PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Location

Davao Oriental is strategically located in the Easternmost part of the region XI. It ranges about 189.30 in kilometers from its common boundaries. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the East, Davao Province in the West, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur in the North and Davao Gulf and Celebes Sea in the South. Its proximity to the Pacific justifies the efforts of grooming Davao Oriental as the gateway to the Pacific.

Mati, the provincial capital, can be reached from Manila by taking any of the daily scheduled airline flights to Davao City or regularly scheduled inter-island vessels that ply the Manila-Davao City route. From, Davao City, Mati is accessible by 25-minute chartered plane or via 3-hour private car ride or a 4-hour public utility bus ride on a fully concreted and/or asphalted highways.

Political Subdivision and Land Area

The diverse natural resources including forest and agricultural products, mineral resources and tourist spots are a source of potential industries, investments possibilities and employment opportunities for the Province. These resources have already been tapped for support purposes but utilization of the same is yet to be fully maximized. Presently, various areas are already being identified and promoted for eco-tourism development and centers for information on potential investments are also in place.

The province is composed of two congressional districts covering eleven (11) municipalities with Mati as the Provincial Capital. These municipalities are further subdivided into 183 barangays. The province has a total land area of 5,164 square kilometers representing 16.21 percent of the total land area of Region XI. Among its municipalities, Baganga has the largest land area with 1,177.10 square kilometers while San Isidro has the smallest land area with only 205.20 square kilometers.

Topography

The eastern coast of the province is fringed with mountain ranges while the rest of the area has an uneven distribution of hills, swamps and lowlands. Of the total land area of the province, about 493.68 km2 are classified as lowlands, 235.90 km2 as uplands; 2,263,48 km2 as hilly lands; and about 2,154.35 as mountainous areas. The remaining 17.05 km2 are covered by creeks, braided river beds, lakes and quarries.

Education

There is one (1) tertiary formal education institution in the province; the Davao Oriental Stat College of Science and Technology (DOSCST) Main Campus in Mati and two (2) extension campuses located in Cateel and San Isidro. Other private vocational institutions in Mati namely: Don Bosco Vocational School, Davao Oriental Technological School (DOTS), SOFTWARE Technological Institute (STI), Christian Academy of Davao Oriental (CANDOR) Mati Doctor's College (MDC) and Mati Polytechnic College (MPC) are also providing vocational education.

BIMP-EAGA

Using Davao City as transit point, the province is readily accessible to the markets of the BMIP-EAGA particularly North Sulawesi, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam.

Roads

As of 1995, the road network of the province totals to 2,021.062 kilometers distributed as follows:


National Road	-	316,771 kms.
Provincial Road	-	548,84 kms.
Municipal Road	-	93,070 kms.
Barangay Road	-	1,062.280 kms.

Bridges

The existing spanned some 4,091.96 l.m. with the following breakdown and type:

Water Supply

There are thirteen (13) existing Level III water systems in the province serving about 2,989 households or 13% of the urban population. The water systems are maintained by the Local Government Units and the Local Water Units Administration.

Airport

Concrete runways that stretch 1,600 meters can accommodate both light, jet and cargo planes like B737 and C130. likewise, a private airship is existing in Limbajon, Baganga.

Seaport

The province maritime transport system constitutes two (2) municipal/feeder ports and three (3) private ports. The two municipal ports are strategically located in Mati and Baganga. The Mati port, having enough berthing, serves as docking point for international ships. The five ports are located in Mati, Baganga and Cateel.

Communications

All municipalities throughout the province have each a main post office to handle all mails and other postal services.

Mati has one (1) AM radio station the DXHM 549 kHz. AM Band owned and operated by the Diocese of Mati. And one (1) FM Station the DXRN-MBN "Radio Natin" Radio Station of Manila Broadcasting Network.

There are two (2) telephone companies currently operating in Mati. The Mati Telephone Company (MTC) serving NDD and IDD calls and PHILCOM Corporation for Mati subscribers.

PHILCOM Corporation established its communication networks/facilities to augment the communication needs of the province. it serves NDD and IDD calls in two major calling stations in Mati and Lupon. Seven (7) additional calling stations are also located in Cateel, Baganga, Caraga, Manay, San Ignacio, Tarragona and Banaybanay operated by PHILCOM agents. Other telecommunication companies such as PT&T and RCPI are also present in Mati and Manay providing telegraph services and telephone booths for NDD and IDD calls.

There are eleven (11) established public calling offices under the Municipal Telephone Program of DOTC providing DD and IDD calls.

GLOBE and SMART cell sites are also strategically installed in every municipalities providing direct access to landlines and cellular phones.

Power Supply

The eleven (11) municipalities are energized thru the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative (DORECO) as provided by the National Power Corporation via Mindanao Grid.