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A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS |
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Geographical Location
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Dapitan City lies on the northwestern coast of the island of Mindanao with approximate geographical coordinates of 8o 50’ North latitude and 123o 30’ East longitude. It is about 404 nautical miles (or 650 kilometers) southwest of Metropolitan Manila.
It is a double wedge-shaped mass of land bounded on the north by the Sulu Sea and link on the south by the Municipalities of Mutia and La Libertad, on the east by the Municipalities of Sibutad and Rizal, on the west by Dipolog City and the Municipalities of Polanco, Sibutad, La Libertad and Rizal, all of the province of Zamboanga del Norte.
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Topography
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It is described as “level to rolling.” The interior is hilly and mountainous with elevation ranging from 200 to 400 feet above sea level. Coastal areas are generally plain except for some hilly terrains along northern coastlines.
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Soil
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The city has four (4) main soil types: the Hydrosol, Maligaya Clayloam, Rockland and San Manuel Sandy Loam. The most prevalent soil type is the Maligaya Clayloam which is suited to the cultivation of coconut. This is the main reason that the
major agricultural product of the city is copra. On the other hand San Manuel sandy loam is found in the lowlands, including certain parts of the poblacion area where rice is mostly grown. The swampy areas surrounding the poblacion island is Hydrosol type and in the upland barangays the Rockland soil type.
The poblacion island is surrounded by Liboran River, one of two major rivers in the City. A large potion of swamps and marshes along both sides of the river have been developed into productive fishponds. On the southern
section is the Dapitan River which traverses the interior barangays spilling towards Dapitan Bay on the north.
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CITY OF DAPITAN SOIL MAP |
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Area and Political Subdivision
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The City has a total land area of 29,521 hectares or 29.521 square kilometers. There are 50 barangays of which seven (7) barangays are in the poblacion island. There are 13 coastal barangays and two (2) island barangays. The poblacion has a total land area of 193 hectares representing 1.33 percent of the entire land area.
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Climate
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The climate of Dapitan is dependent mainly on local air currents which are caused by various thermal conditions. Local air currents from the month of
November to April are northern or the northeastern monsoon but from May to October, the air currents are variable with the southwest monsoon slightly predominant.
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Language/Dialect Spoken
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About ninety – nine (99%) of the population speak the Cebuano (Visayan) dialect. Other dialects spoken include Ilonggo, Subano, Tagalog, Tausog, Ilocano and Chavacano. Local Chinese still use Mandarin and Cantonese. A majority of the Dapitanons are at ease with the English language
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Religion
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Dapitan is one of the homes of Christianity in the Philippines. More than 95.0% of its people embrace Roman Catholicism, the oldest and most dominant religion in the city.
Other Christian churches found in the city are the Seventh Day Adventist, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, The Church of Latter Day Saints, Assembly of God, Iglesia sa Dios Espiritu Santo, Iglesia ni Kristo and other evangelical and missionary churches.
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Local Festival
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The “Kinabayo Festival” occurs from June 12 – July 25 of every year, with centerpiece events happening from the 16th to the 25th of July, and culminating with the annual feast of St. James, the Greater,
Dapitan’s patron saint. Traditionally, this festival ia a re-enactment of the Battle of Covadonga, where the Spanish forces under Pelagio took their last stand against the Saracens and were only able to reverse the tide of war with the miraculous apparition of St. James, the Greater. The annual revelry is on its 2nd
year only, but it promises to become a popular, exotic, and colorful attraction, which will lure thousands of visitors to the city.
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