South Cotabato is a province of Region 12, Philippines

Profile of South Cotabato Province (Geography)
Location –> South Mindanao (SoCCSKSargen) Region, Philippines (See map below)
Neighboring Provinces –> Cotabato (North), Davao Del Sur, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat
Capital –> Koronadal City
Area –> 4,428.81 km2 (including General Santos City)
Population –> 1,509,735 (2015 census including General Santos City)
Terrain –> Mountainous on the western side, broad lowland at the center, and hilly on the northeastern section
Industries –> Agriculture
Major Products –> Fish (tuna), Pineapple, Banana, Papaya, Rice, Corn
People/Language –> Bisaya (Cebuano), Ilonggo, Ilocano
Cities –> General Santos, Koronadal
Municipalities (Towns) –> (10) Banga, Lake Sebu, Norala, Polomolok, Santo Nino, Surallah, Tampakan, Tantangan, T’boli, Tupi

Government Officials
Go here to see the elected provincial officials of South Cotabato.

South Cotabato History

The present province of South Cotabato was formerly part of the huge Davao province until 1914. During the commonwealth era, thousands of people from the Visayas Region were encouraged to migrate to Cotabato. One of the earlier settlers was General Paulino Santos from whom General Santos City was named after. On July 18, 1966, South Cotabato was separated from Cotabato to become another province by virtue of Republic Act No. 4849. The new province then held a special election in 1967 where James L. Chiongbian was elected to become the first congressman of South Cotabato.

In 1992, the province of Sarangani was formed out of seven coastal towns of South Cotabato.

Former Governors:
Daisy Avance-Fuentes

Go here to see all the famous people from South Cotabato Province.

Go here to see the candidates and results of the 2019 election in South Cotabato.

Read the history of South Cotabato in Tagalog here.

Economy of South Cotabato

South Cotabato, together with Bukidnon province, is the major producer of fresh and canned pineapples which are sold not only locally but also internationally. Other fruits produce in the province are banana and papaya. General Santos City has been the traditional landing center for tuna caught in the high seas. The city is home to several tuna canneries.

RELATED: Profile of Bohol Province
See also: List of Philippine Provinces and Capital by Region

Map of Province