Sultan Kudarat

Sultan Kudarat
Sultan Kudarat
Province
	Province of Sultan Kudarat
	Sultan Kudarat Provincial Capitol
	Flag Official seal of Sultan Kudarat Seal
	Location in the Philippines
Country	Philippines
Region	Soccsksargen
Founded	November 22, 1973
Capital	Isulan
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Panlalawigan
• Governor	Suharto Mangudadatu (Independent)
• Vice Governor	Ernesto Matias (UNA)
Area
• Total	5,298.34 km2 (2,045.70 sq mi)
• Rank	18th out of 81
Population (2020 census)
• Total	854,052
• Rank	34th out of 81
• Density	160/km2 (420/sq mi)
• Rank	56th out of 81
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	1 Tacurong ;
• Municipalities	11 Bagumbayan ; Columbio ; Esperanza ; Isulan ; Kalamansig ; Lambayong ; Lebak ; Lutayan ; Palimbang ; President Quirino ; Senator Ninoy Aquino ;
• Barangays	249
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Sultan Kudarat
Time zone	UTC+8 (PHT)
ZIP code	9800–9811
IDD : area code	+63 (0)64
ISO 3166 code	PH-SUK
Spoken languages	Hiligaynon; Kinaray-a; Cebuano; Ilocano; Maguindanao; Chavacano; Tagalog; English;
Website	sultankudaratprovince.gov.ph

Template:Distinguish2

Sultan Kudarat (Template:Lang-hil; Template:Lang-krj; Template:Lang-ceb; Maguindanaoan: Dalapa sa Sultan Kudarat; Template:Lang-ilo; Template:Lang-fil) is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is Isulan and the commercial center is Tacurong City.

History

Sultan Kudarat was part of the former empire province of Cotabato, until its creation as an independent province (along with Maguindanao and North Cotabato) on November 22, 1973, through Presidential Decree No. 341 signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos.^[3]

The name Sultan Kudarat given to the province was derived from the Muslim ruler, Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat who begun to assert his leadership in the year 1619 and reigned in the Sultanate of Maguindanao from 1625 to 1671. He is considered a national hero, and in his honor the province was named after him.^[4]

Geography

Sultan Kudarat is situated on the southwestern section of central Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Maguindanao and North Cotabato; on the south by South Cotabato and Sarangani; on the east by Davao del Sur; and on the west by the Moro Gulf and the Celebes Sea. The province's total land area is 5,298.34 square kilometres (2,045.70 sq mi).^[5]

Two major mountain ranges encompass the province; the Alip Mountain Range in Columbio and the Daguma Mountain Range within the towns of Bagumbayan, Isulan and Esperanza.^[6] The three coastal towns on the province's western side (Lebak, Kalamansig and Palimbang) are lined with mountain ranges that separate the central part of the province from the sea. There are also mountains on the eastern side, leaving flat land in between.^[7]

The province has an irregular coastline of 132 kilometres (82 mi) in its three coastal towns, which face the Celebes Sea.^[8] These coastal areas are prone to tsunamis coming from the Celebes Sea.^[6] Approximately 2/3 of Lake Buluan's area is covered by the province in the towns of Lutayan and President Quirino. There are 7 major rivers within the province: Alip, Allah, Kapingkong, Tran, Salaman, Palimbang and Kabulnan. Additionally, there are 23 large creeks and 11 major springs within the province.^[8]

Land use and soil types

Forestland constitutes majority of the province land use (50.32% ), followed by agricultural land (44.77%), fishing grounds (2.42%), non-agricultural land (1.16%), "other bodies of water" (1.02%), and fishponds (0.31%).^[9]

Five major soil types are found within the province, majority of which is classified as Mountain Soil (71%), followed by Sandy Loam (12.036%), Silty Clay Loam (4.880%), Clay Loam (4.612%) and Loamy Sand (0.185).^[10]

Climate

The climate of Sultan Kudarat falls under Type IV of Climate (characterized by rain showers or evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year). Heavy rainfall occurs from April to November. Unlike most other provinces in the country, Sultan Kudarat is generally free from typhoons as it is situated outside the "typhoon belt".^[6]

The average temperature is 35 °C (95 °F), with 38 °C (100 °F) as the average maximum normally occurring in March. The lowest recorded was 18 °C (64 °F) in the Kulaman area in December to early January.^[6]

Administrative divisions

Sultan Kudarat comprises 11 municipalities and 1 city. Three of the municipalities (Kalamansig, Lebak, and Palimbang) are coastal towns, while the rest of the province is located inland. The 11 municipalities and Tacurong City are further subdivided into 249 barangays.

Tacurong City is the smallest unit in the province by land area, but is the most urbanized, and is considered the province's commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital.

† Capital municipality
∗ Component city
Municipality

City or municipality^[A]		District^[5]	Population			±% p.a.	Area^[5]		Density		Brgy.	Coordinates^[B]
			(2015)^[11]		(2010)^[12]		km²	sq mi	/km²	/sq mi
Bagumbayan		2nd	8.3%	67,061	63,700	0.98%	672.06	259.48	100	260	19	6°32′25″N 124°34′01″E / 6.5404°N 124.5669°E / 6.5404; 124.5669 (Bagumbayan)
Columbio		1st	4.1%	33,258	27,440	3.73%	926.15	357.59	36	93	16	6°37′54″N 124°58′27″E / 6.6318°N 124.9742°E / 6.6318; 124.9742 (Columbio)
Esperanza		2nd	8.1%	66,095	63,207	0.85%	324.29	125.21	200	520	19	6°43′21″N 124°31′14″E / 6.7225°N 124.5206°E / 6.7225; 124.5206 (Esperanza)
Isulan	†	1st	11.2%	90,682	86,602	0.88%	541.25	208.98	170	440	17	6°38′02″N 124°35′50″E / 6.6340°N 124.5971°E / 6.6340; 124.5971 (Isulan)
Kalamansig		2nd	6.0%	49,059	46,408	1.06%	699.20	269.96	70	180	15	6°33′18″N 124°02′59″E / 6.5551°N 124.0498°E / 6.5551; 124.0498 (Kalamansig)
Lambayong (Mariano Marcos)		1st	9.5%	77,013	65,557	3.11%	226.88	87.60	340	880	26	6°47′54″N 124°37′57″E / 6.7983°N 124.6326°E / 6.7983; 124.6326 (Lambayong)
Lebak		2nd	10.9%	88,868	83,280	1.24%	470.86	181.80	190	490	27	6°37′57″N 124°03′58″E / 6.6325°N 124.0661°E / 6.6325; 124.0661 (Lebak)
Lutayan		1st	7.8%	63,029	56,179	2.21%	271.00	104.63	230	600	11	6°33′34″N 124°51′31″E / 6.5594°N 124.8586°E / 6.5594; 124.8586 (Lutayan)
Palimbang		2nd	11.1%	90,424	83,265	1.58%	484.85	187.20	190	490	40	6°12′39″N 124°11′21″E / 6.2109°N 124.1891°E / 6.2109; 124.1891 (Palimbang)
President Quirino		1st	5.1%	41,408	38,753	1.27%	208.40	80.46	200	520	19	6°41′54″N 124°44′25″E / 6.6982°N 124.7402°E / 6.6982; 124.7402 (President Quirino)
Senator Ninoy Aquino		2nd	5.8%	46,882	43,508	1.43%	320.00	123.55	150	390	20	6°27′34″N 124°19′20″E / 6.4594°N 124.3221°E / 6.4594; 124.3221 (Senator Ninoy Aquino)
Tacurong	∗	1st	12.1%	98,316	89,188	1.87%	153.40	59.23	640	1,700	20	6°41′18″N 124°40′43″E / 6.6884°N 124.6786°E / 6.6884; 124.6786 (Tacurong)
Total				812,095	747,087	1.60%	5,298.34	2,045.70	150	390	249	(see GeoGroup box)
^{^} Former names are italicized. ^{^} Coordinates mark the city/town center, and are sortable by latitude.

Demographics

Population census of
Sultan Kudarat
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	435,905	—
1995	522,187	+3.44%
2000	586,505	+2.52%
2007	675,644	+1.97%
2010	747,087	+3.73%
2015	812,095	+1.60%
Source: National Statistics Office^[11]^[12]^[12]

The population of Sultan Kudarat in the 2020 census was 854,052 people,^[2] with a density of 160 inhabitants per square kilometre or 410 inhabitants per square mile.

At the 2000 census, the province had a total population of 586,505, which grew to 747,087 people in the 2010 census. About 113 ethnic groups were identified in the province in the 2000 Census.^[13] The Ilonggos constitute the majority of the Christian population;^[13] their native languages are Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a, which are the province's dominant language.^[14] Other major languages in the province are the Maguindanao, Ilocano and Cebuano^[6]

Aside from the Ilonggos, the major ethnic groups are the Karay-a, Cebuano, Maguindanao, Ilocano, Manobo, Tiruray and the B'laan.^[13] Ilocanos are relative newcomers to the province while Ilonggos and Cebuanos inhabited the province around 17th to 18th century.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

According to the 2000 Census, the dominant religion is Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, which spread after the Second World War, outnumbering the previously majority Muslim population. The four major religious groups in Sultan Kudarat are Roman Catholicism (55.99%), Islam (22.88), Evangelical (7.20%), and Iglesia Ni Cristo (2.26%).^[6] Roman Catholics in the province fall under the jurisdictions of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan and Diocese of Marbel, suffragans of Archdiocese of Cotabato. Other Christian groups constitute most of the remainders such as the Seventh-day Adventists, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Jehovah's Witnesses, United Methodist Church, Southern Baptists, as well as "tribal religions", among others.^[15]

Economy

The economy of Sultan Kudarat is predominantly agricultural. The leading crops produced in the province are rice, corn, coconut, coffee, banana, mango, durian and African palm.^[16] The province is self-sufficient in poultry, swine, and root crops, and is one of the few producers of Irish potatoes in the Philippines. The southern Philippines Grain Complex in Tacurong is the largest grains-processing complex in the country. There are more than 200 rice mills in the province.^{[citation needed]}

Fishing is an industry in the three coastal towns of the province (Kalamansig, Lebak and Palimbang).^[17] Tuna caught along the coasts along the Celebes Sea are exported to Japan and Europe.

Other economic activities include cottage industries, which include crafts made of rattan and other types of wood.

Metallic minerals, which include copper, gold and silver, are found within the mountainous areas of Isulan, Bagumbayan, Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Palimbang and Columbio. Non-metallic minerals which include sand, gravel and marbleized limestone are also found in the province.^[18]

Education

For the school year 2009-2010, the province has 475 schools (401 public and 74 private), 368 of which were elementary schools, 90 were secondary, and 17 were tertiary. Sultan Kudarat State University is the only public tertiary school within the province, with its main campus at Tacurong City. Its other campuses are situated in Bagumbayan, Isulan, Kalamansig, Lutayan, Palimbang, and Senator Ninoy Aquino.^[19]

Health facilities

In 2010, Sultan Kudarat had 27 hospitals (5 government-owned, 22 private and 1 mobile hospital), which are classified into 17 primary (6-25 beds capacity), 8 secondary (25-100 beds capacity) and 2 tertiary (over 100 beds capacity). Tacurong had the most number of hospitals in the province with 11, followed by Isulan with 5.^[20]

Transportation

As of 2010, the provincial road network spanned a total length of 3,749.5813 kilometres (2,329.8818 mi) of which 49.26% were barangay roads, 27.97% provincial roads, 13.51% municipal/city roads and 9.25% national roads. Bagumbayan had the longest road network at 516.789 kilometres (321.118 mi), while Lutayan had the shortest at 107.38 kilometres (66.72 mi).^[19]

Sultan Kudarat has two seaports: the Port of Lebak in Kalamansig and the San Roque Port in Palimbang, and four airports (2 government-owned: Lebak Municipal Airport and President Quirino Airport, and 2 privately-owned: Kalamansig Airport and Kenram Airport).^[21]