Physical Feature and Composition

The province lies between the parallels 7° 25′ and 8° 38′ north latitude, and the meridians 124° 03′ and 125° 16′ east longitude, and has an area of 1,049,859 hectares representing 3.06 percent of the country’s total land area. Malaybalay, the capital, is about 850 kilometers by air from Manila and 91 kilometers by road from Cagayan de Oro City.

Topography

A greater part of the province is generally described as an extensive plateau which is characterized by slightly rugged topography. It is best expressed by its rolling hills and flatlands, and is mainly drained by deeply incised Cagayan, Pulangi, and Tagoloan rivers and ravines. The southern border of the province is generally mountainous with the highest peak of 2,854 masl for Mount Kalatungan. Dominating the central part of the province are known “twin peaks” of Bukidnon. They are the fourth (4^th) and fifth (5^th) highest peaks in the country. The ASEAN Heritage Park Mount Kitanglad and Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park were two (2) of nine (9) proclaimed protected areas in Region 10 which has an elevation of 2,899 meters above sea level (masl). The whole eastern and southwestern borders adjoining Agusan, Davao and Cotabato provinces are lofty and densely forested mountains.

Elevation

Bukidnon is a highland province. Almost three quarters (3/4) of the province’s area is lying in elevation of more than 500 masl. This is in contrast to the coastal provinces of the region where most of the land areas are lying within elevation ranges from below 100 masl up to 500 masl. Bukidnon’s low lying areas have an elevation of less than 100 masl which is barely one (1) percent of the province’s total area. These are mostly located near the borders of Misamis Oriental particularly near Cagayan de Oro City and in some parts forming valleys between mountains located within the midst of the province particularly in Valencia City, municipality of Maramag and extending towards the municipalities of Damulog and Kadingilan – both bordering the North Cotabato province.

The highest elevation of Bukidnon is located within the central part of the province primarily attributed to the mountains of Mt. Kalatungan and Mt. Kitanglad. Higher elevations are also found in the northern and north-eastern part of the province particularly in the municipalities of Malitbog and Impasugong where the Kalabugao Mountain Range is situated. Areas of land with elevations of up to 300 masl are mostly located within the borders of municipalities bounding the province of Misamis Oriental. These are the municipalities of Baungon, Libona and Manolo Fortich. Other areas with similar elevations are found in Valencia City, municipalities of Maramag, Quezon, Don Carlos, and the municipalities adjoining the boundary of North Cotabato (Damulog, Kadingilan, and Kitaotao).

Slope

Bukidnon’s landscape is predominated by slopes of more than 50 percent – described as cliff-like streams side/mountainous. This slope category constitutes more than half (52.18 percent) of the province land area and is mostly located in the north-eastern and south-eastern part of the province. These areas are largely part of the province’s forests bounding the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte. Areas with slopes under this category are also present at the central part, owing to the presence of Mt. Kalatungan and Mt. Kitanglad. Steep hills to mountains has a slope of 30 to 50 percent which accounts for around 13 percent and are generally located as contiguous to more than 50 percent slope category.

Although Bukidnon is generally mountainous, plateaus are also present in the province providing for slopes under the 0-3 percent category/level to very gently sloping areas. Bukidnon’s share of land area in this category is 10.62 percent of its total area which is within the percent share of the other provinces in the region ranging from 8.09 percent for Camiguin to 15.72 percent for Misamis Occidental. These areas are largely used for settlements and agriculture and are found in large tracts in the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia, as well as in the municipality of Maramag.

Geological Characteristics

The Bureau of Soils through the Land Resources Evaluation Project (LREP, 1985) revealed that the province of Bukidnon belonged to two distinct physiographic units: The Central Cordillera to the east and the Lanao-Bukidnon Highland to the west. These units occur in approximately equal extent of the boundary, approximately the Malaybalay-Valencia-Maramag road. The Central Cordillera is the principal median range of Mindanao which trends northward for about 430 kilometers with an average elevation of 1,200 meters. Most of the Cordillera consists of north-trending ridges separated by youthful valleys. The Lanao-Bukidnon Highland occupies most of the northern half of Central Mindanao. It is a composite highland of basalt and pyroclastic plateaus, surmounted by andesite and pyroclastic cones.

The eastern part occupies the central portion of the province of Bukidnon is the broad, youthful, deeply incised basalt and pyroclastic plateaus. The western part, formed by peaks and chains of Pliocene Recent volcanoes has an elevation between 1,800 and 2,900 masl. The most prominent peaks in this part of Bukidnon include Mount Kitanglad (2,899 masl), Mount Kalatungan (2,854 masl), and Mount Piapayungan (2,815 masl), and Butig ranges.

Generally, Bukidnon is composed of mountain ranges in the east which trends northward consisting mainly of ultrabasic, volcanic conglomerates and clastic formations of sandstone, shale and conglomerates, limestone, alluvial terrace deposits, and heterogeneous assemblages of alluvium formation.