The City a Cagayan de Oro

The name Cagayan de Oro, which literally means ‘River of Gold’, dates back to the arrival of the Spanish Augustinian Recollect friars in 1622. The area was already known as ‘Cagayán’. Linguists believe the name comes from an ancient, lost word meaning river. Known as the gateway to Northern Mindanao province thanks to its strategic location on the northern shores of Mindanao island, Cagayan de Oro is the capital of Misamis Oriental province and the regional government and commercial centre for Region 10, Northern Mindanao. It is a bustling, cosmopolitan city. Home to leading universities such as Capitol University, Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan), and Liceo de Cagayan University, Cagayan de Oro has a vibrant edge and a large student population, with bookshops on almost every corner. The city is surrounded by vast plantations, including those of Bukidnon province, famous for its pineapples. Not to be confused with Cagayan province in Northern Luzon or the Cagayan Islands, Cagayan de Oro can trace its history back to the 1st century AD. Little remains of the original city due to a fire that destroyed most of its buildings in 1901. As a result, Plaza Divisoria, a vast area of parks dividing the city, was designed and developed as a fire break. Today, it is where residents jog, read in the sunshine, or quietly contemplate. Within Plaza Divisoria is Bonifacio Park, where local soldiers who fought for the country are honoured.