Zamboanga Peninsula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Regional center | Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,831,412 |
| – Density | 191.2 per km² |
| Area | 14,810.7 km² |
| Divisions | |
| – Provinces | 3 |
| – Cities | 5 |
| – Municipalities | 67 |
| – Barangays | 1,904 |
| – Cong. districts | 8 |
| Languages | Chavacano, Cebuano, Subanon, others |
Zamboanga Peninsula is both a peninsula and an administrative region on that peninsula in the Philippines.
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[edit] The region
Designated as Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula consists of three provinces, namely, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, and the chartered city of Zamboanga City at the south-eastern tip. The Zamboanga Peninsula was previously known as Western Mindanao before the enactment of Executive Order No. 36 on September 19, 2001.
Between 1975 to 1989 the old Region IX (Western Mindanao) was divided into two sub-regions by Presidential Decree No. 773 dated August 21, 1975.
Sub-Region IX-A consisted of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi with Jolo, Sulu as the sub-regional center.
Sub-Region IX-B consisted of the provincess of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, with the chartered city of Zamboanga City as the sub-regional center. Zamboanga Sibugay did not exist at the time.
Zambaoanga Peninsula has five cities: Dipolog City, Dapitan City, Isabela City, Pagadian City, and the lone chartered city of Zamboanga City. Isabela City is actually part of the island-province of Basilan to the south of the peninsula, and is that province's capital. The residents of Basilan opted to join the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in a recent plebiscite. However, the citizens of Isabela City did not want to join ARMM and so the city was made a part of the Zamboanga Peninsula region with the enactment of Executive Order No. 36 (the same E.O. that renamed the region).
NATURAL RESOURCES The region has vast forest resources and previously used to export logs, lumber, veneer and plywood. Its mineral deposits include gold, chromite, coal, iron, lead and manganese. Among its non-metallic reserves are coal, silica, salt, marble, sand and gravel. Its fishing grounds are devoted to commercial and municipal fishing. It has also aqua farms for brackish water and freshwater fishes.
Its coastline of 1330 kms. gives it easy access to the Sulu Sea, Moro Gulf, Sindangan Bay, Pilas Channel and Celebes sea, which are some of the country’s richest fishing grounds. It has the biggest deposits of lead or 84%0 of the national total, zinc 49%, quartz, 52% and silica sand, 34%. It also has deposits of chromite, gold and marble. It is the major supplier of coal and silica sand in the country.
ECONOMY It has the first export-processing zone in Mindanao. Farming and fishing are the main economic activities of the region. It also has rice and corn mills, oil processing, coffee berry processing and processing of latex from rubber. Its home industries include rattan and furniture craft, basket making, weaving and brass work.
URBAN CENTERS The cities of Zamboanga, Dipolog and Pagadian serve as the centers of trade, commerce and education in the region. Zamboanga, the “Queen City of the South”, is a tourist destination besides being considered as the busiest city in Western Mindanao.
[edit] Political divisions
| Province/City | Capital | Population (2000) |
Area (km²) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Zamboanga del Norte | Dipolog City | 823,130 | 6,618.0 | 124.4 |
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Zamboanga del Sur | Pagadian City | 836,217 | 3,480.7 | 240.2 |
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Zamboanga Sibugay | Ipil | 497,239 | 3,087.9 | 161.0 |
| Zamboanga City | — | 601,794 | 1,483.4 | 405.7 | |
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Isabela City¹ | — | 73,032 | 140.7 | 519.1 |
¹ Isabela City is a component city of Basilan province which is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, but Isabela City itself is administratively a part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region.
[edit] Component cities
- Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte
- Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte
- Isabela City, Basilan
- Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
[edit] Geography
Zamboanga Peninsula consists of the territory of the three Zamboanga provinces and its lone chartered city of Zamboanga City, plus Misamis Occidental. The Zamboanga Peninsula is connected to the main part of Mindanao Island through an isthmus situated between Panquil Bay and Pagadian Bay. The boundary between the peninsula and the mainland is artificially marked by the border between the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Lanao del Norte.
Zamboanga Peninsula lies between the Moro Gulf, part of the Celebes Sea, and the Sulu Sea. Along the shores of the peninsula are numerous bays and islands.
