Zamboanga

Zamboanga (sām'bōäng`gä), city (1990 pop. 442,345), Zamboanga del Sur prov., SW Mindanao, the Philippines, at the tip of the Zamboanga peninsula, on Basilan Strait. One of the chief cities of Mindanao and a busy seaport, it is the hub of a major iron-producing and lumbering area, which has large-scale rubber cultivation, plywood mills, and resin plants. The city is situated at the foot of high mountains. Although it is in a mostly Muslim area, the city is predominantly Christian. Points of interest include a 16th-century Spanish fort and the mosque at Talangkusay, a famous Moro ceremonial center.

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Zamboanga

Port city (pop., 2000: metro. area, 601,794), western Mindanao, Philippines. Founded in 1635 as a fort by the Spanish, it later became the chief market of the southern Philippines. In World War II it was a Japanese defense headquarters and was taken by U.S. troops in 1945. It exports rubber, pearls, copra, and mahogany and is a centre for Moro brass ware and bronze ware. It is also a tourist destination.