# Carasi

Carasi, officially the Municipality of Carasi (Ilocano: Ili ti Carasi; Filipino: Bayan ng Carasi), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,607 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province and the entire Ilocos Region.

## Geography

Carasi is a land-locked town situated in the eastern border of Ilocos Norte. Vintar is situated to the north of Carasi, Calanasan to the east, Nueva Era to the south, and Piddig to the west. Majority of the populated areas of the town are at the foot of the Cordillera Mountains.
Carasi is 31 kilometres (19 mi) from Laoag and 518 kilometres (322 mi) from Manila.

### Barangays

Carasi is politically subdivided into 3 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Angset
* Barbaqueso (Poblacion)
* Virbira

### Climate

Climate data for Carasi, Ilocos Norte :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 26 (79) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 27 (80) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17 (63) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 18 (64) | 20 (69) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 55 (2.2) | 41 (1.6) | 37 (1.5) | 41 (1.6) | 184 (7.2) | 215 (8.5) | 261 (10.3) | 256 (10.1) | 245 (9.6) | 216 (8.5) | 142 (5.6) | 129 (5.1) | 1,822 (71.8) |
| Average rainy days | 14.1 | 11.1 | 11.8 | 12.5 | 21.8 | 25.2 | 25.5 | 24.9 | 23.8 | 18.2 | 16.4 | 17.0 | 222.3 |
| Source: Meteoblue (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1939 | 261 | — |
| 1948 | 231 | −1.35% |
| 1960 | 222 | −0.33% |
| 1970 | 340 | +4.35% |
| 1975 | 374 | +1.93% |
| 1980 | 421 | +2.39% |
| 1990 | 632 | +4.15% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1995 | 750 | +3.26% |
| 2000 | 1,154 | +9.68% |
| 2007 | 1,435 | +3.05% |
| 2010 | 1,473 | +0.96% |
| 2015 | 1,567 | +1.19% |
| 2020 | 1,607 | +0.50% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority :
In the 2020 census, the population of Carasi was 1,607 people, with a density of 19 inhabitants per square kilometre or 49 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Carasi
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 2000 30.51
* 2003 20.01
* 2006 26.40
* 2009 22.63
* 2012 16.07
* 2015 20.34
* 2018 6.71
* 2021 6.02
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government
### Local government

Carasi, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of Ilocos Norte, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

### Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Ria Christina G. Fariñas |
| Mayor | Rene V. Gaspar |
| Vice-Mayor | Wilson T. Bulil-lit |
| Councilors | Pedro L. Opeña Jr. |
| Councilors | John R. Abril |
| Councilors | Menandro S. Julian |
| Councilors | Edgar S. Sueb |
| Councilors | Resurreccion R. Pumaras Jr. |
| Councilors | Julita B. Ulap |
| Councilors | Ramel J. Alubin |
| Councilors | Gabriel D. Reyes |

### Municipal seal

* Shield, denotes that Carasi is within the Province of Ilocos Norte
* Deer, represents hunting as means of livelihood of the townspeople
* Pine Tree, stands for the forest products that abound in the town
* Center Design, signifies defense and protection (shield); hardwork (bolo); and patriotism and bravery (spear).