Why visit Cortes
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 1 place to eat, 1 place to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Cortes
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Cortes
Cortes, officially the Municipality of Cortes (Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Cortes; Tagalog: Bayan ng Cortes), is a municipality in the province of Surigao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 18,023 people.
From the Wikipedia article Cortes, Surigao del Sur (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks2
Tugonan Falls
Monument and historic site · 4.4 km
Burgos, Cortes, Surigao del sur
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes1
History
Cortes was originally known as "Kagyunod". It cannot be traced who changed Kagyunod into Cortes but many believed that Cortes derived its name after Governor General Cortes who was assigned to the Philippines by the Spanish King.
Cortes was once part of Tandag. It gained its independence on October 1, 1953, by virtue of Executive Order No. 642 series of 1953 creating Cortes into an independent municipal or corporation. It was not until March 19, 1954, however, that the new local government unit formally started to function with the assumption into office of the first set of municipal officials appointed by then President Elpidio R. Quirino.
From the History section of Cortes, Surigao del Sur on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship2
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Healthcare2
Map of Cortes
28 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Tandag Airport (TDG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 23 km away.
- Tandag 22 km south, about 22 min by car
- Madrid 25 km west, about 25 min by car
- Tago 29 km south, about 29 min by car
- Bayugan 75 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Cabadbaran 74 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Tubay 74 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Sibagat 74 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Butuan 80 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Prosperidad 84 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- San Francisco 87 km south, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.