Political divisions of Mindanao
The southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines is divided into six administrative regions. Each region is subdivided into provinces.
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[edit] Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9)
Zamboanga Peninsula[1] (Region IX), formerly Western Mindanao, is located in the landform of the same name. It consists of the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and five cities—Zamboanga City;Pagadian City Isabela City Dapitan City and Dipolog City —which are independent of any province. Isabela City is the only territory not on Mindanao island itself and is a part of Basilan. The region's administrative capital is Zamboanga City and the whole region used to be a single province named Zamboanga.
[edit] Northern Mindanao (Region 10)
Northern Mindanao[2] (Region X) consists of the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, and Iligan City. The province of Camiguin is also an island just of the northern coast. The administrative center and capital of the region is Cagayan de Oro City.
[edit] Davao Region (Region 11)
Davao Region[3] (Region XI), formerly Southern Mindanao, is located in the southeastern portion of Mindanao. The region is divided into the provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Compostela Valley; plus Davao City. The region encloses the Davao Gulf to the south and includes the island of Samal in the gulf, and the Sarangani Islands further to the south. Davao City is the region's administrative center.
[edit] SOCCSKSARGEN (Region 12)
SOCCSKSARGEN[4] (Region XII), formerly Central Mindanao, is located in the south-central portion of the island. It consists of the provinces of Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato (which was used to be part of Region XI), and Sultan Kudarat, plus Cotabato City. The names of the provinces together with General Santos City spell the name of the region which is an acronym. Cotabato City, which is surrounded by, but is not a part of Maguindanao province, was the region's former administrative center. Koronadal City, in South Cotabato, is the new administrative center of the newly formed region.
[edit] Caraga Region (Region 13)
Caraga[5] (Region XIII) is located in the northwestern part of Mindano. Its provinces are Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. The administrative center is Butuan City in Agusan del Norte. The region also covers the outlying islands of Surigao del Norte such as Dinagat Island, Siargao Island, and Bucas Grande Island.
[edit] Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao[6] (ARMM) is a special region which covers the territories predominantly populated by Muslims. ARMM has its own government unlike almost all the other regions in the country. It consists of almost the whole of the Sulu Archipelago (Isabela City while remaining a part of Basilan is in the Zamboanga Peninsula region) and two provinces in the mainland. The provinces located in the Sulu Archipelago are Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. Basilan and Tawi-Tawi are themselves the main islands of their respective provinces, while the main island of Sulu is Jolo Island. The mainland provinces are Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. Cotabato City, while not a part of the ARMM, is the region's administrative center.
