Loreto, officially the Municipality of Loreto, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 43,880 people. Loreto is the largest Municipality in terms of land area in Mindanao.

History

It was in the year 1600 long before Fr. Urios came to Agusan in 1880 when the Spaniards first came to the upper reaches of Agusan and discovered the Manobos. In convincing the Manobos to organize themselves and live in a settlement/community, the settlement was given the name of "Loreto" in remembrance of Fr. Urios town in Spain on March 30, 1965.

Rain of fish

On a rainy morning on January 13, 2012, Loreto became nationally notable when it became the site of a rain of fish. Seventy-two small fish were recovered and placed in an aquarium. They were about 3 in long and had small spots, but the species remains unknown. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources attributes the phenomenon to a waterspout.

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 1,462.74 km2 constituting NaN% of the 9,989.52 km2 total area of Agusan del Sur. Loreto is a river town situated south-west of Agusan del Sur. It is bounded on the north by La Paz, north-east by Bunawan, and southeast by Veruela. The provinces of Bukidnon and Davao del Norte bound its Western and Southern portions. Loreto is a strategically situated as a junction point to various destination within Agusan del Sur and nearby provinces. The accessibility of Loreto to Provincial Center, Patin-ay in Prosperidad has three main routes: the Loreto-Santa Josefa-Trento route of 118.36 km, the Loreto-La Paz Talacogon route of 85.53 km, and the Loreto-Bunawan route of 87.52 km with two hours of Pump boat cruising the Agusan River.

Climate

Barangays

Loreto is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, Loreto had a population of 43,880. The population density was undefined PD/km2.

Economy