Santa Monica, Philippines
Santa Monica is a town of 2,284 people in Caraga, Philippines.
Why visit Santa Monica
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 9 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Santa Monica
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Santa Monica
Santa Monica, officially the Municipality of Sta. Monica (Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Santa Monica; Tagalog: Bayan ng Santa Monica), is a municipality in the province of Surigao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 9,757 people.
From the Wikipedia article Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes9
History
Santa Monica was originally known as a pueblo (town) named Sapao during the Spanish regime. Eventually, Sapao was reverted into a barrio, part of the municipality of Numancia (now Del Carmen). It regained its municipal status on October 1, 1953, by virtue of Executive Order No. 623. It then consisted of barrios Alegria, Baybay, Bailan, Bitaug, Burgos, Cabugsan, Libertad, Rizal, and Sapao.
On June 17, 1967, the municipality of Sapao was renamed Santa Monica and five barrios, including Burgos, and three sitios were separated from it to form the new municipality of Burgos.
From the History section of Santa Monica, Surigao del Norte on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Schools, colleges and libraries18
Healthcare1
Map of Santa Monica
40 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sayak Airport (IAO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 18 km away.
- San Benito 8 km southwest, about 8 min by car
- Libas 16 km south, about 16 min by car
- Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte 18 km southwest, about 18 min by car
- Pilar 18 km south, about 18 min by car
- Dapa 29 km south, about 29 min by car
- Union 30 km south, about 30 min by car
- Cagdianao 42 km west, about 42 min by car
- Socorro 45 km south, about 45 min by car
- Dinagat 49 km west, about 49 min by car
- San Jose 54 km west, about 54 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
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
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
Page built November 7, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.