Moro Gulf

Moro Gulf
A view of the gulf from Lebak
Moro Gulf Location within the Philippines
Location	Mindanao Island, Philippines
Coordinates	6°51′00″N 123°00′00″E / 6.8500°N 123.0000°ECoordinates: 6°51′00″N 123°00′00″E / 6.8500°N 123.0000°E
Type	gulf
Part of	Celebes Sea
Settlements	Alicia Balabagan Buug Cotabato City Datu Blah T. Sinsuat Datu Odin Sinsuat Dimataling Dinas Dumalinao Hadji Mohammad Ajul Ipil Kabasalan Kalamansig Kapatagan Kumalarang Labangan Lapuyan Lebak Mabuhay Malabang Malangas Margosatubig Matanog Naga Olutanga Pagadian Palimbang Parang Payao Picong Pitogo Roseller Lim San Pablo Siay Sultan Mastura Sultan Naga Dimaporo Tabina Talusan Tukuran Tungawan Vincenzo A. Sagun Zamboanga City

The Moro Gulf is the largest gulf in the Philippines. It located off the coast of Mindanao Island, and is part of the Celebes Sea. The gulf is one of the country's tuna fishing grounds.^[1]

Geography

The gulf stretches between and is surrounded by the main section of Mindanao on the east, and the Zamboanga Peninsula of Mindanao on the west. The peninsula's major drainage goes towards the gulf.^[2]

Sibuguey Bay and Illana Bay are its major bays.

Zamboanga City, which is an international port, is bound by the Gulf and Celebes Sea in the East.^[3] Cotabato City, on the eastern coast, is another major port.

Earthquakes

The Moro Gulf is also an area of significant tectonic activity with several fault zones in the region capable of producing major earthquakes and destructive local tsunamis, such as the devastating 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake which killed over 5,000 people and left over 90,000 people homeless as it hit the west coast of Mindanao.

On July 23, 2010 at 23:15, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter of Moro Gulf hit Mindanao.^[4]

See also

• Celebes Sea
• Port of Zamboanga

References

1. Barut, Noel. "National Tuna Fishery Report - Philippines" (PDF). School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Marine Fisheries Research Division National Fisheries Research and Development Institute. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
2. Carating, Rodelio B. (2014). Soils of the Philippines: World soils book series. Springer Science & Business. p. 61. ISBN 9401786828. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
3. "ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA". Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
4. "Magnitude 7.4 - MORO GULF, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 4 May 2015.