Have you ever wondered what the places in the far ends of the Philippines looked like? It may seem too far from Manila, but it has great tourism potential and certainly a lot to offer to the travelers who wish to get a fresh, exciting taste of Mindanao.
Join me as we take a visual trip to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao: The Land ARMMed with Beauty Unseen.
- Flag of ARMM
- Official Seal of ARMM
What better way to start our journey than to look at maps!
The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), also known as Bangsamoro, is comprised of five predominantly Muslim provinces: Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Both Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao rests on the west coast of Mindanao while Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi floats in between the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea.
Let's take a peak at the different provinces, shall we?
LANAO DEL SUR
Lanao del Sur - The Land of Beauty and Bounty, with its capital city, Marawi, can be found to the south of Lanao del Norte, on the east of Bukidnon and at the north of Maguindanao. With a land area of 3, 873 km2, it is the home to 933, 260 people who speak Maranao, Cebuano, Arabic, English and Filipino.
MAGUINDANAO
Maguindanao - The Province on the Rise, with its capital Shariff Aguak, is found to the south of Lanao del Sur, Cotabato to its east and Sultan Kudarat to its south. Its land area of 7,142.0 km2 houses 944,718 people who speak Bahasa Maguindanao or Maguindanaon.
BASILAN
Pesong Kaam Kemon! That's their motto in Basilan. It's capital city is Isabela but it is administered by the Zamboanga Peninsula Region. The 293,322 Basilanin live in a 1,358.9 km2 island, which is the largest group of islands in the Sulu Archipelago. They speak multiple languages and dialects, some of which are Chavacano, Samal, Joloano, Yakan, Maranao, Visayan, Tagalog, and llocano.
(Sources: census.gov.ph, May 2010, basilan.gov.ph)
SULU
Sulu is a group of islands nestled in between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. Its capital is called Jolo. Its 2,135.3 km2 land area is inhabited by 718,290 "people of the current" who speak Tausug, Yakan and Sinama.
TAWI-TAWI
Last but certainly not the least is the island group of Tawi-Tawi. It is located to the west of Sulu and not far from Sabah, Malaysia. Its land area of 1,087.40 km2 is inhabited by 366,550 people. They speak the indigenous language of Bahasa Sama, local dialects like Sinama Sibutu, Sinama Simunul, Sinama Kapoan, and Sinama Banguingui as well as English, Filipino, Malay, Indonesian. Zamboangueño Chavacano, and the Tausug language.
Now, how do we get to these places?
By Air
- Mainland Provinces – Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan, and Lanao del Sur including Marawi City
- Island Provinces – Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan including Lamitan City by Air
- Accessible via Awang Airport (DOS, S.K.), General Santos City Airport, Cagayan de Oro Airport, and Davao International Airport.
- Accessible via Zamboanga International Airport, Jolo Airport (Sulu), and Bongao Airport (Tawi-Tawi)
By Sea
- Port of Jolo (Sulu) and Bongao Port (Tawi-Tawi); and daily services of inter-island motorized boats (banca)
By Land
- Accessible by busses and air-conditioned vans (daily services); Iligan City to Marawi City is a 45 minute drive,
(Source: tourismarmm.blogspot.com)
Ooops! Sorry, but I have to let you hang on a cliff for a while.
What you should expect to see on my next blog posts: Interesting Facts about ARMM and its People, The Best Things to Do in ARMM and ARMM's Exciting Tourism Destinations!
'Til next time!
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