Also known as: Lalawigan ng Catanduanes
Catanduanes is a province in Region V (Bicol Region). Population 261K (PSA 2024 census), 0 cities + 11 municipalities, 315 barangays total, land area 1,492.16 km². Provincial capital: Virac.
Catanduanes is a province in Region V (Bicol Region). Its capital is Virac.
Catanduanes had 261,169 residents in the 2024 census (PSA 2024 Census of Population (POPCEN 2024), reference date July 1, 2024). That is the most recent official count. There is no 2026 census result, so any 2026 population figure is an estimate.
Catanduanes covers 1,492.16 km², per the PSA Philippine Statistical Yearbook figure used on this page.
Catanduanes has 0 component cities and 11 municipalities (11 LGUs under the province), per PSA's Philippine Standard Geographic Code (2Q 2026), and 315 barangays.
Catanduanes has no component cities. Its 11 municipalities are Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Caramoran, Gigmoto, Pandan, Panganiban, San Andres, San Miguel, Viga and Virac.
Catanduanes was separated from Albay by Commonwealth Act No. 687, signed October 24, 1945 and effective two days later. Composed entirely of 11 municipalities with zero chartered cities, the province is legally declared the 'Abaca Capital of the Philippines' under Republic Act No. 11700 (2022), which cites it as producing over 31% of the country's abaca fiber.
Key industries: Abaca (legally designated 'Abaca Capital of the Philippines,' RA 11700), Fishing and coconut, Tourism (Puraran Beach surfing)
Catanduanes is popularly known as the 'Land of the Howling Winds' for its frequent status as the first Philippine landfall point for Pacific typhoons — most notably, Typhoon Goni made landfall at Bato on November 1, 2020 as the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded making landfall anywhere on Earth by one-minute sustained wind speed, destroying an estimated 65% of the province's light-material homes. Super Typhoon Pepito in late 2024 separately destroyed an estimated 32-35% of the province's standing abaca crop.
Key industries: Abaca (legally designated 'Abaca Capital of the Philippines,' RA 11700), Fishing and coconut, Tourism (Puraran Beach surfing)
More on the regulatory framework: CLUP explainer · RA 7160 explainer · SGLG explainer · full glossary. Working a CLUP review cycle? Run the CLUP readiness self-check or see CLUP compliance monitoring.
A province legally branded around a single agricultural export and repeatedly struck by some of the most extreme typhoons ever recorded is a clear, high-stakes example of the disaster-recovery and economic-continuity planning a live cross-LGU dashboard is built to support.
Between recovering from Typhoon Pepito's abaca damage and sitting in the direct path of Pacific typhoons, Catanduanes' PPDO has recurring, high-stakes recovery work. A Nova Gov pilot brings that alongside CLUP and SGLG status into one view across all 11 municipalities.
Start a Catanduanes pilot →We build custom software around CLUP, CDP and zoning work, for LGU planning offices and for the planning firms LGUs hire. Free 30-minute workflow call, then a fixed written quote.
See what we build for urban planners →