Zamboanga City

Zamboanga
Climate diagram
	Temperature in ° C , precipitation in mm
	Source: wetterkontor.de

	Zamboanga City
Location of Zamboanga City in the province of Zamboanga del Sur
Basic data
Region :	Zamboanga Peninsula
Province :	Zamboanga del Sur
Barangays :	98
PSGC :	097332000
Income class :	1st income bracket
Households :	177.152 May 1, 2000 census
Population :	861.799 August 1, 2015 census
Population density :	599.1 inhabitants per km²
Area :	1,438.4 km²
Coordinates :	6 ° 56 ' N , 122 ° 4' E Coordinates: 6 ° 56 ' N , 122 ° 4' E
Postal code :	7000
Area code :	+63 62
Mayor :	Celso L. Lobregat (LDP)
Website:	Zamboanga City website
Geographical location in the Philippines
	Zamboanga City
	Zamboanga City

The city of Zamboanga City is the sixth largest city in the Philippines . It is located on the southern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula , a western branch of the island of Mindanao . It is one of the first chartered cities in the country to receive city rights under the Commonwealth Act No. 39 in 1936.

Origin of name

The indigenous people, the Subanos and the Lutaos , named the area Jambangan , which means a place that is dotted with flowers . Also possible is a derivation from the word Samboangan from the language of the first settlers, the sea nomads of the Bajau and Samal , which in turn comes from the word Jambangan from. In one of the first Spanish maps, the area is finally referred to as Zamboanga, which means the landing point. Incidentally, the early Spanish colonists called the square El Pueblo de Lutao , i.e. the square of the Lutaos . Today the city is called City of Zamboanga , in the respective languages and dialects also Ciudad de Zamboanga in Spanish or Chavacano , Dakbayan sa Zamboanga in Cebuano and Dakbayan sa Zamboanga in Filipino .

geography

location

The city occupies the entire southern and southwestern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula , the western branch of the island of Mindanao . It is located 365 nautical miles northeast of Kota Kinabalu in Borneo , Malaysia (about 700 km), and 345 nautical miles northeast of Manado in Indonesia (about 650 km).

To the west is the Sulu Sea , to the east the Gulf of Moro and to the south the Strait of Basilan and the Celebes Sea . In the northeast, the urban area borders on the province of Zamboanga Sibugay and in the northwest on Zamboanga del Norte .

Its location on the strategically important Strait of Basilan made it a militarily important area during the Second World War.

Islands

Zamboanga at the port

There are 28 islands off the Zamboanga City coastline. These are administered from Zamboanga and are linked to the city in all aspects. Some of these islands are permanently inhabited, while others are only seasonally populated by sea nomads , fishermen and divers.

The Santa Cruz Islands are famous for their pink coral sand beaches, which are extremely rare in the world. The islands are rich in different types of corals and mussels.

The islands are:

Bacungan Island
Baong Island
Bobo Island
Buguias Island
Cabog Island
Camugan Island
Gatusan Island
Great Santa Cruz Island
Kablingan Island
Lambang Island
Lamunigan Island
Lapinigan Island
Little Malanipa Island
Little Santa Cruz Island
Malanipa Island
Panganaban Island
Pangapuyan Island
Pitas Island
Sacol Island
Salangan Island
Sinunug Island
Taguiti Island
Tictabon Island
Tigburacao Island
Tumalutap Island
Vilan Vilan Island
Visa Iceland
Vitali Island

climate

The city has a naturally mild climate with a distinct dry period between November and May and rainy periods the rest of the year. The tropical cyclones and typhoons very rarely cover the city as it lies outside the typhoon belt that runs through the north of the Philippines. The average temperature is 27 ° C with an average annual rainfall of 1,362 mm.

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Zamboanga

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	31.9	32.0	32.3	32.6	32.4	31.7	31.4	31.7	31.8	31.8	31.7	32.1	O	31.9
Min. Temperature (° C)	22.4	22.5	23.2	23.4	23.9	23.6	23.3	23.4	23.3	23.2	23.3	22.7	O	23.2

Precipitation ( mm )	32	46	37	53	81	126	136	114	134	157	99	51	Σ	1,066

Hours of sunshine ( h / d )	7.1	7.5	7.3	7.4	7.1	5.5	6.0	6.9	6.2	5.6	7.3	7.3	O	6.8

Rainy days ( d )	4th	4th	4th	6th	9	11	10	10	9	11	10	7th	Σ	95

Water temperature (° C)	27	27	28	29	29	29	28	28	28	28	28	28	O	28.1

Humidity ( % )	79	78	78	78	81	82	82	82	82	83	82	81	O	80.7

Source: wetterkontor.de

history

Sea gypsies on Mindanao

The area around the Zamboanga peninsula was settled 30,000 years ago by people belonging to the Austronesian ethnic group. The first immigrants were the Subanons, which means something like people who live on the "suba", ie river, as well as the ethnic group of the Lutaos. Later, ethnic groups of the Islamic Samal, Bajau , Tausūg and Yakan came to what is now the city.

In 1635 the Spaniards came to the area and began building a fort. Fort Pilar , now an important museum and shrine of Mary, was built on June 23, 1635 by a Jesuit priest and engineer in the service of the Spanish army, Fr. Melchor de Vera Spanish bastion built against pirates and slave traders. The fort was attacked by the Dutch in 1646 during the naval battles of La Naval de Manila , but they were repulsed by five Spanish and two Filipino companies. During the next centuries it was the focus of numerous battles between the Moro pirates and the Spanish soldiers. But the fort also had to withstand attacks by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the French. It was partially destroyed in 1663 and rebuilt in 1719.

From 1837 to 1899 Zamboanga was the capital of the Spanish-occupied territories of Mindanao, with a break between 1872 and 1875 when the seat of government was in Cotabato .

Zamboanga City

After American troops arrived in Zamboanga in December 1899, they established a civil government there, which also controlled the island of Basilan . On July 1, 1901, Zamboanga, along with Basilan, was made an administrative parish by Public Act No. 135.

On September 15, 1911, the municipality became the seat of government for the province of Moro . On January 1, 1912, Zamboanga received the Act. No. 272 city status. Together with the Basilan area, it was then the largest city in the world.

During the American colonial era, Zamboanga City was home to many area governors, including General John J. Pershing , who was the military commander in chief and governor of the Moro provinces from 1909 to 1914. These were managed entirely from Zamboanga.

As a notarized city, however, Zamboanga City is only valid through the Commonwealth Act No. 39, which came into force on September 23, 1936. The birthday of Zamboanga City as a registered city coincides with the popular Fiesta del Pilar , which is celebrated in honor of Our Lady on the Pillar , the city's patroness, whose statue is embedded in the facade of the meter-thick wall on the east side of Fort Pilar.

Until World War II , Zamboanga City was the commercial, commercial and government center for the entire island of Mindanao. Its location on the strategically important road from Basilan made it a militarily important place during the Second World War. The 43rd Infantry Regiment was stationed in the city during the war. After the invasion of the Philippines on March 2, 1942, Japanese troops landed in the city and set up a headquarters to defend the occupied area. Governor Felipe B. Azcuna then moved the provincial seat of government to Dipolog City , until 1945 the city was taken again by American troops.

When in 1948 the island of Basilan was taken out of the urban area with the Republic Act No. 288, Zamboanga lost the status of being the largest city in the world in terms of area. The city remained the capital of the Zamboanga Province, which practically occupied the entire peninsula.

On June 5, 1952, the provinces of Zamboanga were divided into the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur with Pagadian City and Zamboanga del Norte with Dipolog City as the capital. Since then, Zamboanga City has not been assigned to one or the other province, but has retained its provincial status to this day.

Due to its location near the Muslim-dominated area of Basilan , the Sulu Archipelago and Tawi-Tawi, it was and is still exposed to terrorist attacks by Muslim extremists. It was occupied by the Moros National Liberation Front in September 2013 .

politics

population

Zamboanga is a city in the first category of income . According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 861,799 people. It is the sixth largest city in the Philippines. According to unofficial information, the population is 1,428,216 and not just 700,000 as the government claims. The population is growing especially in the slum areas on the outskirts of the city as a result of newcomers from the lower classes and residents of crisis regions who have been forced to flee. The urban area covers an area of 1,483.38 km². It has a population density of 581 people per km².

The residents of Zamboanga speak a special Creole language called Chavacano , which is a mixture of Spanish and local dialects. In addition, Cebuano is another main language, a language substrate made up of local dialects and the colloquial language of the immigrant groups from the Visayas .

Administrative division

Zamboanga with its barangays

Zamboanga has the area code 62, the postcode 7000 and is politically divided into 98 barangays (suburbs):

Abong Abong
Arena Blanco
Ayala
Baliwasan
Baluno
Boalan
Bolong
Buenavista
Bunguiao
Busay
Cabaluay
Cabatangan
Cacao
Calabasa
Calarian
Camino Nuevo
Campo Islam
Canelar
Capisan
Cawit
Culianan
Curuan
Daap
Dita
Divisoria
Dulian (Upper Bunguiao)
Dulian (Upper Pasonanca)
Guisao
Guiwan
Kasanyangan
La Paz
Labuan
Lamisahan
Landang Gua
Landang Laum
Lanzones
Lapakan
Latuan (Curuan)
Licomo
Limaong
Limpapa
Lubigan
Lumayang
Lumbangan
Lunzuran
Maasin
Malagutay
Mampang
Manalipa
Mangusu
Manicahan
Mariki
Mercedes
Muti
Pamucutan
Pangapuyan
Panubigan
Pasilmanta (Sacol Island)
Pasobolong
Pasonanca
Patalon
Putik
Quiniput
Recodo (formerly La Caldera)
Rio Hondo
Salaan
San Jose Cawa-Cawa
San Jose Gusu
San Roque
Sangali
Sibulao (Curuan)
Sinubong
Sinunoc
Sta. Barbara
Sta. Catalina
Sta. Maria
Sto. Niño
Tagasilay
Taguiti
Talabaan
Talisayan
Talon talon
Taluksangay
Tetuan
Tictapul
Tigbalabag
Tigtabon
Tolosa
Tugbungan
Tulungatung
Tumaga
Tumalutab
Tumor
Victoria
Vitali
Zambowood
Zone I.
Zone II
Zone III
Zone IV

economy

Agriculture and fishing determine the income of 70% of the city's population. The urban area comprises 560 km² of arable land and 700 km² of actually used agricultural area. The main crops are coconuts , as well as large quantities of rice , maize and grain . The fishing and farming of seafood in aquaculture off the islands' mangroves also contributes to the economic yield. The main export products are coconut oil, seafood, and processed foods.

In addition, Zamboanga City has distinguished itself as a producer of seaweed in recent years . The cultivation of seaweed is already practiced by 2,000 Zamboangueños and takes up 4.07 km² of the coastal area.

Infrastructure

Zamboanga is the Philippines' most important seaport for trade with neighboring countries Malaysia , Indonesia and Brunei .
The city has a provincial airport with a connection to the major cities of Manila , Cebu and Davao City .

Culture

Zamboanga has three universities: Ateneo de Zamboanga University , Western Mindanao State University and the newly established Universidad de Zamboanga . The city is also home to the first Roman Catholic church diocese in Mindanao, which was founded around 1910 and made an archbishopric in 1958.

Attractions

The Fort Pilar , the historical and cultural landmark of the city, equipped with a museum and the Marian shrine in honor of the Virgen del Pilar .
The city hall in the city center.
The Pasonanca Natural Park in the north of the urban area.
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
The Pettit Barracks.
The beaches of Bolong, La Vista del Mar and the Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Resort.
The Taluksangay Village, a Muslim-dominated district with the Taluksangay Mosque with gilded domes.
The Yakan Weaving Village, a traditional neighborhood where Yakan handicrafts can be viewed.
The Great and Little Sta. Cruz Islands