COME AND ENJOY.., IT'S MORE FUN IN ILIGAN CITY! Iligan, officially the city of Iligan (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Iligan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Iligan) is a highly urbanized city in the Northern Mindanao region, Philippines. It is geographically within the province of Lanao del norte but administered independently from the province. It was part of Central Mindanao (region 12) and now under Northern Mindanao (Region 10). Iligan has a total land area of 813.37 square kilometres (314.04 sq mi), making it one of the 10 largest cities in the Philippines in terms of land area. It had a population of 322,821 inhabitants in the 2010 census.
ETYMOLOGY The name Iligan is from the Higaonon word iligan or ilijan meaning "fortress of defense" against frequent attacks by pirates and other hostile Mindanao tribes. HISTORY Iligan City had its beginnings in the village of Bayug, four (4) kilometers north of the present Poblacion. It was the earliest pre-Spanish settlement of native sea dwellers. The monotony of indigenous life in the territory was broken when in the later part of the 16th century, the inhabitants were subdued by the Visayan migrants from the island kingdom of Panglao. In the accounts of Jesuit historian Francisco Combes, the Mollucan King of Ternate invaded Panglao. This caused Panglaons to flee in large numbers to Dapitan, Zamboanga Del norte.