Mambajao, officially the Municipality of Mambajao, is a municipality and capital of the province of Camiguin, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 41,094 people making it the most populous town in the province.
Etymology
Mambajao is from Visayan mambahaw (archaic form of mamahaw), meaning "to eat breakfast"; from the root word bahaw, "leftover rice from [last night]".
History
On January 4, 1855, Mambajao was separated from Catarman, and by July 6 that year it was proclaimed as a town, with Fr. Valero Salvo as its first parish priest. On July 17, 1864, tremors were felt across the town, which were signs of an ongoing activity within an undersea volcano near Catarman. By May 1, 1871, the volcano erupted, decimating the town of Catarman, which lead to almost all of its inhabitants moving to Mambajao.
In 1942, the Japanese forces landed in the town of Mambajao.
On November 19, 2018, the old municipal hall of Mambajao was destroyed by a fire after it was spread to its second floor.
Geography
Barangays
Mambajao is politically subdivided into 16 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.