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.