Surigao del Norte Province is a province of the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Surigao City. The province consists of two major islands – Siargao Island, and Bucas Grande Island – in the Philippine Sea, and a small region at the northernmost tip of the island of Mindanao. This mainland portion borders Agusan del Norte, and Surigao del Sur to the south.
Mangrove is the major theme in the coastal areas of the province. The salt-water loving trees form interminable marine forests covering 175 square kilometres along the coasts of the mainland and the islands of Siargao and Bucas Grande. The province also boasts of a variety of marine ecosystems like the lush seagrass beds and coral reefs which are relatively healthy and intact, supporting a rich diversity of marine flora and fauna.
Its biggest islands are usually mountainous and rich in minerals. Nonoc Island has one of the world’s largest deposits of nickel. The smaller ones either rest on sand and gravel or have a limestone base bonded by boulders, reefs and sandbars. Some islets like those in Del Carmen in Siargao Island are actually nothing more than a cluster of rock formations jutting out from the sea crowned with shrubs and coconut trees. There are also springs, lagoons, caves, waterfalls, mangroves, marshes and whirlpools which are more appealing to all nature lovers.
