Current Time in Iligan City, Philippines

Iligan City lies on the northern coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, on a bay of the same name where the mountains come down almost to the sea. The Agus River, which drains the great inland Lake Lanao, tumbles through the city's territory in a series of dramatic falls before reaching the coast, and the terrain rises quickly from the shoreline into forested highlands. The climate is warm and humid, without a strong dry season.

Around three hundred and seventy thousand people live in the city, which is administratively independent of the surrounding province of Lanao del Norte. Iligan's importance is industrial and, above all, electrical. The hydroelectric plants on the Agus River generate a substantial share of the electricity used across Mindanao, and that cheap power attracted heavy industry, making Iligan a centre of steel, cement, flour milling and chemical production for much of the twentieth century.

The area was long inhabited by the Higaonon people, and Maranao communities from around Lake Lanao traded along the coast. The Spanish established a settlement and fort in the sixteenth century as a defensive outpost, and the town developed slowly as a small port. Everything changed after the Second World War, when the national government developed the Maria Cristina hydroelectric complex and established a steel industry, and Iligan became a chartered city in 1950. Industrial restructuring in later decades brought difficulties, and in December 2011 tropical storm Washi, known locally as Sendong, caused catastrophic flash floods along the rivers, after which the city rebuilt with much stronger flood defences and relocated communities.

Iligan calls itself the City of Majestic Waterfalls, and the claim is justified, since more than twenty falls lie within its boundaries. Maria Cristina Falls, nearly a hundred metres high and split by a rock into twin cascades, is the most famous and appears on Philippine currency, though its flow is regulated for power generation. Tinago Falls, reached by a long stairway down a ravine, drops into a deep blue-green pool and is a favourite for swimming. The Timoga cold springs, the seaside resorts along the bay and the mountain trails of the interior complete the picture.

The population is predominantly Cebuano-speaking and Christian, with significant Maranao Muslim and indigenous Higaonon communities, and this mix shapes the city's markets, crafts and food. The Diyandi Festival in September, honouring Saint Michael the Archangel, fills the streets with street dancing, drums and processions. Local specialities include seafood from the bay and the sweet delicacies for which the region is known.

A national highway runs along the coast, giving buses to Cagayan de Oro in about ninety minutes and connections onward to the rest of Mindanao, while ferries call at the port. The Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology is one of the strongest engineering and science schools in the southern Philippines and gives the city a lively student character.

Iligan combines waterfalls, industry and warm Mindanao hospitality, and it makes an excellent base for exploring the north of the island.