TravellerHints! Inhabitants of Mindanao are about 32% Muslims, while 60% of them are Christians with the population of 21,968,174 people from the census in 2010. The “land of promise” is what they call Mindanao since the island itself is full of natural resources.
It has 6 regions subdivided into 25 provinces with 27 native cultural communities. The term Mindanao originated from Maguindanaons that was used for referring to the natives before.
One of the popular tourist destinations of the island is Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the country with 9,690 ft (2,954 m). Lake Lanao, being the largest lake has been the home of the Muslim Moros for centuries.
Moros are the original Muslims forming non-catholic groups in the country. Many mosques, brassware and daggers can be seen as an evidence of how strong the Islamic culture is. Majority of people in Mindanao are speaking Cebuano, while some are using different dialects such as Chavacano, Zamboangueño and many others. The land is mostly mountainous.
Davao City and Zamboanga City are the main cities while Davao is the largest city and considered as the major port city of the island. Being called the food basket of the Philippines, Mindanao is the major exporter of top agricultural commodities from the country.
The island is blessed with rich soil harvesting different variety of crops such as cacao, banana, coconut, corn, coffee, pineapple, durian and many more. Aside from the crops, the island is also rich in minerals such as metallic, non-metallic, gold, nickel, zinc and manganese.
The reason behind Mindanao’s strong economy is agriculture with the majority of people employed in agriculture, forestry and fishery division. The island’s natural beauty embodies great scenery that everyone will surely enjoy and cherish making it the best place to visit.
These great destinations are the wide orchid gardens, white sand beaches and the volcanoes. The popular ethnic festivals are also some of the best things to do. Explore Mindanao and be amazed.
