Cateel | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Cateel | |
 Aliwagwag Falls | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Map of Davao Oriental with Cateel highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Cateel Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:7°47′24″N126°27′11″E / 7.79°N 126.4531°E /7.79; 126.4531 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Davao Region |
| Province | Davao Oriental |
| District | 1st district |
| Established | October 29, 1903[1] |
| Barangays | 16 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Erlinda C. Nuñez |
| • Vice Mayor | Camilo T. Nuñez |
| • Representative | Corazon N. Malanyaon |
| • Municipal Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 33,776 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 545.56 km2 (210.64 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 233 m (764 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 2,484 m (8,150 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[4] | |
• Total | 45,623 |
| • Density | 83.626/km2 (216.59/sq mi) |
| • Households | 10,902 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 2nd municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 30.58 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 306.9 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 397.2 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 256.6 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 163.2 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative (DORECO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 8205 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)87 |
| Native languages | Davawenyo Surigaonon Cebuano Kalagan Kamayo Mandaya |
| Website | www |
Cateel ([kɐtiʔil]), officially theMunicipality of Cateel (Cebuano:Lungsod sa Cateel;Tagalog:Bayan ng Cateel), is amunicipality in theprovince ofDavao Oriental,Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,207 people.[6]
Cateel is the home of the Aliwagwag Falls, located at barangay Aliwagwag within theAliwagwag Protected Landscape. It is a towering stream of waterfalls considered by hydraulic engineers as the highest in the country and regarded as one of the most beautiful falls in the Philippines. It is a series of 84 falls appearing like a stairway to heaven with various heights among the steps ranging from 2 to 33.5 metres (7 to 110 ft). One step is measured 22 metres (72 ft) and another is 20 metres (66 ft). Overall Aliwagwag Falls has a height of 340 metres (1,120 ft) and a width of 20 metres (66 ft). All these in the midst of a virgin forest, a river settles at the foot of the falls with 13 rapids to cross.
Cateel is the first municipality in Mindanao. It was the place where Spaniards first docked in Mindanao which reflects how majority of its primary inhabitants converted to Catholicism.
In 1959, Mainit and Alegria were converted into barrios.[7]
The municipality was one of the hardest-hit towns ofTyphoon Bopha when it crossed the town on December 3, 2012.[8]
Cateel has atropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round with extremely heavy rainfall in December and January.
| Climate data for Caraga | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.9 (85.8) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.8 (89.2) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.2 (88.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.8 (80.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.0 (71.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.4 (72.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 794 (31.3) | 581 (22.9) | 532 (20.9) | 344 (13.5) | 233 (9.2) | 113 (4.4) | 110 (4.3) | 92 (3.6) | 92 (3.6) | 182 (7.2) | 300 (11.8) | 675 (26.6) | 4,048 (159.3) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[9] | |||||||||||||
Cateel is politically subdivided into 16barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks while some havesitios.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 4,101 | — |
| 1918 | 5,906 | +2.46% |
| 1939 | 9,243 | +2.16% |
| 1948 | 10,671 | +1.61% |
| 1960 | 14,586 | +2.64% |
| 1970 | 14,633 | +0.03% |
| 1975 | 15,849 | +1.61% |
| 1980 | 20,084 | +4.85% |
| 1990 | 26,144 | +2.67% |
| 1995 | 27,211 | +0.75% |
| 2000 | 28,655 | +1.11% |
| 2007 | 33,109 | +2.01% |
| 2010 | 38,579 | +5.72% |
| 2015 | 40,704 | +1.03% |
| 2020 | 44,207 | +1.75% |
| 2024 | 45,623 | +0.76% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[10][11][12][13][14] | ||
Poverty incidence of Cateel
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
Places adjacent to Cateel | |
|---|---|
 Province ofDavao Oriental | |
|---|---|
Mati (capital and largest city) | |
| Municipalities | |
| Component cities | |
