LOCATION

The Province of (North) Cotabato lies on the eastern part of Region XII and is strategically
located in the central part of Mindanao. It is bounded on the North by the Province of
Bukidnon, on the northwest by Lanao del Sur, on the East by Davao City, on the Southeast
by Davao del Sur, on the West by Maguindanao Province and on the southwest by Sultan
Kudarat Province. Mountains to the east peak at Mount Apo, a volcanic cone that is the
highest mountain in the Philippines. In the west, the Piapungan Range separates it from
Lanao del Sur. The fertile Pulangi River basin runs in the middle of these two highlands
and spreads towards the southwest to the flood plains of Maguindanao. Typhoons do not
pass through (North) Cotabato and rainfall is evenly distributed through out the year.

SOIL CLASSIFICATION
There are about nineteen (19) types of soil found in the province of (North) Cotabato.
Mountain soils, which are classified as undifferentiated, are found at the eastern and
western part of the province.The most prevalent soil types in the province are of the clay
loam type found mostly in the plains are best suited for intensive crops like rice, corn and
other permanent crops.

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES
The predominant geological complex is the Cotabato Basin which empties into Illana Bay
via Rio Grande de Mindanao into which flows most of its principal tributaries, namely: the
Malasila and the Kabacan Rivers. The tributaries have carried silt for centuries from the
mountain ranges of Bukidnon and the province, depositing these in the lowlands which
resulted in the agricultural lands in the province.

SOIL TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE CONDITIONS
The provinces terrain varies from flat, fertile plains to irregular landscape of wide valleys,
scattered hills and extensive mountain ranges such as the Kitubod Range, Mt. Apo which
forms the natural boundary between (North) Cotabato Province and Davao City and Davao
del Sur Province and the Tuael Range, which joins the municipalities of Pres. Roxas, Magpet
and Matalam.A big portion of the land of North Cotabato province is classified as upland
with a topography ranging from level to nearly level to gently sloping to undulating;
undulating to rolling; rolling to moderately steep; steep to very steep. Areas with level to
nearly level are found in Kabacan, Matalam, Libungan, Carmen, Pikit and parts of Tulunan,
Mlang and Midsayap.The drainage condition in the province is generally poor with some
portions classified as good to fair drainage. These conditions are mostly found along the
plains and valleys. In the upland areas the drainage conditions range from good to fair to
excessive erosion as a result of massive forest destruction.

LAND AREA
The rich vast land resources of the Province stretch over an area of 656,590 hectares
representing 36 percent of the regional land area (1,815,500 hectares). It ranks first in
terms of land area among the four provinces of Region XII.The province of Cotabato is
composed of seventeen (17) municipalities and one (1) city with five hundred forty three
(543) legally created barangays, with Kidapawan City as its Capital.
SOIL TYPES
There are about 19 types of soil found in the province of Cotabato. Mountain soils, which
are undifferentiated, are found at the eastern and western part of the province. Clay loam
soil is found in the municipalities of Carmen, Tulunan, Pigcawayan and Pikit while the
municipalities of Aleosan, Midsayap, Banisilan and part of Magpet, Pigcawayan and Pres.
Roxas have a clay type soil. Sandy clay loam soils characterize those in the Municipalities of
Makilala and Mlang and the City of Kidapawan.
The most prevailing soil types in the province are of clay loam type. These types are mostly
found in the plains, which are best suited for intensive crops like corn, rice and other
permanent crops.
MINERAL RESOURCES
Mineral products found in the province consist of non-metallic products defined as
limestone, sand and gravel, soil and white clay. The first three items are considered as
construction materials while the white clay is a good raw material for porcelain production
and considered as one of the best white clay resource in the country. It is abundant in the
municipalities of Banisilan, Pres. Roxas, Mlang, Makilala and Magpet particularly in the
barangays of Dolis, Inac and Nowa.
The province has several ceramics processing which are either unregistered or registered
enterprises. Magpet Ceramics located at Magpet, Cotabato is an LGU-managed enterprise
that specializes in the making of pots and jars, table wares, novelties and art wares.
AQUATIC RESOURCES
The province is traversed with several rivers and creeks, which abound with freshwater
fish. Many people depend much on freshwater fishing especially those in the vicinities of
Liguasan Marsh and Libungan Marsh.
POWER RESOURCES
The major power source of the Mindanao Grid is the Lanao Lake-Agus River hydro-electric
power complex with a total power potential of 1,000 megawatts. Supplementing the hydro-
potential power of the Mindanao Grid are the Cotabato and Agusan River Basin. The basins
have potential of 1,605 megawatts and 991 megawatts, respectively or an aggregate total of
2,596 megawatts.
In support to the provinces growing economy, the Philippine National Oil Company
(PNOC) has commissioned the generation of at least 52-megawatt sourced out from the Mt.
Apo Geothermal Project. An additional capacity of 50 megawatt from the project is
currently worked-out to ensure a stable energy supply for the province and its neighboring
areas.


Geographic Location
Lanao del Norte is located in the northwestern part of Mindanao and is administratively part of Region
10 since 2001. It is located at approximately 730 north latitude and 12347 east longitude (Map 1:
Location).

The Province of Lanao del Norte, in the national geographic setting, is situated in the southern part of
thePhilippines. It is located south of the Visayas group of islands, particularly the island of Bohol, from
which it is approximately 165 kilometers. It is accessible by boat from the islands of Bohol, Cebu Negros
and other islands in the Visayas.

On the regional context, the Province is situated in northern Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by
Iligan Bay, on the northeastern side by the Province of Misamis Oriental where the Cagayan-Iligan
Corridor is generally situated, on the southeast by Lanao del Sur, on the west by the Provinces of
Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur which are also accessible by water and land transportation
systems, and on the south by Illana Bay. The Province links the western, eastern and central Mindanao.
It is the land bridge of Zamboanga Peninsula to the rest ofMindanao and serves as the gateway to the
different cities such as Pagadian, Tangub, Oroquieta, Ozamiz via the Tukuran-Malabang highway and
Lanao del Sur via the Tubod-Ganassi national highway.

Lanao del Norte has a coastal to mountain ecosystems since the Province lies along the coasts of Iligan
andKolambugan Bays stretching up to the tip of Panguil Bay and extending to the coast of Illana Bay in
the south.

Land Area
Lanao del Norte has a total land area of 3,824.79 square kilometers, representing almost 19% of Region
Xs total land area. The province ranks number 2 area-wise among the five provinces of the region. The
breakdown of land area by city/municipal components adopted the LGU claims reconciled with the GIS
generated data.

Table 3.1 Land Area by Province, Region X
Province Total Land Area
(Sq. Km.)
% Share
Bukidnon 10,498.59 52.01
Camiguin 291.87 1.44
Lanao del Norte 3,824.79 18.95
Misamis Occidental 2,055.22 10.18
Misamis Oriental 3,515.70 17.42
Total 20,186.17 100.00
Source: RPFP, 2004-2030

The highly urbanized city of Iligan has a total land area of 132.63 sq. km. which is 3.47% of the provinces
total land area. The District of Mandulog covers the biggest the land area of 809.54 sq. km. constituting
21.17% of total area. Among the municipalities, Nunungan accounted for the biggest land area of
486.25 hectares or 12.7% of the provinces total land area, while the municipality of Linamon has the
smallest land area.
Table 3.2 Land Area by Municipality/City, Province of Lanao del Norte
Municipality/City Total Land Area % Share
In hectares In square kilometers
Iligan City 13,262.57 132.63 3.47
Bacolod 10,410.00 104.10 2.72
Baloi 7,889.14 78.89 2.06
Baroy 8,009.29 80.09 2.09
Kapatagan 18,791.57 187.92 4.91
Kauswagan 6,037.60 60.38 1.58
Kolambugan 13,455.00 134.55 3.52
Lala 14,025.00 140.25 3.67
Linamon 2,318.79 23.19 0.61
Magsaysay 12,099.18 120.99 3.16
Maigo 12,130.00 121.30 3.17
Mandulog District 80,954.28 809.54 21.17
Matungao 4,526.38 45.26 1.18
Munai 21,218.00 212.18 5.55
Nunungan 48,625.00 486.25 12.71
Pantao Ragat 9,010.00 90.10 2.36
Pantar 4,467.69 44.68 1.17
Poona-Piagapo 9,572.05 95.72 2.50
Salvador 11,399.00 113.99 2.98
Sapad 14,003.00 140.03 3.66
SND (Karomatan) 25,,055.00 250.55 6.55
Tagoloan 5,130.18 51.30 1.34
Tangkal 12,029.35 120.29 3.15
Tubod 18,060.59 180.61 4.72
Lanao del Norte 382,478.66 3824.79 100.00
Source: CLUPs; PPDO


Political Subdivisions
The province is composed of one city (Iligan) and 22 municipalities namely: Bacolod, Baloi, Baroy,
Kapatagan, Kauswagan, Kolambugan, Lala, Linamon, Magsaysay, Munai, Matungao, Maigo, Nunungan,
Pantar, Pantao-Ragat, Poona-Piagapo, Salvador, Sapad, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Tagoloan, Tangkal and
Tubod. It has a total of 506 barangays. Among the municipalities, Sultan Naga Dimaporo has the most
number of barangays (37) while the municipalities of Linamon and Tagoloan have the least number of
barangays.