Mindanao 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 same name that also includes its adjacent islands, notably the Sulu Archipelago. As of 2015 census, Mindanao has 25,700,000 inhabitants, while the entire island group has an estimated population of 27,021,036 as of 2021.
The Philippines is an archipelago that comprises 7,641 islands with a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). It is the world's fifth largest island country. The eleven largest islands contain 95% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq mi). The next largest island is Mindanao at about 95,000 square kilometers (36,680 sq mi). The archipelago is around 800 kilometers (500 mi) from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo.
In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions that primarily serve to coordinate planning and organize national government services across multiple local government units (LGUs). Most national government offices provide services through their regional branches instead of having direct provincial or city offices. Regional offices are usually but not necessarily located in the city designated as the regional center.
Northern Mindanao is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region X. It comprises five provinces: Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, and Lanao del Norte, and two cities classified as highly urbanized, all occupying the north-central part of Mindanao island, and the island-province of Camiguin. The regional center is Cagayan de Oro. Lanao del Norte was transferred to Northern Mindanao from Region XII by virtue of Executive Order No. 36 in September 2001.
Misamis Occidental is a province located in the region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Oroquieta. The province borders Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur to the west and is separated from Lanao del Norte by Panguil Bay to the south and Iligan Bay to the east. The province of Misamis was originally inhabited by Subanens who were an easy target by the sea pirates from Lanao.
Islam was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines in the 14th century with the arrival of Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanate governments in the Malay Archipelago. The first Muslims to arrive were traders followed by missionaries in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. They facilitated the formation of Sultanates and conquests in Mindanao and Sulu. The people who converted to Islam came to be known as the Moros. The Muslim conquest reached as far as the Tondo which was supplanted by Brunei's vassal-state Maynila.
The Central Philippine languages are the most geographically widespread demonstrated group of languages in the Philippines, being spoken in southern Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Sulu. They are also the most populous, including Tagalog, Bikol, and the major Visayan languages Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kinaray-a, and Tausug, with some forty languages all together.
The Philippines is inhabited by more than 182 ethnolinguistic groups, many of which are classified as "Indigenous Peoples" under the country's Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997. Traditionally-Muslim peoples from the southernmost island group of Mindanao are usually categorized together as Moro peoples, whether they are classified as Indigenous peoples or not. About 142 are classified as non-Muslim Indigenous People groups, and about 19 ethnolinguistic groups are classified as neither indigenous nor moro. Various migrant groups have also had a significant presence throughout the country's history.
Central Mindanao University is a research state university located in the heart of Mindanao Island, province of Bukidnon, Philippines. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest premier universities in the southern Philippines. CMU is recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (Philippines) as the Center of Excellence in the field of Agriculture, Forestry, Veterinary Medicine and Biology; and Center of Development in Mathematics, Environmental Science and Teacher Education. In 2017, CMU became the first higher education institution in Mindanao to be awarded with Institutional Accreditation by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Philippines:
Mount Balatukan is a massive potentially active compound stratovolcano in the northern island of Mindanao, Philippines. It is the highest point in the province of Misamis Oriental. The volcano has no historical eruptions but displays fumarolic activity. The 2,560-metre (8,400 ft) mountain is topped by a triangular shaped caldera 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) long and 10.6 kilometers (6.6 mi) at its widest. The Balatocan River emanates from and drains the huge crater.
These lists contain an overview of the government recognized cultural properties in the Philippines. The lists are based on the official lists provided by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum of the Philippines.
Historical markers are installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) in the Philippines and places abroad that signify important events, persons, structures, and institutions in Philippine national and local histories. The plaques themselves are permanent signs installed by the NHCP in publicly visible locations on buildings, monuments, or in special locations. Local municipalities and cities can also install markers of figures and events of local significance. Though they may have the permission of the NHCP, these markers are barred from using the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Immaculate Conception Church is a Baroque church located in Poblacion, Upper Jasaan in Misamis Oriental, Philippines. It was declared by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure in Northern Mindanao due to its artistic design and cultural values.
The Dapitan Heritage Zone or Dapitan Historic Center is a declared historic district in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. Because of its prehistoric origins, collection of heritage structures and role in the exile of local patriot Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared a specific portion of the city, along with its heritage structures, as a Heritage Zone or Historic Center in 2011. The declaration was made in coordination with the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Rizal in June 2011.
