Language 6.3 Religion 6.4 Cultural groups 7 Poverty 8 Regional economy 8.1 Caraga’s GRDP: 2001-2003 8.2 Exports and investments 9 Natural resources 10 Major products 11 Tourist attractions 11.1 Surfing 11.2 Island-hopping 11.3 Mountain-biking 11.4 Trekking 11.5 Scuba diving 11.6 Spelunking 11.7 Bird-watching 11.8 Events and festivals 12 Facilities 13 Social development 13.1 Education and skills development 13.2 Health and nutrition 13.3 Social welfare services 13.4 Housing 14 Infrastructure-utilities development 14.1 Roads and bridges 14.2 Ports and airports 14.3 Telecommunication facilities 15 References 16 See also

Etymology

The etymology of the word "Caraga" is said to have originated from the native word "Kalag" which means "spirit of soul". Hence, the whole Provincia de Caraga of AD 1622 was called "region de gente animosa", that is "region of spirited men". Another fictional etymology of the name "Caraga" flows from a local legend as coming from the word "Cagang", a numerous small crabs matting the beach of Caraga, which is also known asa "katang" to the native Caraguenos. Legend goes that the town was named as such because the first Spanish missionaries who came in the early years of 1600 found numerous small crabs matting the beach.

History

The "Kalagans", called "Caragans" by the Spaniards, occupied the district composed of the two provinces of Surigao, the northern part of Davao Oriental and eastern Misamis Oriental. The two Agusan provinces were later organized under the administrative jurisdiction of Surigao and became the independent Agusan province in 1914. In 1960, Surigao was divided into Norte and Sur, and in June 1967, Agusan followed suit. While Butuan then was just a town of Agusan, the logging boom in the 1950s drew business to the area. On August 2, 1950, by virtue of Republic Act 523, the City Charter of Butuan was approved. It is reported that during the early years of the Caraga region, its inhabitants came from mainland Asia, followed by Malayans, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Americans. Migrants from the Visayan and Luzon provinces later settled in the area. Most of its inhabitants speak Cebuano and reside in the rural area