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DAVAO GENERAL INFORMATION |
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| Davao City is home to over a million people. Daytime population (which includes transients) is estimated to reach almost 2 million since it is the center of trade, commerce, and services in Southern Philippines. Its population growth rate is 2.83% while density is at 469 persons per square kilometer. Urban density however is higher at 2,262 people per square kilometer. |
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| GEOGRAPHY |
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| Davao City is the capital of the Davao Region (or Region XI). It is strategically located at the Southeastern part of Mindanao with latitude of 6º58’ to 7º 34’ North and a longitude of 125º14’ to 125º40’ East. Its boundary line passes through the top of the country’s highest peak, the Mt. Apo. On the north, Davao del Norte bound it, while on the east, partly by Davao del Norte and the Davao Gulf. The city’s strategic location makes it the center of trade not only in the Southern Mindanao region or the whole of Mindanao but also in the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA). |
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| LAND AND USE AREA |
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| Total land area of Davao City is 2,443.61 square kilometers. In terms of land area, it is considered as one of the largest cities in the world. It is divided into 3 congressional districts with barangays (smallest political villages) totaling to 180. Almost 50% of its total land area is classified as timberland or forest. Agriculture utilizes about 43%. This is reflective of the fact that agriculture is still the largest economic sector. Big plantations that produce banana, pineapple, coffee, and coconut eat up a large chunk of the total land area. Presently, built-up areas used for residential, institutional, commercial, and industrial purposes represent about 10% of the total land area. Under the approved land use plan built-up and settlement area will cover 15% of the total area while agricultural will be maximized with 67.19%. The remaining 17.68 will be devoted for forest and conservation. |
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| CLIMATE |
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| avao City is typhoon-free. The city enjoys a weather that remains balmy all year round. It is characterized by a uniform distribution of rainfall, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. It has no pronounced wet or dry season. Weather predictability makes it highly conducive to agro-crop production. Temperature ranges from 20 to 32 degrees Celsius and average rainfall is up to 2,000 mm yearly. |
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| DIALECT / LANGUAGES |
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| Cebuano is the most widely spoken dialect. The Filipino language comes a close second. English is the medium of instruction in schools and is widely understood and spoken especially in the business community. |
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| RELIGION |
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| The most dominant group is the Roman Catholic at 83.83%, other Christian groups comprise 15% and the remaining 1.17% belongs to other non-Christian faiths (Islam, Buddhism, etc). |
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| PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE |
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| The presence of basic infrastructure within the City such as airport, seaports, roads, bridges, and telecommunications has sustained the economic growth in the last 10 years. Due to the City’s unprecedented growth, a clamor for higher capacity infrastructures resulted to a number of modernization projects now ongoing to meet the demands of the new millennium. |
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| AIRPORT |
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| The Davao International Airport is the busiest airport in Southern Philippines. Expansion and modernization began in 1998. Today, the DIA has begun accommodating wider-bodied jets such as Boeing 747’s. |
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| ROADS AND BRIDGES |
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| Construction of more roads and bridges are also underway. The construction of the City’s third major road - the Buhangin underpass was completed in the 1st quarter of 2003. A Traffic Management and Computerization Scheme was also implemented. Davao City is ranked no. 5 among cities in Asia with better traffic flow based on vehicles per kilometer of city road. |
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| SEAPORTS |
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| Presently, there are 2 government seaports (the Sasa Wharf and the Sta. Ana Pier) and 9 privately owned ports. The City Government is currently in the process of taking over the management of the seaports to modernize facilities and expand capacity. In addition, the city has a fish port called the Toril Fish Port Complex to accommodate small and large-scale fishing activities as well as provide among others cold-storage facilities. |
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| TELECOMMUNICATIONS |
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| Communication links within the key business areas are adequate. With the deregulation and privatization policies of the Philippine Government, the number of telecommunications player is projected to increase as well as offer affordable telecommunications services to subscribers/clienteles. Mobile Phone operators, Internet service providers, Internet café’s, and cable-TV operators have now proliferated in the city and even in the rest of the localities within the country to keep the people in-touched and informed of the latest developments around the globe. |
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| INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS |
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| There are 5 Internet Service Providers operating in Davao City offering dial-up, dedicated and DSL types of service. The City has over a hundred Internet cafés operating in strategic areas where one can surf, chat, play games, send and view e-mails, and engage in e-commerce using the latest computer innovation and technology. |
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| SOCIO CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT |
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| EDUCATION |
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| Filipinos value education so much. They consider a diploma or a college degree as a passport to better opportunities. The government provides free education at the primary (grade school) and secondary (high school) levels. Government scholars can enjoy free college education in state-run universities such as the University of the Philippines. The literacy rate of the country is 93.9%. Davao City on the other hand has a higher literacy rate at 98.05%. The City has largely contributed to the country’s ever increasing pool of masters and doctorate degree holders helping the Philippines gained the distinction of having one of the highest numbers of Masters in Business Administration (MBA) graduates in the world. The City is considered the Center for Learning and Education in the Mindanao Island. Currently, it has 374 elementary schools, 65 secondary schools, and 35 colleges and universities. |
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| HEALTH AND HOSPITALS |
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| The average life expectancy of Davaoeños is 70 for females and 65 for males. There are about 31 hospitals with a total of 1,763 beds in Davao City. Very affordable medical services are made available to poor residents through the Davao Medical Center, which has the most number of hospitals beds at 400. |
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| BANKS |
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| Currently, there are around 60 banks (excluding branches), 22 financing companies, and 9 lending firms operating in the city. These can handle financial/monetary transactions from the most basic to the most complicated. |
