Gigaquit, Surigao Del Norte
The name is derived from the words gigad (meaning "shore") and gakit (meaning "bamboo raft") and refers to the means of transportation that the early settlers used to travel from the inland to the shore.
History
Gigaquit was established in 1850 by Cero, a native who fortified the place to make it safe from Moro raiders. During this period, the local population was Christianized by priests from religious orders who made Saint Augustine their patron saint.
Bacuag and Claver, which had been part of Gigaquit, became separate municipalities in 1918 and 1955 under Executive Order Nos. 61 and 126 respectively.
Geography
Barangays
Gigaquit is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
- Alambique (Poblacion)
- Anibongan
- Cam-boayon
- Camam-onan
- Ipil (Poblacion)
- Lahi
- Mahanub
- Poniente
- San Antonio (Bonot)
- San Isidro (Parang)
- Sico-sico
- Villaflor
- Villafranca
Climate
| Climate data for Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 210 (8.3) |
161 (6.3) |
123 (4.8) |
85 (3.3) |
148 (5.8) |
186 (7.3) |
164 (6.5) |
157 (6.2) |
141 (5.6) |
190 (7.5) |
223 (8.8) |
200 (7.9) |
1,988 (78.3) |
| Average rainy days | 21.0 | 16.8 | 18.5 | 18.2 | 24.9 | 27.7 | 28.4 | 27.0 | 26.1 | 27.6 | 24.6 | 22.0 | 282.8 |
| Source: Meteoblue | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 5,290 | — |
| 1918 | 14,244 | +6.83% |
| 1939 | 13,676 | −0.19% |
| 1948 | 14,431 | +0.60% |
| 1960 | 8,368 | −4.44% |
| 1970 | 11,097 | +2.86% |
| 1975 | 11,810 | +1.26% |
| 1980 | 13,186 | +2.23% |
| 1990 | 13,715 | +0.39% |
| 1995 | 15,261 | +2.02% |
| 2000 | 16,155 | +1.23% |
| 2007 | 18,870 | +2.17% |
| 2010 | 18,784 | −0.17% |
| 2015 | 20,864 | +2.02% |
| 2020 | 21,849 | +0.91% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority | ||
Economy
Poverty incidence of Gigaquit
10
20
30
40
50
60
2006
45.20 2009
59.64 2012
41.53 2015
40.52 2018
39.23 2021
34.62 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority |