Location:
The municipality of Alcoy is approximately ninety-two (92) kilometers south of Cebu City. Lying with-in the north latitude of 9º40’00” to 9º46’00” and east longitude of 123º24’00” to 123º31’00”, it is bounded on the north by the municipality of Dalaguete, on the south by the municipality of Boljoon, on the west by the municipalities of Malabuyoc and Alegria, and on the east by Bohol Strait.
Comprising of eight (8) barangays, the Municipality of Alcoy has a total land area of 6,163 hectares. Barangay Nug-as is the biggest barangay with a land area of 2,877.20 hectares or 46.68% of the total land area, while barangay Guiwang is the smallest barangay with an area of 139.80 hectares or 2.27% of the total land area. Barangay Poblacion is the only urban area of the municipality with an area of 738.50 hectares or 11.98% of the total land area.
Land Area:
The Municipality of Alcoy has a population of 16,979 as of the 2015 census. The total number of households in the municipality is 3,388. It has a total land area of 6,184.70 hectares.
Nug-as has the biggest land area among all barangay they also have the biggest population. In the year 2000, Nug-as has the highest population and opposite of that barangay is San Agustin which has the lowest population in the year 2007 up to the year 2015. Barangay Poblacion has the highest population among the 8 barangay and still the lowest population in Alcoy is barangay San Agustin.
Topography and Slope:
The municipality of Alcoy has a total land area of 6,163 hectares. There are five (5) types of Soil Categories present in the municipality, these are Level to Undulating, Undulating to Rolling, Rolling to Hilly, Hilly to Mountains, and Very Steep Hills and Mountains. Its topography is mostly characterized by rolling to hilly specially portions of the coastal barangays of Daanlungsod, Guiwang, Atabay, Poblacion, Pasol, and Pugalo and the upland barangay of Nug-As. Level to Undulating slopes range from 0-8%, comprised 1,260.75hectares which is 20.71% of the total land area. Undulating to Rolling terrain with a slope ranging from 08% comprised 996.871hectares accounts to 16.18% from the total land area. The next category is Rolling to Hilly which dominates the terrain of the municipality with a slope of 18-30%, comprised 1,794.702hectares which is 29.41% of the total land area. Hilly to Mountains category terrain with slopes ranges from 30-50% comprised 1,073.952hectares which is 16.81% of the total land area. Lastly is the category – Above 50% terrain, Very Steep Hills and Mountains comprised 1,036.725 which is 16.89% of the total land area.
Soil:
Three types of soil are found in the locality. The Faraon clay, Bolinao clay steep phase, and the Mantalongon clay loam. Faraon clay is the most dominant type of soil prevalent in almost all barangays. Bolinao clay steep and the Mantalongon clay loam can be found in Barangays Nug-as and Pugalo specifically in the northern boundary of the municipality.
BOLINAO CLAY STEEP PHASE – The roughly rolling and hilly areas fall under the steep phase. These hilly areas are well-drained as the run-off water easily finds its way to the streams and rivers.
This type of soil is stonier on the surface. Likewise, other numerous limestone outcrops may be attributed to frequent and severe soil erosion which naturally exposed the once buried rocks. The surface soil of this type is thin having only an average of 10 centimeters deep. It is also red, moderately friable when dry, but slightly plastic when wet.
MANTALONGON CLAY LOAM – This soil type occupies the highly elevated and very rugged mountains. The soil texture has a tinge of brown. All colors reflect the organic content of the soil. Stones or rocks outcrops are not common on the surface soil. The soil is so thin that the bedrock is oftentimes hit by plow points and the broken rocks are plowed out on the surface. Because of its altitude, good quality cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, and a variety of leguminous vegetables are grown on this soil type in the inner valleys.
FARAON CLAY – This soil type is common along with the coastal hilly areas. Usually, the intermediate layers are wanting and only the surface soil which is immediately followed by the bedrock appears more common. There are cases where true soils are formed as fast as the parent materials are developed. Faraon clay varies in depth from 10 to 25 centimeters. Soil erosion, which is very prevalent on this type, has washed away the entire surface soil leaving only a part of the subsoil sometimes exposing the bedrocks. This soil includes the eroded area which indicates that erosion is prevalent. Faraon clay soil is black. This color may be attributed to the organic matter content of the soil. As this soil type has been developed under the alkaline condition the alkaline must have dissolved the organic matter which imparted color to the soil. In areas where severe sheet erosion has completely removed the surface soil, the subsoil appears light gray.
The surface soil of this type is moderately friable except when it is puddled. This soil in wet conditions does not produce any detrimental effects on soil structure. This contrasting clay characteristic may be attributed to the high lime content of the Faraon Clay soils. This soil remains moderately friable and maintains its excellent good structure when dry. Thus, the soil never shrinks and does not produce noticeable cracks upon drying. In some areas, this soil type has rock outcrops, which make plowing very difficult, if not impossible. Pebbles and cobbles of limestone are also numerous in the surface layer. This soil type is widely planted with coconut, corn, cassava, banana, and numerous kinds of farm trees. Areas of this soil located along the shore are mostly planted with coconut trees. Coconuts on the interior section are chlorotic, stunted in growth, and unproductive. This might be due to soil depletion because of poor soil management, and soil erosion.