1.
Rio Grande de Mindanao
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The Rio Grande de Mindanao, also known as the Mindanao River, is the one of largest river system in the Philippines, located on the southern island of Mindanao. It has an area of 23,169 km2, draining the majority of the central. It is also the third longest river in the country with a length of approximately 320 km and it is an important transportation artery on the island, used mainly in transporting agricultural products and, formerly, timber. Its headwaters are in the mountains of Impasugong, Bukidnon, south of Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, joining the Kabacan River, it becomes the Mindanao River. Flowing out of the mountains, it forms the center of a broad, before its mouth in the Illana Bay, it splits into two parallel sections, the Cotabato and Tamontaka, separated by a 180 metres hill. Population centers along the river include Cotabato City, Datu Piang and it finally empties into Illana Bay at its mouth at Cotabato City. As the Mindanao River meets Illana Bay, it out into two distributaries, the Cotabato in the north and the Tamontaka in the south at Cotabato City. Pulangi River Simuay River Buluan River Allah River Libungan River Mlang River The river has recently been clogged with water hyacinths, floodwaters submerged at least 37 villages in Cotabato City alone and displaced some 6,000 families. President Benigno Aquino III ordered public works and military personnel to clear the river of up to 20 hectares of water lily growth, media related to Rio Grande de Mindanao at Wikimedia Commons
2.
Southeast Asia
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Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies near the intersection of geological plates, with seismic and volcanic activity. Southeast Asia consists of two regions, Mainland Southeast Asia, also known historically as Indochina, comprising Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar. Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Indonesia, East Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, East Timor, Brunei, Cocos Islands, definitions of Southeast Asia vary, but most definitions include the area represented by the countries listed below. All of the states are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the area, together with part of South Asia, was widely known as the East Indies or simply the Indies until the 20th century. Sovereignty issues exist over some territories in the South China Sea, Papua New Guinea has stated that it might join ASEAN, and is currently an observer. Southeast Asia is geographically divided into two subregions, namely Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia includes, Maritime Southeast Asia includes, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India are geographically considered part of Southeast Asia. Eastern Bangladesh and the Seven Sister States of India are culturally part of Southeast Asia, the eastern half of Indonesia and East Timor are considered to be biogeographically part of Oceania. Homo sapiens reached the region by around 45,000 years ago, homo floresiensis also lived in the area up until 12,000 years ago, when they became extinct. Austronesian people, who form the majority of the population in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor. Solheim and others have shown evidence for a Nusantao maritime trading network ranging from Vietnam to the rest of the archipelago as early as 5000 BC to 1 AD. The peoples of Southeast Asia, especially those of Austronesian descent, have been seafarers for thousands of years and their vessels, such as the vinta, were ocean-worthy. Magellans voyage records how much more manoeuvrable their vessels were, as compared to the European ships, Passage through the Indian Ocean aided the colonisation of Madagascar by the Austronesian people, as well as commerce between West Asia and Southeast Asia. Gold from Sumatra is thought to have reached as far west as Rome and this was later replaced by Hinduism. Theravada Buddhism soon followed in 525, in the 15th century, Islamic influences began to enter. This forced the last Hindu court in Indonesia to retreat to Bali, in Mainland Southeast Asia, Burma, Cambodia and Thailand retained the Theravada form of Buddhism, brought to them from Sri Lanka. This type of Buddhism was fused with the Hindu-influenced Khmer culture, very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the 2nd century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century CE, Hinduism and Buddhism were the religions in Southeast Asia
3.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
4.
Philippines
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The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila. The Philippines has an area of 300,000 square kilometers, and it is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world. As of 2013, approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas, multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelagos earliest inhabitants and they were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples. Exchanges with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations occurred, then, various competing maritime states were established under the rule of Datus, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon, Eastern Samar in 1521 marked the beginning of Hispanic colonization, in 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. With the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico City, in 1565, the Philippines became part of the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. This resulted in Roman Catholicism becoming the dominant religion, during this time, Manila became the western hub of the trans-Pacific trade connecting Asia with Acapulco in the Americas using Manila galleons. Aside from the period of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until after World War II, since then, the Philippines has often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a dictatorship by a non-violent revolution. It is a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. It also hosts the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank, the Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte, eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before that became commonplace, other such as Islas del Poniente. The official name of the Philippines has changed several times in the course of its history, during the Philippine Revolution, the Malolos Congress proclaimed the establishment of the República Filipina or the Philippine Republic. From the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the name Philippines began to appear, since the end of World War II, the official name of the country has been the Republic of the Philippines. The metatarsal of the Callao Man, reliably dated by uranium-series dating to 67,000 years ago is the oldest human remnant found in the archipelago to date and this distinction previously belonged to the Tabon Man of Palawan, carbon-dated to around 26,500 years ago. Negritos were also among the archipelagos earliest inhabitants, but their first settlement in the Philippines has not been reliably dated, there are several opposing theories regarding the origins of ancient Filipinos
5.
Bohol Sea
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The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is located between Visayas and Mindanao in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao, siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major cities on the sea are Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Butuan, Dumaguete, Ozamiz, the Bohol Sea is home to a large variety of premier scuba diving locations, dive charter boats, and hotels that cater to divers. Around the area of Tagbilaran and Balicasag Island there are numerous wall dives that range from 30 to 100 feet, water temperatures are very warm and most divers use a standard 3/2 shorty wetsuit to dive the location. Sea life is abundant and includes such attractions as clownfish, lionfish, barracuda, dolphins, huge coral formations, rorquals have been confirmed to return into Bohol Sea which is a rare trend in any Asian waters, and most notably Bohol regions host even blue whales. Media related to Bohol Sea at Wikimedia Commons
6.
Celebes Sea
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It extends 420 miles north-south by 520 mi east-west and has a total surface area of 110,000 square miles, to a maximum depth of 20,300 feet. The sea opens southwest through the Makassar Strait into the Java Sea, the Celebes Sea is a piece of an ancient ocean basin that formed 42 million years ago in a locale removed from any landmass. By 20 million years ago, earth crust movement had moved the basin close enough to the Indonesian and Philippine volcanoes to receive emitted debris. By 10 million years ago the Celebes Sea was inundated with continental debris, including coal, which was shed from a young mountain on Borneo. The border between the Celebes and the Sulu Sea is at the Sibutu-Basilan Ridge, strong ocean currents, deep sea trenches and seamounts, combined with active volcanic islands, result in complex oceanographic features. It has been agreed that north of the line will be under the jurisdiction of the Philippines. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the Celebes Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago, the IHO defines its limits as follows, On the North. The Southern limit of Sulu Sea and the Southwest coast of Mindanao, a line from Tinaca Point, the Southern point of Mindanao, to the North point of pulau Sangihe Besar thence through the pulau-pulau Sangihe to Tanjung Puisan, the Northeast extreme of Celebes. The North coast of Celebes between tanjung Puisan and tanjung Binar and thence a line to Tanjung Mangkalihat in Borneo, the Northern limit of Makassar Strait, the East coast of Borneo between Tanjung Mangkalihat and Tanjong Labian, the Southern limit of the Sulu Sea. The Celebes Sea is home to a variety of fish. Tuna and yellowfin tuna are also abundant, in addition to high abundance of fish caught in the Celebes sea, this sea also yields other aquatic products like sea tang. The Celebes Sea is an important sea route for regional trade, the sea is also popular for scuba diving and luxury ocean cruising. The Celebes Sea is underlain by a plate with a mid oceanic spreading in the center part. This place is subducted to the south and north, a number of seismic surveys and research drillings were done in this area to gather geological information. The geology of Sulawesi Sea has been described in the Geology of Indonesia Wikibook, exploring the Inner Space of the Celebes Sea 2007 - A rich collection of images, video and audio podcast
7.
Philippine Sea
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The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and northeast of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 5 million km². of the western part of the North Pacific Ocean. The sea has a complex and diverse undersea relief, the floor is formed into a structural basin by a series of geologic faults and fracture zones. Island arcs, which are actually extended ridges protruding above the surface due to plate tectonic activity in the area, enclose the Philippine Sea to the north, east. The Philippine archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, and the Marianas are examples, another prominent feature of the Philippine Sea is the presence of deep sea trenches, among them the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench, containing the deepest point on the planet. The Philippine Sea is by the Philippines and Taiwan to the west, Japan to the north, the International Hydrographic Organization defines the Philippine Sea as that area of the North Pacific Ocean off the Eastern coasts of the Philippine Islands, bounded as follows, On the West. By the Eastern limits of the East Indian Archipelago, South China Sea, by the Southeast coast of Kyushu, the Southern and Eastern limits of the Inland Sea and the South coast of Honshu Island. By the ridge joining Japan to the Bonin, Volcano and Ladrone Islands, by a line joining Guam, Yap, Pelew and Halmahera Islands. The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the Philippine Sea and it subducts under the Philippine Mobile Belt which carries most of the Philippine archipelago and eastern Taiwan. Between the two plates is the Philippine Trench, the Philippine Sea hosts an exotic marine ecosystem. About five hundred species of hard and soft corals occur in the waters and 20 per cent of the worldwide known shellfish species are found in Philippine waters. Sea turtles, sharks, moray eels, octopuses and sea snakes along with species of fish such as tuna can commonly be observed. Additionally, the Philippine Sea serves as spawning ground for Japanese eel, tuna, later it was discovered by other Spanish explorers from 1522 to 1565 and the site of the famous galleon trade route. Between June 19 and 20,1944, the Battle of the Philippine Sea took place in the eastern Philippine Sea, the aircraft carriers Taihō, Shōkaku, Junyō, Hiyō and Ryuho were bombed, torpedoed and sunk by American carrier-based planes and assaulted from other naval vessels. The aerial part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea was nicknamed the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” due to losses of Japanese aircraft. The battle facilitated the Allied conquests of Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the Marianas, Palau in the Southwest, following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies started using the neologism West Philippine Sea to refer to the South China Sea. However, a PAGASA spokesperson said that the sea to the east of the Philippines will continue to be called the Philippine Sea, Philippine Trench Philippine Sea Plate Benham Rise Devils Sea
8.
Sulu Sea
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Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast. Sulu Sea contains a number of islands, the Cuyo Islands and Cagayan Sulu are part of the province of Palawan whereas Mapun and the Turtle Islands are part of the province of Tawi-Tawi. Sulu Sea is also where the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, the Panay Gulf is an extension of the Sulu Sea. The IHO defines its limits as follows, On the Northwest, from Tanjong Sempang Mangayau, the North point of Borneo, along the Eastern limit of South China Sea to Cape Calavite, the Northwest point of Mindoro. The North coast of Borneo between Tanjong Labian and Tanjong Sempang Mangayau, the Star Trek character Hikaru Sulu is named after the Sulu Sea. According to Sulu actor George Takei, Roddenberrys vision for Sulu was to represent all of Asia, in the radio serial Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, the Sulu Sea was the locale for the episodes of The Luminous Dragon Eye Ring. Sulu Pirates Media related to Sulu Sea at Wikimedia Commons
9.
Surigao Strait
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Surigao Strait is a strait in the southern Philippines, between the Bohol Sea and the Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea. It is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao and it lies between northern Mindanao Island and Panaon Island, and between the Dinagat Islands and Leyte island. The strait is deep but has a current, up to 8 knots. The northern entrance of the Surigao Strait is marked by a light on Suluan Island. It is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao. The ferries stop at Liloan, Southern Leyte and Surigao City in Surigao del Norte, according to legend, the strait was named after Solibao, a Negrito chieftain, who lived at the outlet of the Surigao River. Migrating Visayan fishermen gradually formed a settlement there, and when Spanish explorers visited the place, a different theory explains that Surigao may be derived from the Spanish word surgir, meaning swift water or current. In March 1521 during the first circumnavigation of the Earth, Ferdinand Magellan, admiral Nishimura was killed in action when his flagship Yamashiro sank following actions against Jesse B. Oldendorfs battleships, all but one of which had been at Pearl Harbor, media related to Surigao Strait at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Basilan
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Basilan is an island province of the Philippines within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the islands of the Sulu Archipelago. It is located just off the southern coast of the geographic Zamboanga Peninsula and its capital, Isabela City, is a component city of Basilan, but is administered as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region. Basilan is home to three ethnic groups, the indigenous Yakans, and the later-arriving Tausugs and Zamboangueño. The Yakans and Tausugs are predominantly Muslim, while the Zamboangueño are mainly Christian, there are also a number of smaller groups. Although the official language is English, the language is Yakan and lingua franca is Chavacano. Basilan, although classified as a 3rd-class province in terms of gross income, has one of the lowest incidence of poverty in the Philippines. The gap between Basilans rich and poor residents are among the narrowest in the country, pointing to one of the most equitable distributions of wealth anywhere in the country, Basilan is located between latitudes 6°15 and 7°00, and longitudes 121°15 and 122°30. The island is bordered by the Basilan Strait to the north, the Sulu Sea to the northwest and west, the Moro Gulf to the northeast, and the Celebes Sea to the south, southeast and east. Basilan is the largest and northernmost island of the Sulu Archipelago between the Philippine islands of Mindanao and Borneo which includes about 400 islands, Basilan Strait, about 17 nautical miles at its narrowest point, separates Basilan Island from the mainland of Mindanao and the port city of Zamboanga. The terrain of the island is simple, with several undulating slopes concentrated around Isabela City along the coastal areas, urban areas are usually 2.5 metres above sea level and gently sloping to 300 metres toward the hinterlands. The stand of timber and forest vegetation is more or less evenly distributed throughout, the province encompasses Basilan Island, and all nearby offshore islands, together with the Pilas Island group west of the island, and the Bubuan and Tapiantana Island group in the south. These are listed among the Philippine islands with a risk of getting hit by tsunamis. The province has an area of 132,723 hectares under its jurisdiction. Basilan Island itself has an area of 1,265.5 square kilometres, Basilan National Park is located at the eastern portion of the remaining public forest between the city of Isabela and the municipalities of Lamitan, Tipo-Tipo and Sumisip. The park has an elevation of 971 metres above sea level, the climate is similar to other areas in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The annual average rainfall is 1,100 millimetres and the annual temperature is 26.6 °C. The source of the rainfall is the southwest monsoon and the location in the Intertropical Convergence Zone
11.
Jolo
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Jolo is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and is the primary island of the province of Sulu wherein its capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has a population of approximately 300,000 people, the island is the location of the Jolo Group of Volcanoes, and contains numerous volcanic cones and craters, including the active Bud Dajo cinder cone. The island is also the headquarters of Abu Sayyaf terrorists, after a series of less-than-successful attempts during the centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines, Spanish forces captured the city of Jolo, the seat of the Sultan of Sulu, in 1876. On that year, the Spanish launched a campaign to occupy Jolo. On 21 February of that year, the Spaniards assembled the largest contingent against Jolo, consisting of 9,000 soldiers, in 11 transports,11 gunboats, troops, including a cavalry with its own lieutenant commander, were garrisoned within the protective confine of the walls. From Jolo, in 1880 Col. Rafael Gonzales de Rivera who was appointed the governor dispatched the 6th Regiment to Siasi, the Spaniards were not secure in their stronghold because it would be sporadically attacked. On 22 July 1883, it is reported that three unnamed juramentado succeeded in penetrating the Jolo town plaza and killed three Spaniards, the word Ajuramentado was coined by Spanish colonel Juan Arolas after witnessing several such acts while serving duty in Jolo garrison. The Spanish and the Sultan of Sulu signed the Spanish Treaty of Peace on July 22,1878, the Spanish-language version of the Treaty gave Spain complete sovereignty over the Sulu archipelago, this includes Basilan. The Americans arrived in 1899, and by the turn of the century, so as not to spread out their forces, the Americans employed the classic divide-and-rule tactic. Initially Sultan Kiram was disappointed by the hand-over of control to the Americans and had expected to regain sovereignty over the Sulu archipelago after the defeat of the Spanish. Batess main goal though, was to guarantee the Sultanates neutrality in the Philippine–American War, after some negotiations, the Bates Treaty was signed. Although the Bates Treaty granted more powers to the Americans than the original Spanish treaty, the peace created by the Bates Treaty did not last, however. This became evident when the Muslims repudiated the Moro province, a government in Mindanao lasting from 1903 to 1914. It is important to note that two months before the creation of the Moro province, the American colonial government declared and classified all unoccupied lands as public lands. Immediately after the declaration, American investments entered Mindanao and mass migration of Christians was encouraged, Jolo was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. On April 2,1945, the Second Battalion of the U. S. 163rd Regiment, 41st Division landed at Sanga Sanga and Bongao in the Sulu Archipelago, halfway between the island of Borneo and the Philippines. A week later, the two battalions of the regiment left Mindanao and landed at Jolo, where they began fighting their way up heavily defended Mount Daho. In three weeks of combat the 163rd suffered 37 dead and 191 wounded, approximately 2,600 Japanese troops were killed, and only 87 Japanese soldiers were captured or surrendered on Jolo
12.
Siargao
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Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 800 kilometers southeast of Manila in the province of Surigao del Norte. It has an area of approximately 437 square kilometres. The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar, the coastline is marked by a succession of reefs, small points and white, sandy beaches. The neighboring islands and islets have similar landforms, the island is composed of municipalities of Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, San Benito, Pilar, San Isidro, Santa Monica and Socorro. Siargao Island contains the largest mangrove forest reserves in Mindanao, at Del Carmen, long stretches of wetlands indicate a potential for commercial seaweed propagation. Siargao Island is greatly influenced by the winds and currents coming uninterrupted from the Pacific Ocean, offshore, a classic tropical island lies protected within its surrounding coral reef with dozens of coconut palms dressed in the center circle of the island. Off to the right, well within the coastal reef, lies a shining white sand bar. The tide of Siargao is diurnal with tidal curves typically present, Siargao has excellent surfing conditions, particularly during the southwest habagat monsoon from August to November, when the prevailing wind is offshore. There is also an island near Siargao called Guyam Island. In the past, Siargao Is. can be reached via a domestic flight from Manila to Surigao City. Now, Cebu Pacific has a flight from Cebu-Siargao, vv. There are plans to extend the runway of Sayak Airport in Siargao, in March 2017, both Cebu Pacific and SkyJet airlines commenced direct flights to Sayak Airport Siargao island from Manila, the first direct flights to the island from the capital. It was charted as Isla de las Palmas, one of the well-known surfing waves on Siargao and the Philippines, with a reputation for thick, hollow tubes is Cloud 9. This right-breaking reef wave is the site of the annual Siargao Cup, the wave was discovered by traveling surfers in the late 1980s. It was named by American photographer John Seaton Callahan after a bar of same name and was featured in the United States-based Surfer magazine in March 1993. This surf trip to Siargao Island was named by Surfer as one of the Ten Best Surf Trips of All Time in 1995, Cloud 9 also has a reputation for being a relatively cheap destination for surfers with many accommodations, restaurants and bars to choose from. There are several other quality waves on Siargao and nearby islands, eddie Florano has also written a song called Surfin in Siargao from the 2006 Ukulele World, Acoustic & Power Ukulele compilation album. Surigao State College of Technology, Siargao National College of Science, global Surfers Siargao Cloud 9 Profile and information
13.
Samal, Davao del Norte
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Samal is a 4th class city in the province of Davao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 104,123 people and its official name is Island Garden City of Samal and it is made up of Samal Island and the smaller Talikud Island in the Davao Gulf, making it a part of Mindanao island group. Samal is a part of the Metropolitan Davao area and is located two kilometers away from Davao City, the largest city and the economic center of Mindanao. The name Samal was derived from the Sama-Bajau peoples, the natives who were the first inhabitants of the island, the first datu in the island was Datu Taganiyug, a native of what is now Peñaplata, today the governance center of the city. In the past, the people of the name a place about what was the said place known for. For example, the name Peñaplata was derived from the word piña or pineapple because of the abundance of pineapple in the area and this, however, is folk etymology as peñaplata literally means rock of silver in Spanish. Tagpopongan is the first barangay in the island name was from the word tagpo or meet. It was so called due to the fact that in the fact this place is chosen by the datus as their meeting place, the word Samal was also known before because it was commonly used as surname by datus. The first business transaction in the island was during the Chinese imperial era, Spanish influence was also felt in the island in the late 1840s when Nueva Vergara was established. The Pacific War, which happened during World War II, struck the island, japanese fighter planes bombed the island. Japanese occupied the island and forced the people to work for four years until they were expelled by the Allied forces, after the war, infrastructure was built, like schools, churches and stores in the area. The time came in July 8,1948, when the island itself becomes part of the newly created municipality of Samal. Five years later in 1953, the municipality of Babak was created from Samal, now came the political division of the island between the three municipalities, when the municipality of Kaputian was created from the island in 1966. In this period, the living qualities between these three municipalities became low and extremely rural, in 1969, a proposal to create the sub-province of Samal was created by Republic Act No.5999 and covered the area of the present-day city. The act was enacted without President Ferdinand Marcos approval, however, the sub-province was never inaugurated. The city was created through Republic Act No.8471 in January 30,1998, the first city mayor was Rogelio P. Antalan, who later served for three consecutive terms from 1998 to 2007. In April and June 2016, the Canadians were beheaded after ransoms were not paid, on 17 September 2016, Sekkingstad was released on Jolo island,600 miles south of Manila after captor Abu Sayyaf received $638,000 in ransom for his release. He was handed over to the rebel group Moro National Liberation Front, the MNLF was in peace talks with the government and had been working with authorities to secure Sekkingstads release
14.
Camiguin
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Camiguin, is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bohol Sea, about 10 kilometres off the northern coast of Mindanao. It is politically part of the Northern Mindanao Region of the country, Camiguin is the second-smallest province in the country in both population and land area after Batanes. The provincial capital is Mambajao, which is also the provinces largest municipality in area and population. Kinamigin, the language of Camiguin, is closely related to the Manobo language. An earlier Spanish geography book writes the island as Camiguing, there is reason to suppose the Spaniards dropped the final g. Today it is rendered as Camiguín, Old Spanish documents indicate that the renowned explorers Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed in Camiguin in 1521 and 1565, respectively. The first Spanish settlement was established in 1598 in what is now Guinsiliban, the first major Spanish settlement established in 1679 was called Katagman or Katadman. The settlement grew and prospered but was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871, the former location is what is now Barangay Bonbon of Catarman. Sagay, located south of Catarman, was established as a town in 1848. The word Sagay is derived from the name of poisonous fruit tree that grow in the area, Mambajao became a town in 1855. The name was coined from the Visayan terms mamahaw, meaning to usher breakfast, and bajao, in the early 1900s, Mambajao prospered to become the busiest port in Northern Mindanao. Mahinog was established as a municipality in 1860, the name Mahinog comes from a Visayan word meaning to ripen or to become ripe. Although Guinsiliban was the oldest settlement in the island, it was only in 1950 when it became a municipality, Mahinog was formerly governed by Mambajao while Guinsiliban was formally governed from Sagay. In 1901, in the middle of the Philippine-American War, American soldiers landed in Camiguin to assume control over the island. A group of Camiguinons, armed with bolos and spears, led by Valero Camaro, Valero Camaro was killed by a bullet on the forehead and became one of the Camiguin patriots of the early independence movement. In 1903, the first public school in Camiguin was built in Mambajao, on June 18,1942, the Japanese Imperial Army landed in Camiguin and set up a government in Mambajao. They gutted central Mambajao in reprisal to guerrilla activities in the area, the remains of some of these buildings still exist today. On July 4,1946, the Philippines gained independence from the US, Camiguin was then part of Misamis Oriental
15.
Mount Apo
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Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. The peak overlooks Davao City 45 kilometres to the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres to the southeast, the first two attempts to reach Mt. Apo’s summit ended in failure, that of Jose Oyanguren and Señor Real. The first recorded expedition was led by Don Joaquin Rajal in October 10,1880. Prior to the climb, Rajal had to secure the permission of the Bagobo chieftain and it is said that the Datu demanded that human sacrifice be made to please the god Mandarangan. Fortunately, the agreed to waive this demand, and the climb commenced on October 6,1880. These and more are described in colorful narrations by Fr, on May 9,1936, Mount Apo was declared a national park by President Manuel L. Quezon. Mt. Apo is said to be named after a nobleman named Apong, another proposed origin of the name is from the word Apo itself, which in Filipino tongues means “master” or “grandchild”. Tourism in the region was threatened due to a massive haze engulfing the slopes of the mountain, although a declared a Natural Park, the current climbing trails are littered with rubbish by irresponsible climbers, opening paths for soil erosion across the already denuded mountain sides. Some mountain and social climbing groups conduct climbs after the Holy Week/Easter, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources submitted Mount Apo on December 12,2009 for inclusion in the UNESCO world heritage list. The mountain is considered by DENR as the center of endemism in Mindanao and it has one of the highest land-based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna per unit area. It has three distinct forest formations, from tropical rainforest, to mid-mountain forests, and finally to high mountain forests. A portion of the slopes are also within the scope of the UNESCO Hydrology Environment Life. The Davao HELP Network is focused on building collaboration among watershed stakeholders, in March 2015, it was taken out from the UNESCO List of Tentative Sites due to the dramatic changes it experienced which does not constitute the UNESCO documents that describes the park. Better conservation and a change in the content of documents was recommended by UNESCO, Mt. Apo generally enjoys tropical rainy climate. It falls under the Type IV climate under the modified coronas classification wherein rainfall is distributed throughout the year. Mean monthly temperature ranges from a low 26.4 °C during January to 27.9 °C during April, monthly relative humidity ranges from 78% during March and April and 82% during June and July. The mountain is home to over 272 bird species,111 of which are endemic to the area and it is also home to one of the worlds largest eagles, the critically endangered Philippine eagle, which is the country’s national bird. Lakes - There are four lakes in Mt. Apo
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Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
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It is the only region that has its own government. The regions de facto seat of government is Cotabato City, although this city is outside of its jurisdiction. The ARMM spans two geographical areas, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in southwestern Mindanao, and the provinces of Basilan, Sulu. The region covers a total of 12,288 km², for the most part of Philippines history, the region and most of Mindanao have been a separate territory, which enabled it to develop its own culture and identity. The region has been the homeland of Muslim Filipinos since the 15th century. Muslim missionaries arrived in Tawi-Tawi in 1380 and started the conversion of the population to Islam. In 1457, the Sultanate of Sulu was founded, and not long after that the sultanates of Maguindanao, the Moros had a history of resistance against Spanish, American, and Japanese rule for over 400 years. The 400-year-long resistance against the Japanese, Americans, and Spanish by the Moro Muslims persisted and morphed into their current war for independence against the Philippine state and this was however, turned down by a plebiscite. In 1979, Batas Pambansa No.20 created a Regional Autonomous Government in the Western, of these areas, only four provinces — Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi — voted in favor of inclusion in the new autonomous region. The ARMM was officially inaugurated on November 6,1990 in Cotabato City,42, enacted on September 22,1995, sought to permanently fix the seat of regional government at Parang in Maguindanao, pending the completion of required buildings and infrastructure. However the move to Parang was never made, until the passage of Republic Act No. A new law, Republic Act No, RA9054 lapsed into law on March 31,2001, without the signature of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The ARMMs sixth province, Shariff Kabunsuan, was carved out of Maguindanao on October 28,2006 and it illustrates a gross evasion of positive duty and a virtual refusal to perform the duty enjoined. In his plan, ARMM, along with the areas that voted to be included in ARMM in 2001 plus Isabela City and Cotabato City, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao consists of 2 component cities,116 municipalities and 2,490 barangays. The cities of Isabela and Cotabato are not under the jurisdiction of the ARMM. The region is headed by a Regional Governor, the Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor are elected directly like regular local executives. Regional ordinances are created by the Regional Assembly, composed of Assemblymen, Regional elections are usually held one year after general elections depending on what legislation from the Philippine Congress. Regional officials have a term of three years, which can be extended by an act of Congress
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Caraga
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The Caraga Region was created through Republic Act No.7901 on February 23,1995. Butuan is the administrative center. The etymology of Caraga is said to have originated from the native word Kalag which means spirit of soul, hence, the whole Provincia de Caraga of AD1622 was called region de gente animosa, that is region of spirited men. Legend goes that the town was named as such because the first Spanish missionaries who came in the years of 1600 found numerous small crabs matting the beach. During pre-colonial times, the Rajahnate of Butuan ruled in what is now Agusan del Norte and it had much influenced on all of Caraga, portions of Northern Mindanao, and western side of Bohol. According to records, Butuan was in a relationship with the Sultanate of Ternate in the present-day Moluccas of Indonesia. The Ternateans would attack and ransack Butuan and its wealth, and it was known that the Rajahnate of Butuan had friendly relations with the Rajahnate of Cebu which it considered as an ally. The Rajahnate of Butuan became a powerful Hindu state which is known for its goldsmithing and boat-making. The people of Butuan used gigantic boats known as balangay which carried numerous men, relics of these gold crafts and giant boats have been unearthed and preserved by the National Museum of the Philippines and other international museums. Butuan also had relations with the Kingdom of Champa in what is now central Vietnam. The Butuan people managed to traverse the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea to reach Champa for trade, while the Rajahnate of Butuan was at large, the indigenous lumads of the inner sections of Caraga were free and had their own democratic societies that were highly advanced. Their societies were known for their knowledge on nature, medicine, mythology, eventually, Butuan started to weaken due to massive attacks from Ternate. Cebu was unable to help at the time because it was also being attacked by Ternate, likewise, the Kingdom of Dapitan in Bohol, The Venice of the Visayas, was also destroyed by an attack from Ternate. The lumads of the interior were also converted to Christianity, which diminished some of their traditions on nature worship, the Spanish attacked the Sultanate of Ternate to negate any future attacks in Caraga, which they succeeded at due to much gun power. With the Spaniards having full control of Caraga, they started establishing Spanish-modeled centers to maximized their coverage and control over the territory, wherein they succeeded at. The Spaniards would rule the country until the United States defeats them in a war which would lead into the handling of the archipelago into American possession. The Kalagans, called Caragans by the Spaniards, occupied the district composed of the two provinces of Surigao, the part of Davao Oriental and eastern Misamis Oriental. The two Agusan provinces were organized under the administrative jurisdiction of Surigao and became the independent Agusan province in 1914
18.
Davao Region
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Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao, is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. It is situated at the portion of Mindanao, comprising five provinces, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Davao Occidental. The region encloses the Davao Gulf, and its center is Davao City. Dávao is the Hispanicized pronunciation of daba-daba, the Bagobo word for fire, many historians believe that the name Davao is the mixture of the three names that three different tribes, the earliest settlers in the region, had for the Davao River. The Manobos, a tribe, referred to the Davao River as Davohoho. Another tribe, the Bagobos, referred to the river as Davohaha, which means fire, while another tribe, the history of the region dates back to the times when various tribes occupied the region. It is believed that the Manobos, Mandayas and the Bagobos occupied the area and these are the same tribes that created the small settlements and communities that eventually became Mindanao. The Davao Gulf area is the first region in the country that is in contact with the Europeans, the Portuguese are the ones who preceded the Spaniards, who are the ones to colonize the region albeit much later, in sighting and visiting the region. In 1512, Francisco Serrano was shipwrecked in the waters and coral reefs of Cape of San Agustín. In 1538, Francisco de Castro, a Portuguese captain, was driven by winds to the southeastern coast of Mindanao. He baptized several chieftains in the area and it is claimed by some that during this expedition he landed on the island of Mindanao, which is confirmed by some writers of the seventeenth century, and in the Bull of canonization issued in 1623. It is also said that he is the one to have preached the Gospel in Mindanao, for centuries the tribes lived in relative peace until the Spanish, under the adventurous Spanish businessman Don Jose Oyanguren, arrived in the region in 1847. At that time, the Moro tribal chieftain Datu Bago was in control of the area in what is now Davao City. Don Oyanguren attempted to conquer the area which Datu Bago had ruled, although he failed at first and this is the time the town of Davao, then called Nueva Vergara by the Spaniards, was established in the year 1848. Don Oyanguren attempted to develop the region, after the Spanish–American War in 1898, Spanish rule in the region ended. Americans then landed in the region and they developed the regions communications. During this period, private farm ownership grew in the region, the Port of Davao was opened on 1900, becoming the first Philippine international port to be established in the south. In 1903 until 1914, the region was one of the districts of the former Moro Province in Mindanao, after 1914, the province was replaced by an American colonial agency called Department of Mindanao and Sulu, which spanned the entire Mindanao island except Lanao
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Northern Mindanao
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Northern Mindanao is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region X. The regional center is Cagayan de Oro, Lanao del Norte was transferred to Northern Mindanao from Region XII by virtue of Executive Order No.36 in September 2001. Northern Mindanao has a land area of 2,049,602 hectares. More than 60% of Northern Mindanaos total land area are classified as forest land and its seas abound with fish and other marine products. Rainfall in Northern Mindanao is evenly distributed throughout the year and its abundant vegetation, natural springs and high elevation contribute to the regions cool, mild and invigorating climate. Northern Mindanao is the 8th most populous region in the Philippines, the major urban area of Region X is Metro Cagayan de Oro which includes Cagayan de Oro and some municipalities and cities of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon. The vast majority of the inhabitants are migrants from Cebu. Some inhabitants are of Waray, Ilonggo, Tagalog, Maranao, the economy of Northern Mindanao is the largest regional economy in the island of Mindanao. The economy in Northern Mindanao is mainly agricultural, but there is also a booming growth of industries particularly in Cagayan de Oro and in Iligan. The famous Del Monte Philippines located in the Province of Bukidnon and its processing plant is located in Cagayan de Oro, the Agus-IV to VII Hydroelectric Plants in Iligan and Balo-i, Lanao del Norte supplies most of its electrical power in Mindanao. The region is composed of five provinces, Bukidnon, the province of Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental. It has 2 highly urbanized cities, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the provinces are further subdivided into seven component cities and 84 municipalities, with a total of 2,022 barangays. The regional center is Cagayan de Oro, laguindingan International Airport, the first International airport in Northern Mindanao. Media related to Northern Mindanao at Wikimedia Commons Philippine Standard Geographic Code listing for Northern Mindanao - National Statistical Coordination Board
20.
Soccsksargen
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Soccsksargen is an administrative region of the Philippines, located in south-central Mindanao. It is numerically designated as Region XII, the name is an acronym that stands for the regions four provinces and one of its cities. The region used to be called Central Mindanao, the regional center is Koronadal located in the province of South Cotabato, and the center of commerce, industry and the most populous city is General Santos. Soccsksargen encompasses Cotabato City situated within the borders of Maguindanao, a province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the region is bounded on the north by Northern Mindanao, on the west by the Davao Region, and on the southwest by the Celebes Sea. The province of Maguindanao is situated between Cotabato City, Cotabato province and Sultan Kudarat, the region has extensive coastlines, valleys and mountain ranges. Known for its system, the region is the drainage basin of Mindanao, particularly at the Cotabato Basin. Within the basin runs the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the longest river in Mindanao, the river empties into the Illana Bay of the larger Moro Gulf at the west of Cotabato City. At the south of the basin lie the Tiruray Highlands, a high mountain range blocking the basin from the southern coastline. Southeast of the mountains lie the Sarangani Bay, the region used to be named Central Mindanao. Lanao del Norte was later transferred to Northern Mindanao, while Marawi became part of the ARMM, on September 2001, Executive Order No. Soccsksargen comprises 4 provinces,1 highly urbanized city,1 independent component city,3 component cities,45 municipalities and 1,195 barangays. Cotabato City — the regional center of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao but the city is actually under the jurisdiction of the SOCCSKSARGEN region, kidapawan — the city hailed as A Spring in the Highland, comes from the words TIDA which means spring and PAWAN meaning highland. The city is situated at the foot of the Mount Apo, kidapawan is situated at the southeastern section of Cotabato province, placed in the middle of other major cities of Davao, Cotabato, General Santos and Koronadal. Marbel is dubbed as the Sports Mecca of the South because of hosting 2 Palarong Pambansa, National Schools Press Conference and it is the political regional center of Soccsksargen. Tacurong — the only city of Sultan Kudarat and it is known for its bird sanctuary, General Santos — dubbed as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines because of the bountiful existence of Yellow fin Tuna in Sarangani Bay. As a highly urbanized city, it serves as the center of the Metropolitan and Regional Center for trade, the culture of native Maguindanaon and other native groups both Muslim and non-Muslim revolves around kulintang music, a specific type of gong music, found in the SoCCSKSarGen. Cotabato — Gov. Emmylou Lala J. Talino-Mendoza South Cotabato — Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes Sultan Kudarat — Gov. Datu Suharto Teng T. Mangudadatu Sarangani — Gov. Steve C, solon Media related to SOCCSKSARGEN at Wikimedia Commons National Statistical Coordination Board, REGION XII
21.
Zamboanga Peninsula
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Zamboanga Peninsula is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. The region consists of three provinces and two independent cities, the region was previously known as Western Mindanao before the enactment of Executive Order No.36 on September 19,2001. The city of Pagadian is designated as the regional center, the region is located on the eponymous Zamboanga Peninsula of the island of Mindanao, that lies between the Moro Gulf and the Sulu Sea. Along the shores of the peninsula are numerous bays and islands, the peninsula is connected to the rest of Mindanao through an isthmus situated between Panguil Bay and Pagadian Bay. During the ancient era, the southern Philippines, particularly the Sulu Archipelago, during the late 15th century and early 16th century, Malay missionaries spread Islam in the southern Philippines. Sharif Kabungsuwan, a Johore-born missionary of Malay and Arab descent established the Sultanate of Maguindanao, magauindanaos sultans provided Mindanao fierce armed resistance against the Spanish occupation, especially under the lead of Muhammad Kudarat. They soon allied themselves with the Sulu Sultanate, a large chunk of the Spanish-Moro Conflict, the war between the Spanish conquerors and Mindanaos Muslim natives took place in the Zamboanga Peninsula. In 1569 Zamboanga was chosen as the site of the Spanish settlement, Zamboanga was one of the main strongholds in Mindanao, supporting colonizing efforts in the south of the island and making way for Christian settlements. It also served as a military outpost, protecting the island against foreign invaders and Moro pirates, the Zamboanga Peninsula played a central role in the Spanish-Moro conflict. It was the site of constant battling between Spanish soldiers and Moro pirate raids, while the Spanish settlers successfully established churches in the region, they suffered heavily at the hands of Moro raiders, and had to repeatedly withdraw from the region. While the Spanish achieved a victory, but launching several attacks against the Sultanate of Sulu, constant fighting and attacks persisted. After the United States annexed the Spanish East Indies in 1898 and it was incorporated by the Insular Government into the Moro Province, which consisted of the Central and Western parts of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The name and status of Moro Province were changed to the Department of Mindanao and Sulu on August 16,1916, in 1942, the Zamboanga Peninsula along with the rest of the Philippine Islands was occupied by the Empire of Japan at the beginning of the Second World War. The Peninsula was liberated in 1945 by joint American and Philippine Commonwealth forces fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army, on 6 June 1952, the province was partitioned into Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, while the chartered city of Zamboanga became an independent, extraprovincial unit. From 1975 to 1989, the old Region IX was further divided into two sub-regions by Presidential Decree No.8233 dated August 21,1975. In 2001, Zamboanga Sibugay, was created from the province of Zamboanga del Sur with Ipil as the seat of government with the virtue of Republic Act No.8973. In the same year, the residents of Basilan opted to join the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in a plebiscite. However, the citizens of the capital, Isabela, did not want to join so the city remained a part of region as a result of Executive Order No.36
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Agusan del Norte
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Agusan del Norte is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Cabadbaran and it is bordered on the northeast by Surigao del Norte, mid-east by Surigao del Sur, southeast by Agusan del Sur and it faces Butuan Bay, part of the Bohol Sea, to the northwest. Prior to its creation as an independent province, Agusan, as it was once undivided, was under the jurisdiction of Surigao province during the Spanish colonial period, in 1911, Agusan was separated from Surigao by the American government, creating the Agusan province. During World War II in 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Northern Agusan, during the war, a unit of the joint Philippine-American defense force were located at Manot, Talacogon, in the interior of the Agusan Valley. In 1967, Republic Act 4979 divided Agusan into two independent provinces, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte is situated in Mindanaos western section of Caraga. It is bordered on the northwest by the Butuan Bay, northeast by Surigao del Norte, mid-east by Surigao del Sur, southeast by Agusan del Sur, and southwest by Misamis Oriental. Agusan del Norte has a land area of 2,730.24 square kilometres or 1,054.15 square miles. When Butuan City is included for geographical purposes, the land area is 3,546.86 square kilometres. The central portion of the forms the lower basin of the third longest river in the country. Consequently, the surrounding the river features flat to rolling lands. Mountainous terrain dominate the northeastern and western areas, the countrys fourth largest lake, Lake Mainit is situated at the northern border between the province of Surigao del Norte. Agusan del Norte comprises 10 municipalities and 1 component city, the city of Cabadbaran is the officially-designated capital of the province per Republic Act 8811. The highly urbanized city of Butuan is geographically within but administratively independent from the province, the population of Agusan del Norte in the 2015 census was 354,503 people, making it the countrys 64th most populous province. It had a density of 130 inhabitants per kilometre or 340 inhabitants per square mile. When the highly urbanized city of Butuan is included for geographical purposes, in 2013, the Diocese of Butuan reported that Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion of the province comprising roughly 79% of the population. The remaining beliefs usually belong to other Christian denominations as well as Islam, the economy of the province is dominantly agricultural, major crops of which include rice, corn, coconut, abaca, banana and mango. Agusan del Norte has two congressional districts encompassing its 10 municipalities and 1 component city, as well as the highly urbanized city of Butuan, the province has many beaches in Cabadbaran and the municipalities of Carmen, Buenavista, and Nasipit. Mount Hilong-Hilong, one of the tallest in the province, is located in Cabadbaran, from the top of Prayer Mountain, visitors can have a panoramic view of Cabadbaran which includes buildings, churches, rivers and the sea
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Agusan del Sur
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Agusan del Sur is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Prosperidad and borders, from the clockwise, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Bukidnon. It is third largest river in the country and served as highway for the Spanish colonizers in gaining access to inner northeastern Mindanao, the Agusan Valley was settled by a variety of cultural communities like the Manobos, Mamanwas and Higaonons. Archeological excavations in the lower Agusan valley plains have uncovered evidence of strong relationships between the region and the Southeast Asian states. A golden image of Javan-Indian design unearthed in the 1920s and molten jars uncovered in Prosperidad are indications that the region had commercial and cultural ties with the coast, the Augustinian Recollects established a mission in Linao, in the vicinity of present-day Bunawan, in 1614. However, mission work was hampered by the hostility of the surrounding Manobo tribes, at the height of the power of the Sultanate of Maguindanao in the mid-17th century, the Manobos of the Agusan Valley were in alliance with Sultan Kudarat. Linao was attacked several times during the 1629 Caraga Revolt and the 1649 Sumuroy Revolt, nevertheless, the Recollects were able to establish themselves in their mission work, and remained there until the middle of the 19th century. In the late 19th century, the Recollects turned over many of their territories, including those in the upper Agusan region. Missionary work was interrupted by the Philippine Revolution when the Jesuits either fled or were arrested by revolutionaries, during the American occupation, lumbering became an important activity in Agusan del Sur. Visayan migrants settled in the plains, pushing indigenous communities farther into the mountainous slopes. The territory of Agusan del Sur was governed as part of the province of Caraga during most of the Spanish period, in 1860, it was placed under the comandancia of Butuan, a district of the province of Surigao. In 1914, the province of Agusan was created by the American government, during World War II, a unit of the joint Philippine-American defense force were located at Manot, Talacogon, in the interior of the Agusan Valley. The province of Agusan del Sur was established on June 17,1967 under Republic Act No.4969 providing for the division of the province of Agusan into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur. In January 1970, the first set of provincial officials assumed office after the election of November,1969. The same law provided that the capital of Agusan del Sur be the municipality of Prosperidad, the Government Center has been set up in Barangay Patin-ay. The history of Agusan del Sur is essentially linked with that of its sister province, the aborigines of Agusan del Sur are the ancestors of the present day Mamanwas, who were driven to the hinterlands by waves of Malay immigrants. These immigrants, in turn, sought the protection of the interior jungles because of the forays, the moros being seafaring people confined themselves to the coastal areas, where they started their settlements. In 1976, the land area was 8,568 square kilometres
24.
Bukidnon
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Bukidnon is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is the city of Malaybalay, the province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte. According to the 2015 census, the province is inhabited by 1,415,226 residents, the name Bukidnon means highlander or mountain dweller. The province is considered to be the food basket of Mindanao, being the producer of rice. Products from plantations in the also include pineapples, bananas. Situated within Bukidnon is Mount Dulang-dulang, the 2nd highest mountain in the country, with an elevation of 2,938 metres located in Kitanglad Mountain Range. Mount Kitanglad, Mount Kalatungan, Mt. Maagnaw, Mt. Lumuluyaw and Mt. Tuminungan, there are no seaports in the province because the place is landlocked. To get to Bukidnon, one must travel by land from Cagayan de Oro City or from Davao City, a proposed domestic airport site in the municipality of Don Carlos has already been on the talks since 2008 and in 2013, the proposal was finalized. Construction date is yet to be determined, Bukidnon became a part of Misamis in the latter part of 1850. The whole area was then called Malaybalay and the people were known as Bukidnons, the Philippine Commission, then headed by Commissioner Dean C. Worcester, Secretary of Interior, proposed the separation of Bukidnon from Misamis Province, on August 20,1907, the Philippine Commission Act No.1693 was enacted the Province of Agusan and sub-province of Bukidnon. Bukidnon became a province on March 10,1917 by virtue of the creation of the Department of Mindanao. In 1942, invading Japanese troops entered Bukidnon, Mt. Capistrano was a civilian evacuation area in the World War II. In 1945, the province was liberated from Japanese occupation by Filipino, when the civil government divided central Mindanao into provinces at the turn of the 20th century, the groups included in the province of Bukidnon are the Talaandig and the Manobo. All contributed massive acculturation among the indigenous tribes, most of those who moved to the mountains and forest continued to hold on their ancestors’ cultural heritage. The wide variety of Filipino groups now thrives in the province, Bukidnon is a landlocked plateau in North Central Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City, on the south by North Cotabato and Davao City, on the east by Agusan del Sur and Davao del Norte, and west by Lanao del Sur. It lies between parallels 7°25 and 8°38 north latitude and meridians 124°03 and 125°16 east longitude, Malaybalay City, the capital town, is about 850 kilometres by air from Manila and 91 kilometres by road from Cagayan de Oro City
25.
Compostela Valley
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Compostela Valley or Davao de Oro is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province, called Comval for short, used to be part of Davao del Norte until it was independent in 1998. It is the fourth newest province of the Philippines, behind Zamboanga Sibugay, Dinagat Islands, the province borders Davao del Norte to the west, Agusan del Sur to the north, and Davao Oriental to the east. To the southwest lies the Davao Gulf and its first elected governor was Jose Caballero, formerly a lawyer for a mining group in the province. Compostela Valley, the 78th province in the country, was carved out of Davao del Norte Province by virtue of Republic Act No,8470, signed by President Fidel V. Ramos on January 30,1998. On March 7 of the year, the law was ratified through a plebiscite conducted in the twenty-two municipalities of the mother province. However, this was not realized until his death in the late 1980s and his son, Rogelio M. Sarmiento, who became his successor in Congress, made way for the passage of the bill creating the province. It was also decided that Nabunturan would be the town because of its more central location. The name originally proposed for the province was Davao del Norte,6430 on June 17,1972 renaming it as Davao Province. The origin of the inhabitants came from the ethnic tribes of the Mansaka, Mandaya, Manobo, Mangguangan, Dibabawon, Aeta, Kamayo, Davaweño. The bigger wave of immigrants came during the time of President Ramon Magsaysay wherein the policy of attraction adopted by the government was to offer parcels of land to tenant-farmers. Although a virtual melting pot, the Visayans are the dominant group in Compostela Valley, new, as it is, Compostela Valley has achieved a distinction of sorts with the succession of three governors during the first four months of its existence. The first governor of the province was Prospero S. Amatong, the governor of the then undivided province of Davao del Norte. The following day, he resigned and filed his candidacy for the seat of the 2nd district of the new province. The governorship was turned over to Luz M. Sarmiento, by virtue of a presidential appointment, Luz M. Sarmiento, wife of then Congressman Lorenzo S. Sarmiento, Sr. served the province from March 27,1998 to June 30,1998. She was succeeded by Jose R. Caballero, Jose R. Caballero, a practicing lawyer and former vice governor of then undivided Davao Del Norte was the first elected governor of Compostela Valley. Arturo T. Chiongkee Uy is the governor of Compostela Valley. He first served the province as member of the 3rd Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Compostela Valley before he was elected as governor in May 2007 national and local elections
26.
Cotabato
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Cotabato, formerly but colloquially known as North Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Cotabato derives its name from the Maguindanao word kuta wato, meaning stone fort, Islam was introduced in this part of the country in the later part of 15th century by Sharif Mohammed Kabungsuwan, an Arabo-Malay Muslim warrior-missionary. Modern historians have pointed to the Cotabato delta as the location of Toupo. Christianity was introduced in 1596, but the Spaniards were unable to penetrate into the region until the half of the 19th century. The district of Cotabato was formed in 1860, covering the areas of what is now Cotabato, Maguindanao, the coming of the Americans ushered in the creation of the Moro Province on July 15,1903, through Act No.787 of the Philippine Commission. Cotabato, covering what are now the provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani, during the American period, large companies were established in Cotabato to exploit the vast timber resources of the region. By the 1930s, settlers from Luzon and Visayas established homesteads in Cotabato, in December 1941, Japanese planes bombed and invaded in Cotabato. In 1942, Cotabato was occupied by the Japanese Imperial forces, in 1945, Cotabato was recaptured from the Japanese Imperial forces by the combined Filipino and American troops together with the recognized Moro guerrilla units. The guerrillas used the traditional Moro Kampilan, Barong and Kris swords, the pace of settlement in the region accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s. The former province of Cotabato was once the largest in the Philippines, in 1966, South Cotabato was created as a separate province. In 1992, the province of Sarangani was formed out of South Cotabato, on November 22,1973, through Presidential Decree No. 341, what remained of the old Cotabato was further divided into the provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, North Cotabato was later renamed Cotabato through Batas Pambansa Blg.660 approved on March 7,1984. Cotabato now comprises the city of Kidapawan,17 municipalities. The province currently has three congressional districts, Cotabato covers a total area of 9,008.90 square kilometres occupying the northeastern tip of Region XII and is centrally located in Mindanao. Cotabato is strategically linked to the major Arterial Road System that traverses, the Cotabato via Kabacan - Maramag - Kibawe, Bukidnon Sayre Highway meanwhile serves as its link to the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan City Corridor. Cotabato stretches from the east at Mount Apo, which separates it from Davao, the province’s fertile plains are traversed by tributaries of this great river. Typhoons do not pass through Cotabato and rainfall is distributed throughout the year. Cotabato comprises 17 municipalities and one city, during 2010-2016 Administration, the Bangsamoro ideal sprouted and a newly proposed region was in the making
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Davao del Norte
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Davao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Davao del Norte also includes Samal Island to the south in the Davao Gulf, before 1967, the five provinces—Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and Compostela Valley—were administered as a single province named Davao. The Davao Region is coterminous with this former province, Davao del Norte is also known as the banana capital of the Philippines. Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, together with Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur used to be a whole province simply known as Davao. This original province was split into three, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and Davao del Sur when Republic Act No.4867 was signed into law on May 8,1967 by President Ferdinand Marcos. Davao del Norte originally comprised thirteen municipalities, Asuncion, Babak, Compostela, Kapalong, Mabini, Mawab, Monkayo, Nabunturan, Panabo, Pantukan, Samal, Santo Tomas and Tagum. On May 6,1970, six municipalities were created, Carmen, Kaputian, Maco, Montevista, New Bataan. The passage of Republic Act No.6430 on June 17,1972 changed the name of the province from Davao del Norte to Davao. By 1996, Davao had a total of twenty-two municipalities with the creation of San Vicente in 1979, Maragusan in 1988, on January 31,1998, President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8470, which split the province into two, creating the province of Compostela Valley, in the meantime, Davao was renamed back to Davao del Norte. Dujali was created out of several barangays in Panabo and Carmen, the province then had 8 municipalities and 2 cities. 9015, signed into law on March 5,2001 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,9265, approved on March 15,2004 created the municipality of San Isidro from Asuncion and Kapalong. Davao del Norte covers a area of 3,426.97 square kilometres occupying the north-central section section of the Davao Region. The province borders Agusan del Sur to the north, Bukidnon to the west, Compostela Valley to the east, Samal City is the only municipality or city in the province not situated on Mindanao island. The city covers the entire Samal and Talikud Islands within the Davao Gulf, the Leonard Kniaseff volcano is located within the province. Davao del Norte comprises 8 municipalities and 3 cities, Davao del Norte had a population of 1,016,332 in the 2015 census. Main languages spoken are Cebuano and Davawenyo, english and Filipino are also widely spoken. Talaingod is the home of indigenous groups in Davao del Norte
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Davao del Sur
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Davao del Sur is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital and largest city is Digos, the province is bordered by Davao City to the north, Davao Occidental to the south and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf, in 1849, Nueva Guipúzcoa province was founded in the region conquered by Uyanguren in what is now Davao Region, with Davao, then called Nueva Vergara, as the provincial capital. Uyanguren became the governor, but he failed in his efforts to develop Nueva Guipúzcoa. Thirty-six years after the foundation of Davao, the town of Santa Cruz was founded on the 5th day of October,1884 and it is the first town to be founded south of Davao and is now the oldest in the province. In 1898, the Spanish administration in the Philippines ended in 1898 following its defeat during the Spanish–American War, in early 1900s, waves of immigrants from the Visayas, Luzon, and as well as from Japan began to live in the region, centered mainly in Davao. The region began to boom in growth as agricultural business proliferated in the region. Before World War II, an enterprising American by the name of N. E. Crumb leased 10.24 square kilometres and this became the hub of economic activity in the locality during those days. In 1942, during the start of the World War II in the Pacific, in 1945, the liberation of southern Davao by United States and Philippine Commonwealth troops was supported by Davaoeño guerrilla fighters. In 1967, Davao Province was divided into three provinces, one of them being Davao del Sur, the town of Digos was made its capital, in 2015, the National Competitiveness Council, ranked the province as the most competitive province in the country. Davao del Sur covers a area of 2,163.98 square kilometres occupying the southwestern section of the Davao Region in Mindanao. When Davao City is included for geographical purposes, the land area is 4,607.59 square kilometres. Davao del Sur comprises 9 municipalities and 1 component city, all encompassed by a legislative district. Davao City, although part of the province for geographical and statistical purposes, is governed independently from the province, the province enjoys a mild, pleasant climate all year round. Because of its characteristics and geographical location, it is rarely visited by typhoons. There is no pronounced wet or dry season, the coolest months are from November to February with an average temperature of 25 °C. during the peak summer months from March to May, temperatures average 28 °C but may rise as high as 32 °C. The population of Davao del Sur in the 2015 census was 632,588 people, when Davao City is included for geographical purposes, the provinces population is 2,265,579 people, with a density of 492/km2. Davao del Sur is a mix of Mindanaoans, Visayans, Tagalogs, Chinese, Japanese
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Davao Occidental
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Davao Occidental is the 81st and newest province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the municipality of Malita, to the east lies the Davao Gulf. It also shares a border with the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi to the south. According to Article IX Section 48 of the charter, the first set of elective officials were elected on May 9,2016. Davao Occidental was created through Republic Act 10360 enacted on July 23,2013, comprising five of the eight municipalities that constitute the 2nd district of Davao del Sur. RA10360 was passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on November 28,2012, and December 5,2012, respectively, a plebiscite was held on October 28,2013 along with the barangay elections and the majority of votes cast were Yes, ratifying the province. The motive of creating the province was to boost the economic condition, senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. However, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas considered the creation of the province as nothing more than gerrymandering and political convenience. Davao Occidental covers a area of 2,163.45 square kilometres occupying the southwestern tip of the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province is bordered on the northwest by Davao del Sur, west by Sarangani, the province comprises 5 municipalities, all encompassed by a lone legislative district. The population of Davao Occidental in the 2015 census was 316,342 people, Davao del Sur Davao Occidental local elections,2016 Media related to Davao Occidental at Wikimedia Commons Geographic data related to Davao Occidental at OpenStreetMap Republic Act No. 10360, Charter of the Province of Davao Occidental
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Davao Oriental
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Davao Oriental is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Mati and borders Compostela Valley to the west, Davao Oriental is the easternmost province of the country with Pusan Point as the easternmost location. The Philippine Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, faces Davao Oriental to the east, part of the province lies on an unnamed peninsula that encloses the Davao Gulf to the west. The province is the top producer of coconut and copra in the country, the present territory of Davao Oriental was covered by the historical region of Caraga, which was under the Sultanate of Maguindanao. The Spaniards established a permanent settlement in the region in 1591, and in 1844, the province existed until 1858, when the politico-military commandancias of Davao and Bislig were created in its place. Bislig was incorporated into the District of Davao two years later, in 1903, the colonial American government created the Moro Province comprising several districts, one of which was Davao. The Moro province was converted in 1914 into the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, in 1942, the territory of what is now Davao Oriental was occupied by the Japanese Imperial forces. On May 8,1967, through Republic Act No,4867, the province of Davao was divided into three independent provinces, one of which was Davao Oriental. Davao Oriental covers a area of 5,679.64 square kilometres occupying the eastern tip of the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province is bordered by Compostela Valley to the west, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north, the Davao Gulf to the southwest, the Eastern Pacific Cordillera mountain range encompasses the province. To the east of the range lie narrow strips of coastal areas, the province encloses the Davao Gulf to the southwest. Davao Oriental has a rainy season and a short dry season. Davao Oriental comprises 10 municipalities and 1 city, all organized into 2 legislative districts, there are 183 barangays in the province. The population of Davao Oriental in the 2015 census was 558,958 people, the province is mostly inhabited by Visayan migrants. Ethnic groups include the Mandayas, Mansakas, Manobos and the Kalagans, the native language spoken in the province are Kamayo and Mandaya. Cebuano is also spoken, and Chavacano de Davao being spoken by the people from Compostela Valley, even some of the natives adhere to Christian faith, they are syncretic in some of their beliefs. Davao Oriental is the top coconut and copra producer in the Philippines and it also is a major producer of abacá, and exports crude oil and copra pellets
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Lanao del Norte
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Lanao del Norte, officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. According to the 2015 census, the province has a population of 676,395 people. Situated within Lanao del Norte is the urbanized city of Iligan. The province of Lanao existed from 1914 until 1959, republic Act No.2228 divided Lanao into two provinces creating Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. The new province was inaugurated on July 4,1959 making Iligan City as the capital, in 1977, President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Resolution No. Lanao del Norte is a province that ranges from the coastal shorelines in the north to the high plateaus. It has also diverse flora and fauna, Lanao del Norte covers a total area of 3,346.57 square kilometres occupying the southwestern section of the Northern Mindanao region in Mindanao. When Iligan City is included for geographical purposes, the land area is 4,159.94 square kilometres. Lanao del Norte comprises 22 municipalities, the city of Iligan administers itself independently as a highly urbanized city. The population of Lanao del Norte in the 2015 census was 676,395 people, when Iligan City is included for geographical purposes, the provinces population is 1,019,013 people, with a density of 245 inhabitants per square kilometre. The people in Lanao del Norte are a mixture of Maranaos and Cebuanos, with some Chabacanos, Tausugs, Yakan, and Sama-Bajau. Historically, immigrants who came from the Christian provinces of Mindanao, Visayas, there are also a minority of Higaunons settling in the hinterlands of Iligan City. The Maranao is an group of Malay descent. They settled in the area long before the advent of the Spaniards in the Philippines and they possess their own culture and civilization which makes them quite unique. Their language, customs, traditions, religion, social system, costumes, music, the main languages are Maranao and Cebuano. Other language spoken is Chabacano, spoken by both Christians and Muslims, a vast majority of people of Lanao del Norte adhere to Christianity most of them are Cebuanos and Chabacanos. In 2006,56. 9% are Roman Catholic according to Iligan, practitioners of Islam comprises almost 42%. The economy in Lanao del Norte is predominantly based on agriculture, factories are mostly based in Iligan City
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Lanao del Sur
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Lanao del Sur, officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The capital is the city of Marawi, and it borders Lanao del Norte to the north, Bukidnon to the east, to the southwest lies Illana Bay, an arm of the Moro Gulf. Situated in the interior of Lanao del Sur is Lanao Lake, the Darangen Epic Chants of the Maranao of Lanao del Sur is inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008. Lanao means lake, derived from ranao, the province, situated at basin of Lake Lanao, is known as the land of the Maranaos. Lanao was first explored by the Spaniards in 1689, upon which they discovered a community named Dansalan at the lakes northern end. Lanao was the seat of the Sultanate of Lanao, during the Pre-Spanish time, there are 4 important boundaries hold the power of appointing a new sultan namely, Bakayawan, Dalama, Madamba and Sawer. In appointing a new sultan the permission of these four boundaries are needed to validate the new sultan appointed to his position, in 1942, it was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Forces who landed in Southern Lanao. On May 2,1942, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Jose Abad Santos was killed by the Japanese Imperial forces in a squad at Malabang. In 1945, the first of the forces landed in Southern Lanao and liberated the area with United States. They used infantry weapons, the Maranao Kris, Barong and Kampilan swords against the Japanese forces in the Battle of Lanao. In 1956, Republic Act No.1552 changed the name Dansalan to Marawi, taken from the word rawi, in 1959, Lanao was divided into two provinces, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, under Republic Act No.2228. Marawi was designated as the capital of Lanao del Sur, the city was renamed the Islamic City of Marawi in 1980, and is currently the Philippines only city having a predominantly Muslim population. 6406, which sought to create a new out of eastern Lanao del Sur, was approved on October 4,1971. The division never took place due to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines on September 21,1972, in a 1989 plebiscite, Lanao del Sur voted to join the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, but Marawi City elected to remain outside ARMM. It later joined ARMM in 2001 following the plebiscite that sought to expand the autonomous region, Lanao del Sur forms the western portion of Northern Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by Lanao del Norte, on the east by Bukidnon, on the west by Illana Bay, the landscape is dominated by rolling hills and valleys, placid lakes and rivers. Located within the province is Lanao Lake, the second largest in the country, the climate in the province is characterized by even distribution of rainfall throughout the year, without a distinct summer season. The province is located outside the typhoon belt, Lanao del Sur comprises 39 municipalities and 1 city
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Maguindanao
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Maguindanao is a province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, Sultan Kudarat to the south, Shariff Mohammed Kabungsuwan of Johore introduced Islam in the area at the end of the 15th century. He subsequently married a princess from the Maranao Tribe of Malabang and Maguindanao Province. The Cotabato Valley formed the sultanates heartland but its influence extended from the Zamboanga Peninsula to Sarangani Bay, Spaniards already took with them Chabacanos and Chabacano-speaking Muslims from Zamboanga and Basilan and Cebuanos. Chabacanos being brought by Spaniards are the reason of existing Chabacano dialect in Cotabato City called Cotabateño, the historical province of Cotabato covered the present area of Maguindanao. In 1903, the American colonial government established the Moro Province, upon the conversion of the Moro Province into the Department of Mindanao and Sulu in 1914, the districts were made into provinces. In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces entered what is now Maguindanao, the territory of the old province of Cotabato was reduced in 1966 when several of its municipalities were separated from it and constituted into the newly created province of South Cotabato. In 1973, Cotabato was dissolved when it was split to three new provinces, Maguindanao, Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. Maguindanao is the only Muslim-majority province of the four created out of the original Cotabato Province, on October 31,2006, Maguindanao voters approved the creation of a new province to be composed of 10 towns from the province. Of more than 500,000 voters registered,285,372 favored the creation of the province, and 8,802 voted against it. The new province, Shariff Kabunsuan, established through Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act No.201 by the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, became the countrys 80th province and the 6th in the ARMM. It was composed of the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Upi, Sultan Kudarat, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Sultan Mastura, Parang, Buldon, Matanog and Barira. On November 23,2009, a 2010 gubernatorial election caravan supporting Esmael Mangudadatu, fifty-seven people were killed, including Mangudadatus wife and sisters, supporters, local journalists, and bystanders. On December 4,2009, a number of homes belonging to the Ampatuan political family were raided in connection with the massacre, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo officially declared martial law in the province of Maguindanao on December 5,2009, Saturday morning. In a press conference past 7 am, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced Proclamation No, the declaration of martial law led to the arrests without warrants of other members of the Ampatuan clan who have been linked to the November 23 massacre of 58 civilians. On August 15,2011, Mangudadatu and his convoy were ambushed as they were on their way to his birthday celebration, on February 2016, Maguindanao experienced the effects of the 2014–16 El Niño, causing destruction on rice and corn fields due to drought. The province declared a state of calamity in response to the damages caused, Maguindanao is situated in the central section of Mindanao, bordered by Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, Sultan Kudarat to the south, and the Illana Bay to the west. Maguindanao comprises 36 municipalities, further subdivided into 508 barangays, Cotabato City, although geographically grouped with Maguindanao, is administratively independent from the province as well as from the ARMM
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Misamis Occidental
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Misamis Occidental is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Oroquieta, the province borders Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur to the west and is separated from Lanao del Norte by Panguil Bay to the south and Iligan Bay to the east. The province of Misamis was originally inhabited by Subanens who were a target by the sea pirates from Lanao. The province is named after the settlement of the Spaniards at the entrance to the Panguil Bay. The name Misamis is believed to have derived from the Subanen word Kuyamis which is a variety of coconut. The area of now Misamis Occidental was first occupied by Subanen, the name Misamis is derived from Subanen word kuyamis which is a variety of coconut. In response, the government in Manila created a flotilla and appointed a Spanish Jesuit missionary, José Ducos. It was officially called “Fuerte de la Concepción y del Triunfo. ”1818 — Mindanao was organized into five districts, one of which was the Segundo Distrito de Misamis. This area was composed of today’s Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Bukidnon, Lanao, Zamboanga del Norte, during this era, the name of the town was Cagayan de Misamis. November 2,1929 — Legislative Act No.3537 passed, dividing the old province of Misamis into Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, which took effect on January 1,1930. Misamis Occidental comprised the nine towns of Baliangao, Lopez Jaena, Tudela, Clarin, Plaridel, Oroquieta, Aloran, Jimenez. Don Jose Fortich Ozamiz became the first governor, January 6,1930 — the provincial council of Misamis Occidental, selected Oroquieta to become the capital town of the province. 1935 — the Provincial Capitol Building, commonly called Capitolio, begun and became the seat of executive and legislative power of the province, in 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Misamis Occidental, beginning their brief occupation of the province during World War II. In 1945, combined American and Philippine Commonwealth forces liberated the province, during World War II, Misamis became the capital of the Free Philippines as the seat of government of the Free Philippines then was the Capitolio. The United States Forces in the Philippines under Col. Wendell W. Fertig based in Misamis Occidental, was the point for the guerrillas in Mindanao. This was historically significant because it is the time in Philippine history when its capital was in Mindanao. The Free Philippine Government was then issuing Misamis Occidental emergency notes, late President Quezon, upon knowing that Oroquieta was made a capital of the Free Philippines and that the town was issuing emergency notes, authorized the Printing of the Mindanao emergency note. May 2010 — the people of Misamis Occidental elected their first lady governor, Misamis Occidental is located near the narrow strip of land linking Northwestern Mindanao, to the North-central part of the island
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Misamis Oriental
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Misamis Oriental is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital and provincial center is the city of Cagayan de Oro, around the 10th Century, the area of what is now Misamis Oriental was under the Indianized Kingdom called the Rajahnate of Butuan. In the 16th century, Muslims from Malaysia came and then displaced the Non-Muslim Lumads northwards as they came to control most of Mindanao, as part of Mindanao, the people of the territory were obliged to pay tribute to Muslim rulers. No.3537 approved on 2 November 1929, divided the province of Misamis into two due to the lack of geographic contiguity and it was not until ten years later on 28 November 1939 that the division between Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental was implemented by Act. When Misamis Oriental separated, Don Gregorio Pelaez became its first governor, in 1942, at the onset of World War II in the Philippines, Japanese soldiers landed in Misamis Oriental to occupy the region. Combined American and Philippine Commonwealth forces along with recognised guerrilla fighters liberated Misamis Oriental in 1945, in May 2014 it was reported that an area in Barangay Lapad in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, in northern Mindanao, was declared a heritage site. Oyster fossils older than 200,000 years were discovered, according to Balita Pilipinas, property owner, Raul Ilogon, told Balita Pilipinas that they had been seeing the fossils for 20 years thinking that they were ordinary rocks. Located in Northern Mindanao, the province borders Bukidnon to the south, Agusan del Norte to the east, on the north is the Bohol Sea with the island-province of Camiguin just off its northern coast. Misamis Oriental occupies a land area of 3,131.52 square kilometres. When the independent city of Cagayan de Oro is included for geographical purposes, Misamis Oriental, as a coastal province, is dominated by two bays to the north, the Macajalar and the Gingoog. The central portion of the province features several rivers originating from the highlands of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental comprises 23 municipalities and 2 component cities, which are organized into two legislative districts and further subdivided into 424 barangays. The provincial capital, Cagayan de Oro, is an urbanized city that is administered independently from the province. The population of Misamis Oriental in the 2015 census was 888,509 people, when Cagayan de Oro City is included for geographical purposes, the provinces population is 1,564,459 people, with a density of 441/km2. Cebuano is primarily the spoken language of the province, including Cagayan de Oro, many are fluent in Tagalog as a secondary language and English, which is being mainly used for business and in the academe. Maranao is also spoken among the Maranao communities within the province, roman Catholicism predominates in the province with roughly 83% of the population. Many other Christian faiths compose most of the minority religions while Islam has a small, the province is host to industries such as agricultural, forest, steel, metal, chemical, mineral, rubber and food processing. It is home to the 30 square kilometre PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate, del Monte Philippines, which exports pineapples all over the Asia-Pacific region, has a processing plant in Cagayan de Oro. It is bigger than Hanjins $1 billion shipyard complex in Subic, the Philippine government declared the 441. 8-hectare project site an economic zone
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Sarangani
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Sarangani, or Saraŋgani, is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region. The province is divided two sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and General Santos City, and it used to be part of South Cotabato until it was made an independent province in 1992. The early inhabitants who first inhabited Sarangani were the natives, called MunaTo. In 1942, the Japanese troops occupied Southern Cotabato, before its inception in 1992, Sarangani was part of South Cotabato as the Third District of South Cotabato. The province was created by Republic Act No.7228 on March 16,1992 and his wife, Priscilla L. Chiongbian, was the first Governor of Sarangani. Sarangani covers a area of 3,601.25 square kilometres occupying the southern tip of the SOCCSKSARGEN in central Mindanao. The province is bordered on the central-north by South Cotabato, northeast by Davao del Sur, east by Davao Occidental, south by the Sarangani Bay and Celebes Sea, Sarangani is divided into two sections, separated by the Sarangani Bay and General Santos City in the middle. The western portion comprises the towns of Maitum, Kiamba, and Maasim, the eastern section consists of Alabel, Glan, Malapatan, and Malungon. A single legislative district encompasses all towns, the population of Sarangani in the 2015 census was 544,261 people, with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre or 390 inhabitants per square mile. Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion in the province comprising 63% of the population, the remainder is usually divided among other Christian Churches. Coconut, corn, rice, banana, mango, durian, rubber, the province has plantations, cattle ranches, and commercial fishponds that have been operating in the area, some of which having existed as far back as 40 years. Electricity comes from the National Power Corporation, and augmented by a 50 MW power plant in Alabel, water is provided for by sustainable spring development projects. Sarangani celebrates its anniversary every November, named as MunaTo Festival. Sarangani has ancient burial jars, discovered by archaeologists from the National Museum in Ayub Cave in Maitum, in 1991 and in 2008, amid Mindanaos armed conflicts, artifacts found thereat prove settlements of pre-historic civilization in Maitum
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South Cotabato
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South Cotabato, officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal City, and it borders Sultan Kudarat to the north and west, Sarangani to the south and northeast, to the southeast lies Sarangani Bay. General Santos, located on the shores of Sarangani Bay, is the most populous city in the region, the province of Sarangani used to be part of South Cotabato until it was made an independent province in 1992. Centuries ago, the area that would be the South Cotabato was sparsely inhabited by Malay pioneers which later evolved into various ethnic groupings that still exist in the province today, spaniards already took with them Chabacanos and Chabacano-speaking Muslims from Zamboanga and Basilan and Cebuanos. Settlers, who would lay the foundation of what would become a progressive province, the significant thrust occurred during the term of President Quezon in late 1930s. General Paulino Santos led the first of wave of settlers that time, after World War II, the final exodus of settlers from Luzon and Visayas poured into the areas virgin land. In the early 1960s as population, trade and industries grew in part of Cotabato. Thus, on July 18,1966, South Cotabato was separated from Cotabato as an independent province. At that time, the province consisted of 11 municipalities, namely, Banga, South Cotabato, General Santos, Glan, Kiamba, Koronadal, Maitum, Norala, Polomolok, Surallah, Tantangan and these municipalities were established long before the creation of the province. Other component municipalities were formed after it fully functioned as a province, with the creation of regions under Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, South Cotabato was grouped with Region XI, also known as Southern Mindanao, in 1992, the province of Sarangani was formed out of South Cotabato. Seven towns in southern and coastal section of the province part of the new province. On August 16,2000, Republic Act No.8803 was approved, in 2015, the National Competitiveness Council declared the province as the 4th most competitive province in the country. South Cotabato covers a land area of 3,935.95 square kilometres. When General Santos City is included for geographical purposes, the land area is 4,428.81 square kilometres. The province is generally dotted with some hills and mountains. South Cotabato belongs to the type of climate, that is rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. The average number of days for the year 2004 is recorded between 122 and 180 days with the months of May, June, July, August
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Sultan Kudarat
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Sultan Kudarat is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is Isulan and the center is Tacurong City. He is considered a hero, and in his honor the province was named after him. Sultan Kudarat is situated on the section of central Mindanao. The provinces total area is 5,298.34 square kilometres. Two major mountain ranges encompass the province, the Alip Mountain Range in Columbio, the three coastal towns on the provinces western side are lined with mountain ranges that separate the central part of the province from the sea. There are also mountains on the side, leaving flat land in between. The province has a coastline of 132 kilometres in its three coastal towns, which face the Celebes Sea. These coastal areas are prone to coming from the Celebes Sea. Approximately 2/3 of Lake Buluans area is covered by the province in the towns of Lutayan, there are 7 major rivers within the province, Alip, Allah, Kapingkong, Tran, Salaman, Palimbang and Kabulnan. Additionally, there are 23 large creeks and 11 major springs within the province, forestland constitutes majority of the province land use, followed by agricultural land, fishing grounds, non-agricultural land, other bodies of water, and fishponds. Five major soil types are found within the province, majority of which is classified as Mountain Soil, followed by Sandy Loam, Silty Clay Loam, Clay Loam, the climate of Sultan Kudarat falls under Type IV of Climate. Heavy rainfall occurs from April to November, unlike most other provinces in the country, Sultan Kudarat is generally free from typhoons as it is situated outside the typhoon belt. The average temperature is 35 °C, with 38 °C as the average maximum normally occurring in March, the lowest recorded was 18 °C in the Kulaman area in December to early January. Sultan Kudarat comprises 11 municipalities and 1 city, three of the municipalities are coastal towns, while the rest of the province is located inland. The 11 municipalities and Tacurong City are further subdivided into 249 barangays, Tacurong City is the smallest unit in the province by land area, but is the most urbanized, and is considered the provinces commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital, the population of Sultan Kudarat in the 2015 census was 812,095 people, with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre or 390 inhabitants per square mile. At the 2000 census, the province had a population of 586,505
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Surigao del Norte
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Surigao del Norte is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. The province comprises two major islands—Siargao and Bucas Grande—in the Philippine Sea, and a region at the northeastern tip of Mindanao. This mainland portion borders Agusan del Norte, and Surigao del Sur to the south, Surigao del Norte is the second northernmost of the Mindanao provinces and is an important transportation hub between Visayas and Mindanao. Numerous ferries cross the Surigao Strait between Surigao and the island of Leyte carrying vehicles and passengers between Liloan in Southern Leyte and Surigao City, the seat of government was at Tandag until it was transferred to the town of Surigao in 1848. By the end of the Spanish rule in 1897, Agusan had been organized as a single politico-military comandancia named Butuan, Distrito de Surigao became a chartered province on May 15,1901. On September 18,1960, through Republic Act 2786 dated June 19,1960, Agusan province was later dissolved and divided into the present day provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur in 1967 by Republic Act No.4979. The town of Surigao became a city on August 30,1970 pursuant to RA6134, Dinagat Islands had been a part of the First District of Surigao del Norte until becoming a province on its own on December 2,2006, with the approval of Republic Act No. 9355, the Charter of the Province of Dinagat Islands, in a plebiscite, between February 2010 and March 2011, the islands were part again of Surigao del Norte after declaring RA9355 unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, then were reinstated as a separate province. Surigao del Norte is a province situated at the rim of the Asian continental shelf. It is located at the tip of Mindanao and faces the Philippine Trench. The province is bounded by the Dinagat Islands on the north, east by the Philippine Sea, south by the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur, the province has many caves and tunnels in its islands. Some are half-submerged in water most of the time and could be accessed only during low tides like the Sohoton Cove at Bucas Grande Island and its biggest islands are usually mountainous and rich in minerals. Nonoc Island has one of the worlds largest deposits of nickel, the smaller ones either rest on sand and gravel or have a limestone base bonded by boulders, reefs and sandbars. Some islets which include those in Del Carmen in Siargao Island are a cluster of rock jutting out from the sea covered with shrubs. Surigao del Norte has no pronounced dry season, receiving maximum rainfall from November to January, Surigao del Norte comprises 20 municipalities and 1 component city, organized into two legislative districts and further subdivided into 335 barangays. Surigao is home to the Mamanwa ethnic tribe and their dances are showcased in a local festival called Bonok-Bonok, held at the feast of San Nicolas de Tolentino which is held annually on September 10. The Bonok-Bonok depicts the native folks merry-making to show gratitude to God for bountiful harvest, the population of Surigao del Norte in the 2015 census was 485,088 people, with a density of 250 inhabitants per square kilometre or 650 inhabitants per square mile. The inhabitants of the province is mostly of pure/mixed Austronesian stock, with people of Chinese
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Surigao del Sur
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Surigao del Sur is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Surigao del Sur is situated at the eastern coast of Mindanao, before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the aborigines of the province were the Mamanua and Manobo. Austronesian people from the Visayas came to settle with the natives and it was with the arrival of the immigrants that the province acquired its name from one of the natives, Saliagao who are now known as Surigaonon, who lived near the mouth of the river. The name Saliagao was later pronounced Surigao by the inhabitants, another version of the origin of the name Surigao is that, Visayan fishermen forced by the strong current of the Surigao Strait, sought refuge in one of the huts somewhere in the province. The Mamanua who thought that these fishermen wanted to occupy the hut by force said Agaw, the aborigines of Surigao del Sur were a mixture of different races which include the Mandaya, Mamanua, Mansaka and Manobo. These groups were of Malayan-Indonesian ancestry who immigrated thousands of years ago, in the course of their migration, these primitive nomads were believed to have separated their ways in some portions of the archipelago in search for food. It was believed further that they first settled in the island of the country who later took their bancas. They scattered among themselves in either in pairs or by family clans, retaining their own customs, dialects. There was no trace of exact dates and places of arrival and their migratory movement was said to have come from the hinterlands of Agusan and along the foothills of western and southern part of Surigao del Sur. It was pointed out that the cause of migration was due to famine, during the Spanish Occupation in 1860, six military districts were created in Mindanao, with Surigao and Agusan forming the East District. In 1870, the district was renamed to Distrito de Surigao, Agusan became an independent province in 1907 during the American era, when it was separated from Surigao. Surigao del Sur was created as the 56th Philippine province on June 19,1960 through Republic Act 2786, separated from its province, Surigao. At the time of its inception, it was classified as 4th Class province with an income of over ₱300,000.00. It has been reclassified as 2nd Class with a revenue adding up to ₱315,888,300.63, castillo was the appointed first governor and subsequently elected governor while Vicente L. Pimentel was the first elected congressman. The province was formed with 13 municipalities, six more were added, raising the number to 19 with Tandag as the capital. Two of its municipalities have been elevated to cities, the first was Bislig City, in 2007, Tandag was granted cityhood but it was nullified via a controversial decision by the Supreme Court a year later. In 2009, Tandag got back its city status after the court reversed its own ruling on December 22,2009, Surigao del Sur is located along the northeastern coast of Mindanao facing the Philippine Sea between 125°40 to 126°20 east longitudes and 7°55 and 9°20 north latitudes. It is bounded on the northwest by the province of Surigao del Norte, on the southeast by Davao Oriental, on the west and southwest by Agusan del Norte, situated west is the Diwata Mountain Range, isolating the province from the rest of Mindanao
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Zamboanga del Norte
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Zamboanga del Norte, officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a province in the Philippines situated within the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is Dipolog City and the province borders Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay to the south, Misamis Occidental to the east, Zamboanga del Norte is the largest province of the Zamboanga Peninsula region by land area covering 7,301.00 square kilometres. Zamboanga del Norte is the 26th populous province in the Philippines, prior to its creation as a province, Zamboanga del Norte formed the northern portion of the historical province of Zamboanga. The early history of Zamboanga del Norte is shared with that of Zamboanga City, through Republic Act No.711 issued on June 6,1952, Zamboanga province was divided into two independent provinces, which included Zamboanga del Sur. Zamboanga del Norte covers a area of 7,301.00 square kilometres occupying the northern portion of the Zamboanga Peninsula in western Mindanao. The province is bordered on the north and west by the Sulu Sea, on the northeast by Misamis Occidental and it has an average elevation of 243.8 metres, with Mount Dabiak in Katipunan as the highest peak at 2,600 metres. Other parts, near the coastlines, are plains, the provinces irregular coastline runs some 400 kilometres from north to south. Zamboanga del Norte has a mild and moderate climate due to evenly distributed throughout the year. Its southern portion has a dry season. Zamboanga del Norte comprises 25 municipalities and 2 cities, Dipolog City, Sindangan and Dapitan City are the top most densely populated area in the province These are further subdivided into 691 barangays, and clustered into 3 congressional districts. Sibuco is the largest municipality by area, constituting 10. 72% of the total provincial area. Sibutad is the smallest, with 0. 90%, on February 21,2017, House Bill No.5040 was introduced in the House of Representatives that seeks to carve out a new province from Zamboanga del Norte. Dipolog is the most populated area in the land, followed by a first class town- Sindangan, the main language spoken is Cebuano. Other languages include Subanen, Tausug, Chavacano, Tagalog and English, the province hailed its first martyr of faith soon to be raised as a saint in the whole Mindanao island by the name of Padre Francesco Palliola, SJ. He was a missionary from Nola, Italy and was assigned to Zamboanga Peninsula. He held missionary works in Lubungan, Zamboanga del Norte, Iligan, Dapitan, Roman Catholicism is a significant majority with about 50% adherence. The province have one diocese- the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dipolog under the Archdiocese of Ozamiz, there are also followers of other Christian sects. Members of the House of Representatives, 1st District, Rep. Seth Frederick Bullet P. Jalosjos 2nd District, Rep. Glona Labadlabad 3rd District, Rep. Isagani Gani S. Amatong Governor, Roberto Berto Y
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Zamboanga del Sur
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Zamboanga del Sur is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Pagadian, grouped with Zamboanga del Sur is the highly urbanized city of Zamboanga, which is governed independently from the province. The province borders Zamboanga del Norte to the north, Zamboanga Sibugay to the west, Misamis Occidental to the northeast, to the south is the Moro Gulf. The name of Zamboanga is the Hispanicized spelling of the Sinama term for mooring place - samboangan, samboangan was the original name of Zamboanga City, from where the name of the peninsula is derived from. Samboangan is well-attested in Spanish, British, French, German and this is commonly contested by folk etymologies which instead attribute the name of Zamboanga to the Indonesian word jambangan, usually with claims that all ethnic groups in Zamboanga were Malays. However, this name has never been attested in any historical records prior to the 1960s, tausūg settlers from northeastern Mindanao also migrated to the region in the 13th century. The region was settled by migrants after World War II. Together with the settlers, these pioneers helped develop Zamboanga del Sur into the abundant. Historically, Zamboanga was the capital of the Moro Province in western Mindanao, which comprised five districts, Cotabato, Davao, Sulu, Lanao, in 1940, these districts became individual provinces. Zamboanga City became the capital of Zamboanga province, soon after World War II, the provincial capital was transferred to Dipolog. Molave was created as the capital in 1948. On June 6,1952, through Republic Act 711, Zamboanga del Sur was carved out from the former Zamboanga province that encompassed the entire peninsula in southwestern Mindanao. As the 52nd province of the Philippines, it consisted of 11 towns. Political developments in February 2001 saw another change in the territorial jurisdiction of Zamboanga del Sur. Its inhabitants voted to create a new out of the third congressional district. Zamboanga del Sur covers a area of 4,499.46 square kilometres occupying the southern section of the Zamboanga peninsula in western Mindanao. It is located at longitude 122°30 and latitude 7°15 north, when Zamboanga City is included for statistical purposes, the provinces land area is 591,416 hectares. Stretching northward from Sibugay in the southwest and running along the boundary to Salug Valley in the east is the province’s mountainous countryside
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Zamboanga Sibugay
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Zamboanga Sibugay is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is Ipil and it borders Zamboanga del Norte to the north, Zamboanga del Sur to the east, to the south lies Sibuguey Bay in the Moro Gulf. Zamboanga Sibugay is the 79th province created in the Philippines, when its territories were carved out from the district of Zamboanga del Sur in 2001. Hence it the fourth newest province, being before now-defunct Shariff Kabunsuan, Dinagat Islands, Zamboanga Sibugay was formerly part of Zamboanga del Sur. Attempts to divide Zamboanga del Sur into separate provinces date as far back as the 1960s, several bills were filed in the Philippine Congress, but remained unacted. The new province was created by Republic Act No.8973 passed on November 7,2000. Zamboanga del Sur Third District Representative George Hofer was elected as its first governor in 2001, presently, former Diplahan Mayor Wilter Palma is the governor of the province, while the representatives of the first and second districts are Atty. Belma Cabilao and Dr. Dulce Ann K. Hofer, respectively, Zamboanga Sibugay covers a total area of 3,607.75 square kilometres occupying the south-central section of the Zamboanga Peninsula in western Mindanao, at 7°48’N 122°40’E. To the north it intersects the common boundaries of Kalawit, Tampilisan. It is further bordered on the southwest by Zamboanga City, the climate of the province is moderately normal. Annual rainfall varies from 1,599 to 3,500 millimetres, temperature is relatively warm and constant throughout the year ranging from 22 to 35 °C. The province is situated outside the typhoon belt. Zamboanga Sibugay comprises 16 municipalities, organized into two districts and further subdivided into 389 barangays. The population of Zamboanga Sibugay in the 2015 census was 633,129 people, the vast majority of the people of Zamboanga Sibugay speak Cebuano. Other languages such as Hiligaynon, Subanen, Chavacano, Tagalog and other ethnic tongues are also spoken, the province is predominantly Christian with about 45% affiliation with Roman Catholics as the predominant Christian sect. Islam is the well known minority of the province which shares about 40% of the population, new industries include concrete products, garments, wax and candle factories, lime making, and other home and cottage industries. Major crops produced include rice, corn, coconuts, rubber, fruit trees, vegetables, tobacco, coffee, cacao, livestock and poultry productions are predominantly small-scale and backyard operations. Coal mining in large and small scale and precious metal mining in small scale category are likewise present in areas of the province
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Dinagat Islands
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The Dinagat Islands are a group of islands constituting a province in the Caraga region in the Philippines, located on the south side of Leyte Gulf. The island of Leyte is to its west, across Surigao Strait and its main island, Dinagat, is about 60 kilometres from north to south. Declared a province in 2006, the Dinagat Islands comprise the second newest province of the Philippines, the province is known as one of the archipelagos holiest sites in the Pre-Christian native religion. It is here where the God of Hurricanes was persuaded to relent his attacks on the islands by Da, the province in pre-colonial times was much influenced by the Rajahnate of Butuan which was nestled in present-day Agusan del Norte. The so-called mystical province played an important role in the countrys history, adding to the historical significance of the province is the foundation of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association by Ruben Ecleo, Sr. The municipality of Dinagat is the oldest community in the province, in the early days, a story was told that a stranger reached the place in search of greener pastures. He approached a native and asked what the inhabitants do for a living, the natives said that they farm and fish to live. The strangers interest in fishing prompted him to inquire where they fish, since then, the place was called Dinagat. The municipality was established in 1855. It occupies the boundaries of the whole island. From 1890 to 1990 its boundaries were gradually reduced giving rise to six municipalities, Loreto, Cagdianao, Libjo, Basilisa, Tubajon and San Jose. Loreto became a Spanish pueblo on September 4,1890 under the supervision of Governor General Manuel Sanchez by the virtue of Direccion General No.30 and it was originally called Mabua due to the ever-foaming river that runs right into the center of the community. It was named Loreto in 1881 by the Spanish priest who frequents the town, the province was the site of the historic Battle of Surigao Strait during the Second World War. The Municipality of Loreto became the point of the American Liberation Forces on October 17,1944. It was on shore that the 6th Ranger Battalion of the 6th U. S. Army under Col. Mucci landed at Sitio Campinta of Barangay Panamaon in Loreto. It was during this landing that the first American flag flew on Philippine soil since the Japanese invasion in 1941, the Americans named the place Black Beach No.2. The northern part of the served as a refuge for the American soldiers. Capsized vessel structures are found today in the waters of Basilisa
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Sulu
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Sulu is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Its capital is Jolo on the island of the same name, Sulu is along the southern border of the Sulu Sea and the northern boundary of the Celebes Sea. The peaceful advent of Islam around 1138 through merchants and traders had a influence on Southeast Asia. The coming of Arabs, Persians and other Muslims paved the way for the arrival of missionaries, traders, scholars and travelers to Sulu. A landmark born of the process was the founding of the Sultanate of Sulu. Year 1380 CE, Karim-ul Makhdum came to Sulu and introduced Islam to the Philippines, Sayyid Abubakar eventually inherited the rule of Rajah Baguinda, established the Sultanate of Sulu and became its first Sultan. To consolidate his rule, Sayyid Abubakar united the political units under the umbrella of the Sultanate. He brought Sulu, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan and Basilan under its aegis, the navigational error that landed Ferdinand Magellan in Limasawa brought awareness of Europe to the Philippines and opened the door to Spanish colonial incursion. The Spaniards introduced Christianity and a system of church-state dichotomy. After Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States, American forces came to Jolo, the Agreement eliminated opposition to the civilian government of Gov. Clinton Solidum. The Department of Mindanao and Sulu under Gov. Carpenter was created by Philippine Commission Act 2309, the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes was organized and briefly headed by Teofisto Guingona, Sr. With the enactment by the US Congress of the Jones Law in 1916, ultimate Philippine independence was guaranteed, Sulu, however, had an appointed American governor until 1935 and the Governor General in Manila had a say in Sulu affairs. At any rate, the essence of local governance forged by Rajah Baguinda continued to permeate the ethos of Sulu politics despite centuries of colonial presence, history points to a local government in Sulu that antedates other similar systems in the country. Today, Sulu has a locally constituted government and is part of the ARMM, the province covers an area of 1,600.40 square kilometres. Sulus main island, Jolo, has an area of 868.5 square kilometres, Sulu is a part of the Sulu Archipelago, which stretches from the tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula on the north to the island of Borneo in the south. The main island and its islets are situated between the island-provinces of Basilan to the northeast, and Tawi-Tawi to the southwest, Sulu is bordered by two seas, the Sulu Sea to the north, and the Celebes Sea to its south. Sulu has over 157 islets, some of which remain unnamed, the population of Sulu in the 2015 census was 824,731 people, with a density of 520 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,300 inhabitants per square mile. Although consisting of a community of Muslims, the Tausug dominate the Sulu Archipelago
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Tawi-Tawi
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Tawi-Tawi is an island province in the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Bongao, per Batas Pambansa Blg.24 enacted on April 4,1979. It is the southernmost province of the country, sharing sea borders with the Malaysian state of Sabah, to the northeast lies the province of Sulu. Tawi-Tawi also covers some islands in the Sulu Sea to the northwest, the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island, Province was named after its main island. Tawi-Tawi is the Sinama form of jawi-jawi, Malay for banyan tree, early Spanish accounts give the name of the island as Tauitaui, Tavi-Tavi or Tavitavi. Sibutu remained under Spanish rule until 1900, the Tawi-Tawi anchorage was a major base for the Imperial Japanese Navys Southwest Area Fleet during the Second World War. Tawi-Tawi was previously part of the province of Sulu, on September 11,1973, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 302, the new province of Tawi-Tawi was officially created, separate from Sulu, the seat of the provincial government was initially designated as Bato-Bato in the municipality of Balimbing, but was moved to Bongao on April 4,1979 by virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. The province lies at the tip of the country, situated between the Sulu Sea in the north and the Celebes Sea in the south. The province is part of the Sulu Archipelago, and consists of Tawitawi Island and 106 surrounding islands, Tawitawi Island itself has an area of 580.5 square kilometres. The province has two seasons, dry and wet, the wettest months are from August to November. The other months of the year are dry with occasional rain showers. The main island of Tawi-Tawi supports many species and subspecies of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants unique to this island. These include the Tawitawi brown dove, the Sulu hornbill and the Sulu bleeding-heart, Tawi-Tawi comprises 11 municipalities, all encompassed by a single legislative district and further subdivided into 203 barangays. However, in the EDSA Revolution, the word balimbing acquired a meaning associated with turncoatism due to the fruits many sides. It is the capital of the province. Two of them, Mapun, and Turtle Islands lie within the Sulu Sea, the population of Tawi-Tawi in the 2015 census was 390,715 people, with a density of 360 inhabitants per square kilometre or 930 inhabitants per square mile. Most of the people in Tawi-Tawi belong to the Sama cultural group, within this group are subgroups and named based on the location of the speaker
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listen)) is the second largest island in the Philippines. Mindanao and the smaller islands surrounding it make up the island group of the same name. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, as of the 2010 census, the main island was inhabited by 20,281,545 people, while the entire Mindanao island group had an estimated total of 25,537,691 (2018) residents.
Geographic data related to Mindanao at OpenStreetMap
Geographic data related to 
