Agutaya, officially the Municipality of Agutaya, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,867 people. An island municipality, it is the eastern part of the Cuyo Archipelago in the Sulu Sea, and covers several islands, including its namesake Agutaya Island, which is the second largest island of the Cuyo archipelago, as well as Diit, Halog, Maracanao, Matarawis (also spelled Matarabis), Eke, and Quiniluban islands.

Geography

Agutaya Island is the second largest of the Cuyo group with an area of about 4.5 sqmi. The north-eastern part is hilly. Four peaks tower over the island. The middle and highest of the four peaks, 885 ft high, is covered with cogon grass (Imperata arundinacea), the others are wooded. Native sailboats used to be unable to sail to and from the nearby island of Cuyo (only 20 miles away), due to the strength of the monsoon, either the Northwest monsoon in wintertime, or the Southwest monsoon in summer.

Volcano

Agutaya is an inactive volcano, 120 m ASL, located at 11.15°N, 120.95°W, in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lists Agutaya as inactive.

Barangays

Agutaya is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Agutaya was 12,867 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Languages

Agutaya is home to a specific language, called the Agutaynen language, spoken by 10,000 people overall. Today, half of its speakers live in Agutaya, while the rest live in other communities of Palawan. Tagalog and Cuyonon are also widely spoken.

Economy