Bucas Grande is an island in the province of Surigao del Norte in the Philippines. The island is contiguous with the municipality of Socorro, Surigao del Norte.[1] Its area is 128 square kilometres (49 sq mi). Its name means "large mouth" or "large opening" in Philippine Spanish in reference to the wide strait in between Bucas Grande and Socorro Island.[2]

Bucas Grande
Bucas Grande is located in Philippines
Bucas Grande
Bucas Grande
Location within the Philippines
Geography
Coordinates9°40′25″N 125°56′54″E / 9.67361°N 125.94833°E / 9.67361; 125.94833
Adjacent to
Area128 km2 (49 sq mi)
Administration
RegionCaraga
ProvinceSurigao del Norte
MunicipalitySocorro
Demographics
Population25,942 (2020)
Additional information
Map

Bucas Grande Island is situated on the far eastern part of mainland Surigao del Norte. The lone island municipality of Socorro is the only one of its kind in the entire province of Surigao del Norte. Bucas Grande Island lies within the breadth of the Pacific and is physically located at coordinates 9° 37′ 17″ North, 125° 58′ 0″ East. It has a total land area of 12,445 hectares and had a population of 25,942 inhabitants at the 2020 Census, and a voting population of over 13,000. People have settled in 14 barangays of the municipality namely: Barangays Don Albino Taruc, Navarro, Rizal, Del Pilar, Dona Helene, Honrado, Nueva Estrella, Pamosaingan, Salog, San Roque, Sudlon, Santa Cruz, Songkoy and N. Sering.

Bucas Grande is also the site of the Sohoton Cove, a tourist attraction consisting of a cluster of small islets with lagoons, natural limestone caves, and rock formations. The name means "narrow opening" in Visayan, referring to the narrow gaps between the small islands. It is commonly mistaken as being a national park, due to the confusion with the similarly named Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park in Samar Island to the north.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ "Historical Background". Socorro. Province of Surigao Del Norte. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b Amantiad, Jan Rhais. "Bucas Grande Island and Sohoton Cove in Surigao del Norte". Pathfinder.ph. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  3. ^ Cordita, Johanns. "There's Something Magical About Sohoton Lagoon, And Here's Why:". ChoosePhilippines. Retrieved 20 March 2020.