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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF COTABATO
FAST FACTS
Capital : Kidapawan
Area : 6,959 sq km
Population : 763,995
Cities : none
No. of Towns : 18
Click Here To View The List Of
Towns.
LOCATION
Cotabato is in Central Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by
Lanao del Sur
and Bukidnon, on the east by Davao del Sur, on the west by
Maguindanao,
and on the south by Sultan Kudarat.
THE LAND
Cotabato stretches west from Mt. Apo, which separates it from
Davao, to the
Piapayungan Range on its boundary with Lanao. In the midst of
these uplands
is the basin of the Rio Grande de Mindanao which rises in
Bukidnon and
flows south to Maguindanao and Illana Bay. The Pulangi or
Mindanao River,
as it is now often called, is the second longest in the
Philippines at 300 km.
The province's fertile plains are traversed by tributaries of
this great river. The
climate is cool and humid. There are no typhoons but rainfall is
frequent.
THE BRIEF HISTORY
Cotabato derives its name from the Maguindanao words kuta wato,
meaning
"stone fort." The former province of Cotabato was once
the largest in the
Philippines. In 1966, South Cotabato was created as a separate
province. On
November 22, 1973, under Presidential Decree No. 341, the
provinces of
North Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Sultan Kudarat were created out
of the
remaining old Cotabato. North Cotabato was renamed Cotabato under
Batas
Pambansa Blg. 660 approved on December 19, 1983.
THE PEOPLE
Cotabato is a veritable melting pot of people. Of its population,
71% are
migrants from Luzon and the Visayas, while 18% belong to cultural
communities - Manobo, T'boli , and Maguindanao. The major
dialects spoken
are Hiligaynon or Ilonggo (43%), Cebuano (31%), Maguindanao
(16%), and
Ilocano (10%).
The main religions are Roman Catholicism and Islam. The Manobo
culture
has its seat in Kidapawan. Also called Kulaman, this group
considers Mt. Apo
as sacred. They are concentrated in the mountains north of the
Padada River,
up through Kidapawan and Magpet.
The Manobos are distinguishable by their traditional dress: tight
pants topped
by a buttonless jacket for men and are blouse with black sleeves
over an
abaca skirt for women. As dress reflects rank, decorative motifs
are reserved
for datus and the well-to-do. Although they mainly practice
kaingin (slash and
burn) farming and fishing, they also engage in basketmaking,
weaving and
pottery.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Rice and corn are the most widely cultivated crops. Other
products include
coconut, sugar, abaca, pineapple, cotton coffee, tobacco, and
ramie. The
province is also one of the biggest producers of rubber in the
country.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised:February 02, 1999.
