Davao Oriental is a separate and independent province along with Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte. Its major industries includes agriculture, fishing, small and medium cottage industries, and tourism. This province is famous for waterfalls, white-sand beaches, historical attractions, and the Mandaya Tribe, whose unadulterated culture and traditions are still very evident in their day-to-day lives.

GEOGRAPHY
Davao Oriental is situated in the southeastern section of Mindanao. It belongs to the Southern Mindanao Region or Region XI. Its boundaries are defined on the north by Agusan del Sur, on the south by Davao Gulf, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by Davao province.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
Davao Oriental is one of the provinces created under Republic Act No. 4867 on May 8, 1967. It is composed of two congressional districts covering 11 municipalities, with Mati as the provincial capital. These municipalities are further subdivided into 183 barangays.

POPULATION
The province has a total of 450,000 inhabitants per May 2000 survey conducted by the National Census and Statistics Office.

LANGUAGE/DIALECTS
Cebuano/Visayan, Tagalog/Pilipino, Mandaya.

CLIMATE
The province lies outside the typhoon belt. The province does not have a pronounced dry season although rainfall is at its maximum from November to January.