Sultan Kudarat Province is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Isulan and borders Maguindanao and Cotabato to the north, South Cotabato and Sarangani to the south, and Davao del Sur to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the west.
Tacurong City is the smallest unit in the province in terms of land area, but it is the most urbanized, and is considered to be the province’s commercial center. Other growth centers are Lebak and Isulan, the latter being the provincial capital. Bagumbayan is the largest town in terms of land area.
The three coastal towns on the province’s western side are lined with mountain ranges that wall the central part of the province from the sea. There are also mountains on the eastern side, leaving flat land in between.
The territory that is now the province of Sultan Kudarat was originally part of Cotabato province, which was one of the largest and most resource-rich provinces in the country. During the Spanish colonial era, the land was heavily forested and left largely underdeveloped.
Because of the size of the province, it was divided into smaller units. Additionally, conflicting political, social, and economic interests limited the province’s progress. Cotabato was first split into North Cotabato and South Cotabato. North Cotabato was then split into what is now Maguindanao (from which the new province of Shariff Kabunsuan was created), (North) Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato split into South Cotabato and Sarangani.
Sultan Kudarat was named after a Sultan of Maguindanao, Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, who reigned from 1623 to 1671. It became a separate province on November 22, 1973.
