The Philippines is located within the "Ring of Fire". It is dotted with volcanoes and is affected by occasional earthquakes. Cagayan de Oro is not located in any major fault line. However the city is occasionally rocked by mild earthquakes.

Despite travel advisories from foreign countries to stay away from the entire Mindanao Island, Cagayan de Oro City and the entire Northern Mindanao region including Camiguin and Siargao Islands have remained generally peaceful and safe to both local and foreign tourists. Northern Mindanao is basically unaffected by the occasional insurgency problems affecting the central and western parts of the island. The presence of multinational companies like Del Monte Philippines, Nestle, San Miguel and others is proof of the city's good peace and order.

Mindanao Island is approximately 94,600 square kilometers or 36,500 square miles in area (including surrounding islands), roughly the same size of South Korea or the US State of Indiana. It is considered as the 17th largest island in the world. The 18th largest island is Ireland with an area of 84,400 square kilometers.