Magarao 5.12

Magarao is a fourth class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.HistoryMagarao derived its name from a species of thorny wild bush locally known as garao-garao, which abundantly grows in the area. This type of plant no longer exists today as it was believed that the inhabitants of Magarao hindered its growth and propagation because of its thorny appearance.It was a group of missionaries from the Order of Friars Minor who founded the town in 1570, although missionary work continued only in the year 1690.BarangaysMagarao is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.DemographicsIn the, the population of Magarao was people, with a density of {{sigfig{{PH wikidata.LanguagesBicol is widely spoken in the town, while Tagalog, Hiligaynon (Bisaya) and Ilocano are used immigrants and by locals as lingua francas when communicating with non-Bicolanos.ReligionResidents of Magarao are predominantly Roman Catholic.Barangay Sta. Lucia holds an annual novena to its patron saint, Lucy of Syracuse, nine days before her feast on 13 December. Villagers bring the saint's image in procession every morning of the novena at the poblacion, a celebration that attracts devotees from other parts of the Bicol Region. Hymns to the saint, known as the Gozos, as well as the Spanish version of the Ave Maria, are chanted during the dawn procession, which is followed by a Mass.