Aside from the Negritos, the area was also inhabited by Ilongot people, who were feared for their headhunting raids against enemy tribes and Spanish-controlled settlements.

[4][5] The reasons for naming it for Elpidio Quirino are the Ilocano settlers in the area and he created the neighboring province Aurora sub-province of Quezon in 1951 through Republic Act No.

5554 was enacted, amending RA 4734, and creating the municipality of Cabarroguis (now the provincial capital town), which was taken from portions of Diffun, Saguday, and Aglipay.

[15][16] In Quirino, one of the most significant events of this period were the logging concessions in the areas of the Sierra Madre region awarded to various Marcos cronies, which marked the beginning of widespread deforestation and other environmental problems in the province.

[20][21][22][23] Quirino covers a total area of 3,323.47 square kilometers (1,283.20 sq mi)[24] occupying the southeastern section of the Cagayan Valley region.

A landlocked province, it is situated within the upper portion of the Cagayan River basin and bounded by Isabela on the north, Aurora on the east and southeast, and Nueva Vizcaya on the west and southwest.

The 6 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 132 barangays, with Gundaway (Poblacion) in Cabarroguis as the most populous in 2010, and Rang-ayan in Aglipay as the least.

Quirino is predominantly Roman Catholic with 54 percent adherence[28] while Evangelicals and United Methodist Church serve as significant minorities with up to 20% of the population.

Poverty incidence of Quirino Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Agriculture is the main industry in the province, with rice and corn as major crops.

Small scale industries like furniture making, basketry, rattan craft, and dried flower production are prevalent.