ZAMBOANGA  , the

capital of the Moro Province, and of the District (or Comandancia) of Zamboanga, and a port of entry, on the island of Mindanao, Philippine Islands, at the S. extremity of the western peninsula . Pop . (1903) 3281; of the comandancia, 20,692 . Zamboanga has one of the most healthful sites in the islands, its climate being decidedly cooler than that of Manila . Since the American occupation the trade has greatly increased and various improvements have been planned or are under way, including a new custom-house, better facilities for docking, pavements, bridges, and public parks . The Provincial Capitol, one of the finest government buildings in the Philippines, was completed in 1908 . There is considerable valuable timber in the vicinity, live-stock is extensively raised, and rice, copra, hemp, sugar-cane, tobacco, and sweet potatoes are other important products . Zamboanga was one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the islands, it having been taken and fortified as a base against the Moros, and it still contains an old stone fort . Many of the inhabitants are 'descendants of slaves who escaped from the Moros and sought Spanish protection . A Spanish patois, called " Zamboangueno," is spoken by most of the native inhabitants .