1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA, the capital of the Moro Province, and of the District (or Comandancia) of Zamboanga, and a port of entry, on the island of Mindanao, Philippine Islands, at the S. extremity of the western peninsula. Pop. (1903) 3281; of the comandancia, 20,692. Zamboanga has one of the most healthful sites in the islands, its climate being decidedly cooler than that of Manila. Since the American occupation the trade has greatly increased and various improvements have been planned or are under way, including a new custom-house, better facilities for docking, pavements, bridges, and public parks. The Provincial Capitol, one of the finest government buildings in the Philippines, was completed in 1908. There is considerable valuable timber in the vicinity, live-stock is extensively raised, and rice, copra, hemp, sugar-cane, tobacco, and sweet potatoes are other important products. Zamboanga was one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the islands, it having been taken and fortified as a base against the Moros, and it still contains an old stone fort. Many of the inhabitants are descendants of slaves who escaped from the Moros and sought Spanish protection. A Spanish patois, called “Zamboangueno,” is spoken by most of the native inhabitants.