| Davao del Norte | |||||
| Official Name: | Province of Davao del Norte | ||||
| Nickname: | "Banana Capital of the Philippines" | ||||
| Flag Size: | 120x80px | ||||
| Seal Size: | 100x80px | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Established Title: | Founded | ||||
| Established Date: | May 8, 1967 | ||||
| Seat Type: | Capital | ||||
| Leader Title: | Governor | ||||
| Leader Name: | Edwin I. Jubahib (PFP) | ||||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Governor | ||||
| Leader Name1: | De Carlo L. Uy (Independent) | ||||
| Leader Title2: | Legislature | ||||
| Leader Name2: | Davao del Norte Provincial Board | ||||
| Area Footnotes: | [1] | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 3,422.61 | ||||
| Area Rank: | 39th out of 81 | ||||
| Elevation Max M: | 1,115 | ||||
| Elevation Max Point: | Mount Masimalon | ||||
| Population Rank: | 25th out of 81 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Population Density Rank: | 24th out of 81 | ||||
| Population Demonym: | Northern Davaoeño | ||||
| Demographics Type1: | Divisions | ||||
| Demographics1 Title1: | Independent cities | ||||
| Demographics1 Info1: | 0 | ||||
| Demographics1 Title2: | Component cities | ||||
| Demographics1 Title3: | Municipalities | ||||
| Demographics1 Title4: | Barangays | ||||
| Demographics1 Info4: | 223 | ||||
| Demographics1 Title5: | Districts | ||||
| Demographics1 Info5: | Legislative districts of Davao del Norte | ||||
| Timezone: | PHT | ||||
| Utc Offset: | +8 | ||||
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Spoken languages | ||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Income classification | ||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | 1st class | ||||
| Etymology: | Davao del Norte (i.e., "Northern Davao") | ||||
| Image Map1: |
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Davao del Norte (Cebuano: Amihanang Dabaw; Filipino; Pilipino: Hilagang Davao), officially the Province of Davao del Norte (Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Amihanang Dabaw, Lalawigan sa Davao del Norte; Filipino; Pilipino: Lalawigan ng Hilagang Davao, Lalawigan ng Davao del Norte), is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital and largest city is Tagum. The province also includes Samal Island to the south in Davao Gulf.
Before 1967, the five provinces—Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental—and Guipuzcoa were administered as a single province named Davao, a provincial district of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. The present-day Davao Region is coterminous with this former province.
Davao del Norte is also known as "The Banana Capital of the Philippines."
Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro (Compostela Valley) by R.A. 8470, January 30, 1998, together with Davao Oriental, and Davao Occidental from Davao del Sur by R.A. 10360, July 23, 2013, used to be a whole province simply known as Davao Region. This original province was split into three: Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and Davao del Sur when Republic Act No. 4867 (authored by Representative Lorenzo S. Sarmiento, Sr.) was signed into law on May 8, 1967, by President Ferdinand Marcos.[2]
Davao del Norte originally comprised thirteen municipalities: Asuncion, Babak (now in Samal), Compostela, Kapalong, Mabini, Mawab, Monkayo, Nabunturan, Panabo, Pantukan, Samal, Santo Tomas and Tagum. On May 6, 1970, six more municipalities were created: Carmen, Kaputian (now in Samal), Maco, Montevista, New Bataan, and New Corella.
The passage of Republic Act No. 6430 on June 17, 1972, changed the name of the province from Davao del Norte to Davao.[3]
By 1996, Davao had a total of twenty-two municipalities with the creation of San Vicente (now Laak) in 1979,[4] Maragusan in 1988,[5] [6] and Talaingod in 1991.[7]
On January 31, 1998, President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8470, which split the province into two, creating the province of Davao de Oro (Compostela Valley).[8] In the meantime, Davao was renamed back to Davao del Norte. Together with the creation of the new province, two cities and one municipality were created: the municipality of Tagum, capital of Davao del Norte, was converted into a city (R.A. 8472);[9] Samal, Babak, and Kaputian were joined into the city of Samal (R.A. 8471);[10] and the municipality of Braulio E. Dujali was created out of several barangays in Panabo and Carmen (R.A. 8473).[11] The province then had 8 municipalities and 2 cities.
Republic Act No. 9015, signed into law on March 5, 2001, by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, converted the municipality of Panabo into a city.[12] Republic Act No. 9265, approved on March 15, 2004, created the municipality of San Isidro from Asuncion and Kapalong.[13]
Davao del Norte covers a total area of occupying the north-central section of the Davao Region. The province borders Agusan del Sur to the north, Bukidnon to the west, Davao de Oro to the east, and Davao City to the south.
Samal is the only municipality or city in the province not situated on Mindanao island. The city covers the entire Samal and Talikud Islands within Davao Gulf.
Davao del Norte comprises eight municipalities and three cities.
| City municipality | District | Population | Area | Density | Coordinates | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asuncion | 1st | 59,322 | 297.39km2 | NaN61,893/297.39 | 20 | 7.5384°N 125.7532°W | |||||||
| Braulio E. Dujali | 2nd | 30,104 | 91km2 | NaN35,729/91 | 5 | 7.4482°N 125.6894°W | |||||||
| Carmen | 2nd | 74,679 | 166km2 | NaN82,018/1660 | 20 | 7.3556°N 125.7045°W | |||||||
| Kapalong | 1st | 76,334 | 830.01km2 | NaN81,068/830.01 | 14 | 7.5854°N 125.7071°W | |||||||
| New Corella | 1st | 54,844 | 263.12km2 | NaN57,913/263.12 | 20 | 7.5867°N 125.8222°W | |||||||
| Panabo | ∗ | 2nd | 184,599 | 251.23km2 | NaN209,230/251.23 | 40 | 7.3004°N 125.6826°W | ||||||
| Samal | ∗ | 2nd | 104,123 | 301.3km2 | NaN116,771/301.30 | 46 | 7.0744°N 125.7086°W | ||||||
| San Isidro | 1st | 26,651 | 152.49km2 | NaN27,233/152.49 | 13 | 7.7383°N 125.7469°W | |||||||
| Santo Tomas | 2nd | 118,750 | 221.8km2 | NaN128,667/221.80 | 19 | 7.5285°N 125.6238°W | |||||||
| Tagum | † | 1st | 259,444 | 195.8km2 | NaN296,202/195.80 | 23 | 7.4468°N 125.8095°W | ||||||
| Talaingod | 1st | 27,482 | 656.83km2 | NaN28,333/656.83 | 3 | 7.6256°N 125.6185°W | |||||||
| Total | 1,125,057 | 1,016,332 | 3,426.97 | 3426.97km2 | NaNPD/km2NaNPD/km2 | 223 | |||||||
Davao del Norte had a population of 1,125,057 in the 2020 census. The population density was . The main languages spoken are Cebuano and Davawenyo while English and Filipino are also widely spoken.
Talaingod is the home of many Indigenous groups in Davao del Norte, with most of them Lumads and Aetas.
Davao del Norte is a primarily agricultural, but also engages in mining, forestry, and commercial fishing.
The principal crops of the province include rice, maize, banana, coconut, abacá, ramie, coffee, and a variety of fruit and root crops. Davao del Norte is the country's leading producer of bananas, with many plantations run by multinationals Dole and Del Monte, and local producers such as Lapanday, TADECO, and Marsman. Davao del Norte is also one of Mindanao's leading producer of rice.
Davao Gulf, to the south of the province, provides a living for many fisherfolk. Some of the fish products include brackish water milkfish, tilapia, shrimp, and crab; and freshwater catfish and tilapia.
Davao del Norte is a major producer of gold, and its mining resources include silica, silver, copper, and elemental sulfur. Small-scale gold mining activities thrive in several areas. There are also numerous active quarries of commercial quantities of gravel, sand, and pebbles for construction.
Tourism is also a major part of the economy of Davao del Norte. There are a lot of beaches on Samal Island, the most famous of which is Pearl Farm Beach Resort. Banana Beach Resort is the most famous beach outside of Samal Island.
Commerce is also a major part of the economy of Davao del Norte. There are lot of shopping malls in Tagum.