Zamboanga del Sur

FAST FACTS
Capital: Pagadian City
Area: 8,058 sq km
Population (1995): 1,217,258
Avg. Population Growth Rate: 1.26%
Avg. Annual Family Income (1994): PhP50,222
Labor Force (1997): 547,000
Employment (1997): 523,000
Cities: Pagadian
Municipalities: 42

LOCATION
Zamboanga del Sur is in northwestern Mindanao. It is bounded on the north and west by Zamboanga del Norte, on the east by Misamis Occidental, Panguil Bay, and Lanao del Norte, and on the south by the Moro Gulf and the Basilan Strait.

THE LAND
The province's landscape consists of a flat coastal plain that gives way to the interior mountains.

It has an irregular coastline; the biggest bays are Sibuguey, Dumanquilas, Maligay, and Pagadian. Two small peninsulas extend into the Moro Gulf. Offshore is Olutanga Island, said to be a favorite haven of sea pirates.
The Kumalarang, Sibuguey, Dinas, and Labangas Rivers cross the plain to deltas where major towns lie.

It has a dry season from January to March, and a rainy season the rest of the year.

A BRIEF HISTORY
Zamboanga del Sur became a separate province in 1952 when Zamboanga was split into two.

It is the largest province in Western Mindanao, in terms of both land area and population.

The name Zamboanga evolved from "Jambangan," which is what the early Malay settlers, the Subanons, called the peninsula. Jambangan means "Land of Flowers," and Zamboanga City is still known as "the City of Flowers." The Samals and Badjaos later confused "Jambangan" with "Samhoangan" (docking point), from the word "sabuan," the wooden pole to which they anchored their vintas.

As early as the 13th and 14th centuries, Zamboanga City (see Western Mindanao) was the center of barter trading among the Chinese, Malays, and the area's first settlers. It was the capital of Mindanao throughout the Spanish era, and during the American regime. Zamboanga became a city in1936.

THE PEOPLE
Most inhabitants of the province are migrants from the Visayas. Cebuano is the predominant dialect.

Like so much of Mindanao, Pagadian City is an ethnic melting pot that includes the Tiruray, Manobo, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Sicubong. The main tribe is the Subanon who live around Ipil, Kumalarang, and Lapuyan towns. The Kalibugans live along the shores of Sibuguey Bay. The Muslims in Zamboanga City belong to the Subanon, Tausug, Yakan, Samal, and Badjao.