Zamboanga del Norte
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Zamboanga del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Zamboanga''; Subanon: ''Utara Sembwangan''; tl, Hilagang Zamboanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, is a
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
situated within the
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. Its capital is
Dipolog Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Dipolog''; fil, Lungsod ng Dipolog), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province ...
and the province borders
Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga del Sur ( Cebuano: ''Habagatang Zamboanga;'' Subanen: ''S'helatan Sembwangan/Sembwangan dapit Shelatan''; Chavacano: ''Zamboanga del Sur''; tl, Timog Zamboanga; mdh, Pagabatan Sambuanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, ...
and
Zamboanga Sibugay Zamboanga Sibugay, officially the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Zamboanga Sibugay; tl, Lalawigan ng Zamboanga Sibugay; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Zamboanga Sibugay''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga ...
to the south,
Misamis Occidental Misamis Occidental ( ceb, Kasadpang Misamis; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Sindepan Mis'samis''; fil, Kanlurang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Ph ...
to the east, and the Sulu Sea to the west. Zamboanga del Norte is the largest province of the
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...
region by land area covering . Zamboanga del Norte is the 26th populous province in the Philippines.


History


Early history

Prior to its creation as a province, Zamboanga del Norte formed the northern portion of the historical province of Zamboanga. The early history of Zamboanga del Norte is shared with that of
Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...
, which had been the center of the entire
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
area, most notably during the American era. When Zamboanga City became a chartered city on October 12, 1936, it encompassed the southern tip of the
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...
and the island of
Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Reg ...
, making it the largest city in the world in terms of land area.


Creation as a Province

Through ''Republic Act No. 711'' issued on June 6, 1952, Zamboanga province was divided into two independent provinces, which included Zamboanga del Sur.


Martial law era

Zamboanga del Norte was the site of at least one major assassination during the Marcos Martial law era - the gunning down of Human Rights lawyers
Jacobo Amatong Jacobo Sybico Amatong (October 11, 1936 – September 24, 1984) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and newspaper publisher from the province of Zamboanga del Norte. He was best known for founding the Mindanao Observer, a community newspaper which ...
and Zorro Aguilar by two soldiers of the Marcos government, who were never caught. Both lawyers have since been honored by having their names inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines’
Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of for ...
, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought against
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
and his martial law regime.


Proposed carving out of new province

In 2017, House Bill No. 5040 was introduced in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
seeking to carve out a new province from Zamboanga del Norte. The proposed Zamboanga Hermosa province was to consist of 12 municipalities and 2 legislative districts that make up the 3rd legislative district of Zamboanga del Norte: Baliguian, Godod, Gutalac,
Kalawit Kalawit, officially the Municipality of Kalawit ( ceb, Lungsod sa Kalawit; Subanen: ''Benwa Kalawit''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Kalawit''; tl, Bayan ng Kalawit), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippin ...
, Labason, Leon B. Postigo,
Liloy Liloy, officially the Municipality of Liloy ( ceb, Lungsod sa Liloy; Subanen: ''Benwa Liloy''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Liloy''; tl, Bayan ng Liloy), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Accordi ...
(its proposed capital), Salug,
Sibuco Sibuco, officially the Municipality of Sibuco, ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sibuco; Subanen: ''Benwa Sibuco''; Zamboangueño: ''Municipalidad de Sibuco''; tl, Bayan ng Sibuco), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippin ...
,
Siocon Siocon, officially the Municipality of Siocon ( ceb, Lungsod sa Siocan; Subanen: ''Benwa Siocan''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Siocan''; tl, Bayan ng Siocan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Acc ...
,
Sirawai Sirawai, officially the Municipality of Sirawai ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sirawai; Subanen: ''Benwa Sirawai''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Sirawai''; tl, Bayan ng Sirawai), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippine ...
, and Tampilisan. However, the bill ultimately did not pass the 17th congress.


Geography

Zamboanga del Norte covers a total area of occupying the northern portion of the
Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...
in western
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
. The province is bordered on the north and west by the Sulu Sea, on the northeast by
Misamis Occidental Misamis Occidental ( ceb, Kasadpang Misamis; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Sindepan Mis'samis''; fil, Kanlurang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Ph ...
, and on the south by
Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga del Sur ( Cebuano: ''Habagatang Zamboanga;'' Subanen: ''S'helatan Sembwangan/Sembwangan dapit Shelatan''; Chavacano: ''Zamboanga del Sur''; tl, Timog Zamboanga; mdh, Pagabatan Sambuanga), officially the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, ...
and
Zamboanga Sibugay Zamboanga Sibugay, officially the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Zamboanga Sibugay; tl, Lalawigan ng Zamboanga Sibugay; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Zamboanga Sibugay''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Zamboanga ...
. It has an average elevation of , with Mount Dabiak in
Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...
as the highest peak at . Other parts, near the coastlines, are plains. The province's irregular coastline runs some from north to south.


Climate

Zamboanga del Norte has a mild and moderate climate due to evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. Its southern portion has a longer dry season.


Administrative divisions

Zamboanga del Norte comprises 25
municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and 2
cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
. Dipolog City,
Sindangan Sindangan, officially the Municipality of Sindangan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sindangan; Subanen: ''Benwa Sindangan''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Sindangan''; tl, Bayan ng Sindangan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte ...
and Dapitan City are the top most densely populated area in the province These are further subdivided into 691
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s, and clustered into 3
congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
.
Sibuco Sibuco, officially the Municipality of Sibuco, ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sibuco; Subanen: ''Benwa Sibuco''; Zamboangueño: ''Municipalidad de Sibuco''; tl, Bayan ng Sibuco), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippin ...
is the largest municipality by land area, constituting of the total provincial area.
Sibutad Sibutad, officially the Municipality of Sibutad ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sibutad; Subanen: ''Benwa Sibutad''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Sibutad''; tl, Bayan ng Sibutad), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippin ...
is the smallest, with .


Demographics

The population of Zamboanga del Norte in the 2020 census was 1,047,455 people, with a density of .
Dipolog Dipolog, officially the City of Dipolog ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dipolog; Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; Chavacano: ''Ciudad de Dipolog''; fil, Lungsod ng Dipolog), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province ...
is the most populated locality in the province, followed by the town of
Sindangan Sindangan, officially the Municipality of Sindangan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sindangan; Subanen: ''Benwa Sindangan''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Sindangan''; tl, Bayan ng Sindangan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte ...
and city of
Dapitan Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According to ...
. The main language spoken is Cebuano. Other languages include
Chavacano Chavacano or Chabacano is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. ...
, Subanon, Tagalog, and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
.


Religion

The predominant religion was
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
until the Spanish regime took over the region and spread
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
with the help of the church's mission orders like the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
,
Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
, and Dominicans. The province's first martyr of faith, soon to be raised as a saint, in
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
island was Padre Francesco Palliola, S.J. He was a Jesuit missionary from Nola, Italy, and was assigned to Zamboanga Peninsula. He was active as a missionary in Lubungan (Katipuan), Zamboanga del Norte, Iligan, Dapitan, and met his martyrdom at the barrio of Ponot, now a town of Jose Dalman.
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
is a significant majority with about 50% adherence. The province has one diocese – the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dipolog The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dipolog ( Latin: ''Dioecesis Dipologanae''; Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Dipolog''; Cebuano: ''Diyosesis sa Dipolog;'' Spanish: ''Diócesis de Dipolog'') is a Roman Rite diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Ch ...
under the
Archdiocese of Ozamiz The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ozamis is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the province of Misamis Occidental, southern Philippines. The archdiocese cathedral is the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception i ...
, covering the entire province. There are also followers of other
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
sects.


Government


Officials

These are the officials after the local elections of 2022: Governor: Rosalina "Nene" G. Jalosjos ( Nacionalista) Vice Governor: Julius C. Napigquit (
PDP–Laban Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party al ...
) Members of the House of Representatives: * 1st District: Rep. Romeo "Jon-jon" M. Jalosjos, Jr. ( Nacionalista/ APP/ HNP) * 2nd District: Rep. Glona G. Labadlabad (
PDP–Laban Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party al ...
) * 3rd District: Rep. Adrian Michael "Ian" A. Amatong ( LP)


Board Members

* 1st District: ** Angelica "Angel" Jalosjos Carreon ** Patri "Jing" Bajamunde - Chan * 2nd District: ** Peter Y. Co ** Jasmin N. Pinsoy-Lagutin ** Dante G. Bagarinao ** Michael "Jojo" M. Documento, Jr. * 3rd Drstrict: ** Kay Marie P. Bolando ** Leo Nicanor B. Mejorada ** Franco Angelo "Conkee" C. Buctuan ** Jeff Raymund "JR" M. Brillantes


Economy

About half of the province's land area is devoted to
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. Corn, coconut, and rice are the major crops. The province being rich in marine and mineral sources, its fish production has accelerated through the development of fishponds. Commercial fishing has steadily increased through the years, with the yellow fin tuna as the primary species. In 2006, a study by National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB), found Zamboanga del Norte Province to be the Philippines' poorest province with a
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
incidence rate of 64.6%, an increase from 47% in year 2000 statistical figures. As of 2015, the province's poverty incidence has dropped to 51.6% (ranking 8th). Large foreign mining companies operating within the province such as Canadian company TVI Resource Development and Philex Mining Corp. cause adverse effects to the culture and traditions of the indigenous Subanon and other poor settlers.


References


External links

* *
Old website of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte

Daily Zamboanga Times
{{Authority control Provinces of the Philippines Zamboanga Peninsula States and territories established in 1952 1952 establishments in the Philippines