Twelve Philippine Provincial Capitals from Calapan to Bongao

Calapan, founded in 1917 and granted cityhood in 1998, is the capital of Oriental Mindoro. Its 2024 census population of 148,558 makes it the most populous settlement on Mindoro, and its port is the largest and busiest seaport on the island.

Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan, was founded in 1872 as Puerto de la Princesa and became a city in 1970. At 2,381.02 square kilometers it is the second largest Philippine city by land area after Davao City, and it is the westernmost city in the country.

Sorsogon City sits at the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula and of Luzon. It was chartered in 2000 by merging the municipalities of Bacon and Sorsogon, and its 2024 population of 187,670 is the largest in the province.

Catbalogan, the capital of Samar, was founded by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in October 1596. It became a city in 2007, a status the Supreme Court restored permanently in 2011 after a legal challenge, and it is Samar's main commercial and political center.

Tacloban, the capital of Leyte, began as a barrio in 1770 and became a city in 1952. It served as the temporary capital of the Philippines from October 1944 to February 1945, and Typhoon Haiyan devastated the region on November 8, 2013.

Dumaguete became a city on July 15, 1948 and is the capital of Negros Oriental. At 33.62 square kilometers it is the province's smallest city by land area yet its most populous, and it is home to Silliman University, the first Protestant and American university in the country.

Surigao City lies at the northeasternmost tip of Mindanao. Founded on June 29, 1655 and chartered as a city in 1970, it is the capital of Surigao del Norte and the jump off point for the islands of Siargao, Dinagat and Bucas Grande.

Dipolog, the capital of Zamboanga del Norte, was established in 1834 and became a city on January 1, 1970. Known as the Gateway to Western Mindanao and the Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines, it sits between rolling hills and the Sulu Sea.

Pagadian, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur, became a city in 1969 and was designated the regional center of Region IX in 1990. Its 2024 population of 206,483 makes it the region's second largest city after Zamboanga, and it is known for a hill-climbing tricycle design said to be unique in the Philippines.

Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur, was settled in 1639 and renamed Marawi in 1956. It lies on the shores of Lake Lanao among the Maranao people, and in 2017 it was heavily damaged in the five month Siege of Marawi.

Jolo, on Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago, is the capital of Sulu and was historically the seat of the Sultanate of Sulu. The 1974 Siege of Jolo destroyed infrastructure and disrupted its postwar development.

Bongao, the capital of Tawi-Tawi, was incorporated on July 1, 1958 and spans Bongao Island, Sanga-Sanga Island, Pababag Island and the western end of Tawi-Tawi Island. Its Bolobok Rock Shelter Cave holds evidence of human habitation dated between roughly 8,810 and 5,190 years ago.