Tagum

Tagum, officially the City of Tagum, is a 1st class component city and capital of the Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 296,202 people making it the most populous component city in Mindanao. It is one of the topmost livable cities in the Philippines, and was one of the finalists in the most child-friendly city in the Philippines – component category along with Laoag, and Talisay, Cebu. In the 2021 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI), the city of Tagum ranked third on the overall competitive component cities in the Philippines, fourth on infrastructure, second in resiliency, thirteenth on economic dynamism and first on government efficiency. Geography Tagum has a total land area of , which is predominantly agricultural, and produces various kinds of crops like coconut, rice, Cavendish banana, fruit trees like durian, lanzones and other agricultural crops for non-commercial use. The city is strategically located at the northern portion of Southern Mindanao and lies in the intersection of three major road network systems namely: the Phil-Japan Friendship Highway, the Davao-Mati-Agusan road, and the soon to be completed Davao-Bukidnon road that connects the city to other major destinations in the region and in the rest of Mindanao. With this, the city serves as a vital economic crossroad not only for the province but for the entire Davao Region as well, linking Davao City to the northern city of Butuan (in Agusan del Norte), to Mati (in Davao Oriental) and the Surigao provinces.