North Cotabato, is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. Its capital is Kidapawan City
Tourism in Cotabato is definitely one of the most promising avenues for such needed foreign exchange. Major tourist attractions abound in this exotic province. Of international interest is Mt. Apo with its rare freshwater lake at Venado, its monkey-eating eagle, and the “Waling-Waling,” and then there is Lake Agko with its rare blue boiling water. They are found in Kidapawan while other tourist attractions abound in such areas as Kabacan, Carmen, Makilala, and Magpet. Domestic and foreign tourist have come once and again to the Mt. Apo National Park, among them, geologists and other scientists hoping to discover new species of flora and fauna.
To boost the tourism industry, agencies have been created and transportation and accommodation facilities have been encouraged. The people have become accustomed to entertaining tourist, sharing with them the history of their unique life and culture.
The original Cotabato Province known as the Empire Province of Cotabato used to be the largest in the country in terms of land area. On November 22, 1973, Presidential Decree 341 created the new provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao. South Cotabato was segregated and what used to be north Cotabato was renamed Cotabato under Batas Pambansa 660 on December 19, 1983. The word “”Cotabato”" is derived from the Maguindanaon “”Kutawato”" or “”Stone Fort.”"
