SULTAN KUDARAT

Population

586,505 (2007) Area 4,714.8 km sq

languages

Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Cebuano

General Information

Located in Central Mindanao, Sultan Kudarat is bounded by the province of Cotabato and Maguindanao on the north, Davao del Sur on the east, Moro Gulf on the west and South Cotabato on the south.The forest of Sultan Kudarat is the home of thousands of different kinds of orchids, the most known among these flower specie is the Waling-waling which is discovered in 1882. Kind of Orchids The territory that is now the province of Sultan Kudarat was originally part of Cotabato province, which was one of the largest and most resource-rich provinces in the country. Additionally, conflicting political, social, and economic interests limited the province's progress. Cotabato was first split into North Cotabato and South Cotabato. North Cotabato was then split into what is now Maguindanao (from which the new province of Shariff Kabunsuan was created), (North) Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. Sultan Kudarat was named after a Sultan of Maguindanao Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, who reigned from 1623 to 1671. It became a separate province on November 22, 1973.

Geography

Sultan Kudarat - Political. Sultan Kudarat is subdivided into 11 municipalities and 1 city. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang) are coastal towns, while the rest of the province are located inland. Tacurong City is the smallest unit in the province in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered to be the province's commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital. Bagumbayan is the largest town in terms of land area.

Economy/Resouces

Sultan Kudarat is basically an agricultural province. It is blessed with rich and enormous agrarian areas. Coconut, sugarcane, abaca, tobacco and ramie are the region's top major crops and also one of the few growers of Irish potatoes in the Philippines. Other industries in the province include logging, cornstarch milling and the processing of raw rubber into latex. The largest grain-processing complex in the country, the Southern Philippines Grains Complex is located in the town of Tacurong.

Culture

The province formerly had a Muslim majority, but Christian migrants now outnumber Muslims and highlanders. Maguindanaons live in the coastal towns of the province. Tribal groups with settlements in the province include the Iranons, Tirurays and Manobo. The census showed that 84 dialects are spoken in the province. The most dominant language is Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), though Ilocano and Cebuano are spoken in some municipalities.

Climate

Sultan Kudarat falls under the type B climate characterized by a short dry season of one to three months and with an average of 92.78 millimeters of rainfall every month. The province has an advantage over other provinces since it is free from typhoons and the rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.

Transportation

Air has a daily flight going to Cotabato City. From there, island transportation services connect Cotabato to Isulan