Sultan Kudarat Province

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Location of the Sultan Kudarat Province

Sultan Kudarat is a province in the Philippines . It is located in the southwest central country of the island of Mindanao .

The province belongs politically to the district SOCCSKSARGEN , the region XII.

The seat of the provincial administration is in the municipality of Isulan . The governor is called Suharto Mangudadatu.

geography

Sultan Kudarat Province is located in the southwestern part of Mindanao Island . It is bounded in the north by the provinces of Shariff Kabunsuan , Maguindanao and Cotabato , in the east by Davao del Sur and South Cotabato , in the south by Sarangani and in the west by the Celebes Sea .

The total area of ​​Sultan Kudarat is 5,298.34 km². The province is divided into eleven parishes, one city and 249 barangays.

The three coastal municipalities of the province and its western part lie on a mountain range that separates the central part from the sea like a wall. There are more mountains on the eastern side. In between, the land is flat and rather flat. In the north of the province are the Ligawasan rivers , one of the largest wetlands in the Philippines. Lake Buluan lies on the border with the neighboring province of Maguindanao . In the south of the province extends the Daguma Mountains , in which the 1,898 meter high Mount Daguma , the highest mountain in the province, is located.

The only city Tacurong City is - in terms of area - the smallest unit in the province. Nonetheless, it is their commercial center. The largest municipality in terms of area is Bagumbayan.

Demographics and language

According to the 2007 census, the province has 675,644 people. The province ranks 42nd in the country's statistics.

The population density is 127.52 people per km², which means the 21st position in this category.

In earlier times the Muslim population was in the majority, but due to the immigration of Christian ethnic groups from the north of the Philippines, the Christian population now exceeds that of the Muslims and the highland inhabitants.

The members of the ethnic group of the Maguindanaons live in the coastal regions of the province. Local groups such as Iranons, Tirurays and Manobo are also represented in Sultan Kudarat.

The census showed that 84 dialects are spoken in the province. The dominant language is Hiligaynon / Ilonggo, spoken by 41.06% of the population. Cebuano (8.05%) is common in some communities. Maguindanao, on the other hand, is the language of the Muslim population and is spoken by 21.28% of the population. In addition, the local dialects Manaobo (4.69%), Tiruray (1.5%) and Bilaan / B'laan (1.04%) are represented.

economy

The economy of Sultan Kudarat is dominated by agriculture. Equipped with great agricultural potential, the province also produces coffee and vegetables in addition to rice , corn and beef . The province produces poultry and pork for its own use, as well as root crops . Sultan Kudarat is one of the few producers of Irish potatoes in the Philippines .

The largest grain processing complex in the country can be found in Tacurong City . There are more than 200 rice mills in the province.

The fishing industry is another fast growing industry. Tuna is caught from the Celebes Sea all along the coastline and exported to Japan and Europe .

The province continues to make clothes and handicrafts from rattan and other types of wood.

Administrative division

Sultan Kudarat is politically divided into eleven administrative communities and one city. The administrative communities are in turn divided into a total of 249 barangays (districts).

The province is assigned to a congressional district.

city

Administrative communities

climate

The climate is characterized by a short dry period that can last between one and three months. The period between December and January is relatively humid, while February introduces a dry period. Heavy rains can be expected in the months between March and November. The province has an average rainfall of 17.92 mm.

Average temperatures are around 35 ° C, with the highest values ​​expected in March.

Unlike many other provinces of the country Sultan Kudarat is free from typhoons . Rainfalls can occur all year round. Occurring winds usually come from the southwest and the south.

history

Sultan Kudarat is named after Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat , a sultan of the Sultanate of Maguindanao . He ruled from 1623 to 1671. The territory of today's Sultan Kudarat Province belonged to the powerful and extensive sultanate at that time.

Later it was part of the great Cotabato Province , one of the largest and richest in natural resources in the country. During the Spanish colonial era, the country was largely forested and large areas were uncultivated.

Due to the size of the old Cotabato province, the local government soon felt it was necessary to divide the area of ​​responsibility into smaller units. In addition, social, political and economic interests hindered the development of the province. In 1966, Cotabato was first divided into the provinces of North Cotabato and South Cotabato .

On November 22, 1973, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat were separated from the province of North Cotabato by Presidential Decree No. 341, signed by the then President Ferdinand Marcos , and made independent provinces.

On October 18, 2006, the Shariff Kabunsuan province was split off from Maguindanao and has since formed the newest province in the neighborhood of Sultan Kudarat.

Cultural heritage

The indigenous Maguindanaon and other indigenous Muslim / non-Muslim groups possess a remarkable and fascinating culture that revolves around kulintang music, a special kind of gong music that has its roots in both Muslim and non-Muslim populations of the southern Philippines.

A musical peculiarity of the Maguindanaos relates to the kulintang instruments. These have two more gongs than the Maranos. A set of gongs is embedded in a horizontally erected board, which are then played with two wooden mallets.

Web links

Coordinates: 6 ° 33 '  N , 124 ° 17'  E