In a land area of 9,000.7 square kilometers, the diocesan territory covers the civil Province of Cagayan North including the islands of Fuga, Calayan, Camiguin, Dalupiri and Babuyan Claro. The archdiocese is suffragans of the Dioceses of Bayombong and Ilagan and the Vicariate of Tabuk.
Cagayan is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon. Cagayan also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte and Apayao to the west, and Kalinga and Isabela to the south.
Cagayan has 28 municipalities and one city divided into three congressional districts. It has 820 barangays (villages). Tuguegarao City (as of Dec. 18, 1999) is the provincial capital, regional seat, and center of business, trade, and education.
As of end of 2017, the total population of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao is 1,933,930 of which 80 percent are Catholics.
Languages used in the territory are: Ilokano, Ibanag, Itawis, Malaweg other ethnic groups that migrated to the province speak their own dialects. Most of the people in places where literacy is high speak and understand English and Pilipino.
ARCHDIOCESE OF TUGUEGARAO
(Archidiocesis Tuguegaraona)
Created Diocese: April 10, 1910
Elevated to Archdiocese: Sept. 21, 1974
Comprises: The civil Province of Cagayan North including the islands of Fuga, Calayan, Camiguin, Dalupiri and Babuyan Claro
Suffragans: Dioceses of Bayombong and Ilagan and the Vicariate of Tabuk
Titular: St. Peter (June 29)
The Archdiocese of Tuguegarao comprises the civil province of Cagayan, except the island municipality of Calayan which belongs to the Prelature of Batanes- Babuyanes.
The three provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya were once combined and referred to as the Cagayan valley.
In 1910 the See of Tuguegarao was created, assigning it as a suffragan to the Metropolitan See of Nueva Segovia. Bishop Maurice Foley, an American was the first Ordinary. After Bishop Foley, Santiago Sancho was named Bishop of Tuguegarao. After his transfer in 1927, Monsignor Hilario Jamias administered to the diocese until Bishop Constace Jurgens, CICM, a well-loved Dutchman became residential bishop in 1929.
Originally the Metropolitan Province of Tuguegarao had as suffragans the Diocese of Ilagan, the Diocese of Bayombong, the Prelature of Batanes-Babuyanes and the Vicariate of Tabuk. On Nov. 30, 1950, the Prelature of Batanes-Babuyanes was separated from the Jurisdiction of the then Diocese of Tuguegarao. In 1970 Ilagan became a diocese, and in 1982 the Prelature of Bayombong was elected elevated to a diocese.
Literacy rate (simple literacy) is 91.40 percent in the diocesan territory.
