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Special Geographic Area

Special Geographic Area

Special Geographic Area is a special geographic area in the Bangsamoro (BARMM) region of Mindanao, Philippines. Its population was 214,703 in the 2024 census, and it has 8 municipalities.

  • Population: 2024 Census
  • Places: PSGC 2Q 2026
  • Checked by Scene: October 8, 2026
  • Page updated: October 2, 2026
Colour byColours the map of Special Geographic Area by the figure chosen; the key beside it says what each colour means.
CotabatoMaguindanao del NorteMaguindanao del SurKadayangan: 26,099 people, 511 per km², 0.49% a yearKapalawan: 29,191 people, 280 per km², 0.61% a yearLigawasan: 28,322 people, 500 per km², −1.20% a yearMalidegao: 36,427 people, 715 per km², −0.01% a yearNabalawag: 25,500 people, 415 per km², −0.21% a yearOld Kaabakan: 16,181 people, 145 per km², −0.69% a yearPahamuddin: 19,262 people, 308 per km², −0.45% a yearTugunan: 33,721 people, 615 per km², 0.40% a year

People · 2024 Census

  • Under 20,000
  • 20,000 to 31,000
  • 31,000 to 45,000
  • 45,000 to 76,000
  • 76,000 and over

The same steps colour every map of cities and municipalities in the Atlas, so a colour means the same range everywhere.

Density · people per km², 2024

  • Under 140
  • 140 to 250
  • 250 to 390
  • 390 to 750
  • 750 and over

The same steps colour every map of cities and municipalities in the Atlas, so a colour means the same range everywhere.

Growth a year · 2020–2024

  • Fell by more than 1% a year
  • Fell, by up to 1% a year
  • Grew, by under 1% a year
  • Grew by 1 to 2% a year
  • Grew by 2% a year or more

Each place's yearly change between the 2020 and 2024 censuses, on the same steps as every map in the Atlas.

Borders from UN OCHA (PSA and NAMRIA), a guide and not the legal boundary[3]Open in OpenStreetMap

  • PeopleSources

    214,703

    people counted in the 2024 censusCensusA count of every person in the country, all on one day. The 2024 census counted people as they were on 1 July 2024.More in the glossary

    Up 45.5% from 2010 to 2024

  • Rank by peopleSources

    6th

    of the 6 provinces of Bangsamoro (BARMM) by population, 2024Rank and shareWorked out by Scene from the PSA's counts: where a place stands among the places listed with it, and how many of every 100 of its parent's people live in it.More in the glossary

    About 5 of every 100 people in Bangsamoro (BARMM) lived in Special Geographic Area in 2024 (4.72%)

  • Inside itSources

    8

    cities and municipalities

    63 barangays

  • LandSources

    552.82 km²

    of land, 2019 masterlistLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.Explained by Scene: Special Geographic Area's land would fill a square about 23.5 km on each side. That is only a way to picture its size: its real shape is on the map.More in the glossary

    Average density, 2024: 388 people per km²Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.Explained by Scene: About 4 people per hectare if everyone were spread evenly across the land. In fact people live closer together in towns and farther apart in the countryside.More in the glossary

  • HomesSources

    51,941

    households in 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary

    4.1 people in each, on average, in 2024

  • Town or countrySources

    31.7%

    About 32 of every 100 people lived in urban barangays in 2024Urban barangayThe PSA counts a barangay as urban when it has 5,000 people or more, or a big employer, or several businesses and public services close by. Every barangay in Metro Manila is urban.More in the glossary

PSGC codePSGC codeThe code the Philippine Statistics Authority gives every place, so each one is known exactly, even when two share a name.More in the glossary
1999900000[4]

People

Special Geographic Area had 214,703 people in the 2024 census, up 45.5% from 2010.
People at each census
Special Geographic Area had the fewest people of the 6 provinces of Bangsamoro (BARMM) in 2024[1]
  1. 1Lanao del Sur1,368,137
  2. 2Maguindanao del Norte1,124,811
  3. 3Maguindanao del Sur813,243
  4. 4Basilan541,947
  5. 5Tawi-Tawi482,645
  6. 6Special Geographic Area214,703
All 6 provinces of Bangsamoro (BARMM)
Of every 100 people in Special Geographic Area in 2024[1]
Age structure · 2024 Census[5]People living in households, by age and sex
  • About 37 of every 100 are children under 15 (36.8%)
  • About 59 of every 100 are of working age, 15 to 64 (59.4%)
  • About 4 of every 100 are 65 or older (3.7%)
MenWomen

The figures by age

People by age group, men and women
AgePeopleMenWomen
Under 529,08514,65514,430
5 - 927,21213,85413,358
10 - 1422,74011,68411,056
15 - 1920,19210,10410,088
20 - 2421,06910,50210,567
25 - 2919,1959,7769,419
30 - 3417,7428,8928,850
35 - 3913,4526,7266,726
40 - 4410,9785,4335,545
45 - 498,8664,5004,366
50 - 547,2803,7873,493
55 - 595,0032,5012,502
60 - 643,7301,9011,829
65 - 693,0871,4371,650
70 - 742,4651,0991,366
75 - 791,205509696
80 - 84636257379
85 and over606244362

Every figure, census by census

People, 2024 CensusCensusA count of every person in the country, all on one day. The 2024 census counted people as they were on 1 July 2024.More in the glossary
214,703[1, 2]
Households, 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary
51,941[1, 2]
People in each household, 2024
4.1 on average[1, 2]
Share of Bangsamoro (BARMM), 2024Rank and shareWorked out by Scene from the PSA's counts: where a place stands among the places listed with it, and how many of every 100 of its parent's people live in it.More in the glossary
4.72%[1]
In urban barangays, 2024Urban barangayThe PSA counts a barangay as urban when it has 5,000 people or more, or a big employer, or several businesses and public services close by. Every barangay in Metro Manila is urban.More in the glossary
31.7% (68,165 people)[6]
Men and women, 2024
107,861 men, 106,682 women[5]People living in households
Population at each census, with its source
CensusPopulationGrowth since the census beforeHouseholdsPeople per household
2024as of July 1, 2024214,703[1, 2]−0.08% a year51,9414.1
2020as of May 1, 2020215,433[1]2.42% a year——
2015as of August 1, 2015192,324[1]5.16% a year——
2010as of May 1, 2010147,611[1]———

Cities and municipalities

Special Geographic Area is made up of 8 municipalities, with 63 barangays in all.
Cities and municipalities of Special Geographic Area. Each column heading sorts the table.
[1, 7]Share (2024)
Kadayangan26,09912.16%0.49% a year51.12 km²
Kapalawan29,19113.6%0.61% a year104.17 km²
Ligawasan28,32213.19%−1.20% a year56.59 km²
Malidegao36,42716.97%−0.01% a year50.96 km²
Nabalawag25,50011.88%−0.21% a year61.44 km²
Old Kaabakan16,1817.54%−0.69% a year111.21 km²
Pahamuddin19,2628.97%−0.45% a year62.54 km²
Tugunan33,72115.71%0.40% a year54.79 km²

Land & Environment

Special Geographic Area covers 552.82 km² of land, 388 people for every km² in 2024. Its land rises to 798 m above the sea and it lies inland.
Land areaLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.More in the glossary
552.82 km²[7]As listed in the 2019 Masterlist of Land Areas (LMB, DENR)
Average density, 2024Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.More in the glossary
388 people per km²[7]
Coordinates
7.00032° N, 124.64981° E[3]The point inside its border farthest from every edge, so it always falls within the place.
Height above the sea[9]
Lowest
0 m
Average
47 m
Highest
798 m

Heights from the Copernicus DEM, a 30 m model of the surface: it reads the tops of trees and roofs, not the bare ground, over the land inside the border, the sea left out. Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Water, coast and peaks

No coastline: it lies inland.

Rivers[10]

  1. Rio Grande de Mindanao48.5 of 142.8 km
  2. Pulangi River21.6 of 298.6 km
  3. Silik River8.4 of 20.8 km
  4. Malitubog River6.5 of 86.1 km
  5. Mal-Mar River6.0 of 20.2 km
  6. Maradugao River5.2 of 150.6 km
  7. Libungan River4.6 of 103.3 km
  8. Kabacan River2.3 of 82.7 km

The longest inside it: 11 in all.

Lakes[10]

  1. Mal-Mar Reservoirreservoir2.2 km²

Peaks[10]

  1. Pinto Mountain354 m
  2. Pikit Hill44 m
  3. Batulawan Hill42 m
  4. Buluan Mountainheight not mapped
  5. Masakit Hillheight not mapped

Named rivers, lakes and peaks as OpenStreetMap mapped them on 30 September 2026, and the coast within 150 m of the border. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database License.

Climate

Climate typeClimate typePAGASA sorts the country's climate into four types by when the rain falls. Type I has a dry season from November to April and a wet one for the rest of the year; Type II has no dry season, with the most rain from December to February; Type III has a short dry season; Type IV has rain spread through the year.More in the glossary

Type III[11]

No clear rainiest time of year, and a short dry season of one to three months, in December to February or in March to May.

Read by Scene off PAGASA's climate map, so approximate: the type that covers most of the place's land.

At Cotabato City, the nearest PAGASA station, 51 km away[12]Averages for 1991 to 2020: 2,414 mm of rain on 165 days a year; 27.9 °C on average

Rain each month Average temperature

The figures by month

Climate at Cotabato City, 1991 to 2020, by month
MonthRainRainy daysAverageHighLow
January89 mm1027.7 °C32.6 °C22.8 °C
February95 mm928.0 °C33.1 °C23.0 °C
March117 mm1028.4 °C33.6 °C23.3 °C
April141 mm1028.8 °C34.0 °C23.5 °C
May253 mm1628.3 °C33.4 °C23.2 °C
June313 mm1927.7 °C32.5 °C22.8 °C
July315 mm1927.4 °C32.2 °C22.7 °C
August239 mm1527.6 °C32.3 °C22.8 °C
September252 mm1627.6 °C32.4 °C22.9 °C
October279 mm1627.7 °C32.4 °C22.9 °C
November190 mm1427.9 °C32.9 °C23.0 °C
December133 mm1127.9 °C32.8 °C22.9 °C
The year2,414 mm16527.9 °C32.9 °C23.0 °C

A station's figures describe the place around it only roughly: inland and in the hills it may be cooler and wetter. The station stands 45 m above the sea.

Life & Economy

PovertyPoverty incidenceHow many of every 100 people live in families whose income is below the poverty line: what a person needs in a year for food and other basic needs, as the PSA sets it for each province. It is an estimate, from a survey or, for a town, a statistical model, so the PSA gives a range it is likely to fall in.More in the glossary
Not yet estimated by the PSA[13]The PSA's official poverty statistics have no row for Special Geographic Area.

Public places

  • 8government offices
  • 2hospitals and health centres
  • 91schools
  • 7places of worship

Counted from OpenStreetMap[3, 8]. Each town's page lists its own; this page lists the stations, parks, beaches and monuments.

As OpenStreetMap maps them on September 30, 2026. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database License.

History & Identity

Nearby

Special Geographic Area shares a border with Cotabato, Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

How it compares

Special Geographic Area beside Bangsamoro (BARMM), and where it stands among the provinces of Bangsamoro (BARMM).

Special Geographic Area beside Bangsamoro (BARMM)
FigureSpecial Geographic AreaBangsamoro (BARMM)Rank among the provinces of Bangsamoro (BARMM)
People, 2024CensusA count of every person in the country, all on one day. The 2024 census counted people as they were on 1 July 2024.More in the glossary214,703[1, 2]4,545,4866th of 6
Growth a year, 2020–2024Growth a yearHow fast the number of people changed each year between two censuses. 1% a year means about 1 more person for every 100 people, each year.More in the glossary−0.08% a year[1, 2]slower3.46% a year6th of 6
People per km², 2024Population densityHow crowded a place is on average: its people divided by its land area. 1,000 people per square kilometre is 10 people per hectare, a square of 100 by 100 metres.More in the glossary388[7]more crowded3142nd of 6
Land areaLand areaThe land inside the place's official boundary. A square kilometre is a square 1 km on each side, about the size of 140 football fields.More in the glossary552.82 km²[7]14,478.08 km²6th of 6
People in each household, 2024HouseholdA person living alone, or people who sleep in the same home and share their meals. A family may be one household or several.More in the glossary4.1[1, 2]lower4.9not ranked
In urban barangays, 2024Urban barangayThe PSA counts a barangay as urban when it has 5,000 people or more, or a big employer, or several businesses and public services close by. Every barangay in Metro Manila is urban.More in the glossary31.7%[6]higher29.1%not ranked

Sources

Page updated October 2, 2026. Sources checked by Scene October 8, 2026.
  1. 1.Philippine Statistics Authority. Population and Annual Population Growth Rate of the Philippines and its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities Based on the 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2024 Population Census (OpenSTAT table 0211A6DAPG0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  2. 2.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population, Household Population, and Number of Households by Province, City, Municipality, and Barangay as of 01 July 2024 : Bangsamoro Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) (OpenSTAT table 0141A6DTHP3). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  3. 3.UN OCHA, from the PSA and NAMRIA. Philippines: Subnational Administrative Boundaries (COD-AB), barangay layer. Published February 13, 2025. Read by Scene September 25, 2026. CC BY-IGO 3.0. Open the source
  4. 4.Philippine Statistics Authority. Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC), 2nd Quarter 2026: Publication Datafile. Published June 30, 2026. Read by Scene September 24, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  5. 5.Philippine Statistics Authority. Household Population by Age-Group Region, Province, and Highly Urbanized City: Philippines, 2024 Census of Population (OpenSTAT table 0201A6DPAG0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  6. 6.Philippine Statistics Authority. Total Population and Urban Population by Urban Classification and Region, Province, Highly Urbanized City, City/Municipality and Barangay: Philippines, 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0231A6DPUP0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  7. 7.Philippine Statistics Authority, from the Land Management Bureau (DENR). Population, Land Area, Population Density, and Percent Change in Population Density by Region, Province/Highly Urbanized City, and City/Municipality: 2015, 2020, and 2024 (OpenSTAT table 0221A6DLPD0). Published August 7, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source
  8. 8.OpenStreetMap contributors. Named public places in OpenStreetMap: schools, hospitals and health centres, places of worship, government offices, markets, stations, parks, beaches and monuments, from Geofabrik's extract of the Philippines. Published September 30, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. ODbL 1.0. Open the source
  9. 9.European Union and the European Space Agency (Copernicus), from DLR and Airbus Defence and Space (WorldDEM). Copernicus DEM GLO-30: global digital surface model at 30 m, one-degree tiles (2021 release). Published 2021. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. Copernicus DEM GLO-30 licence: free, any use including commercial, with the Copernicus notice. Open the source
  10. 10.OpenStreetMap contributors, extract by Geofabrik. Named rivers, lakes, reservoirs, peaks and the coastline of the Philippines in OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extract, cut by osmium). Published September 30, 2026. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. ODbL 1.0. Open the source
  11. 11.Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Climatology and Agrometeorology Division. Climate Map of the Philippines (1951-2010), Modified Coronas Climate Classification. Published August 2014. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. A work of the Government of the Philippines: no copyright (RA 8293 s.176.1); PAGASA's approval is needed to use it for profit. Open the source
  12. 12.Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Climatology and Agrometeorology Division. Climatological Normals, 1991-2020, by synoptic station (one PDF each). Published January 2022. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. A work of the Government of the Philippines: no copyright (RA 8293 s.176.1); PAGASA's approval is needed to use it for profit. Open the source
  13. 13.Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Table 2a. Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold and Poverty Incidence Among Population with Measures of Precision, by Region, Province and Highly Urbanized Cities: 2018, 2021, and 2023 (OpenSTAT table 0041F3DF02A). Published August 15, 2024. Read by Scene October 2, 2026. CC BY (PSA Terms of Use). Open the source

Scene adds what the sources do not print themselves: growth rates, shares, barangay areas and densities, coordinates, neighbours and distances, each computed from the figures and borders above. How each is made.

See something wrong on this page? Write to hello@scene.ph with the page address. We check every report against the source.

Cite this page

Scene.ph. “Special Geographic Area.” Scene Atlas. Updated October 2, 2026. https://scene.ph/atlas/special-geographic-area