Qualla: Sulu Archipelago

Sulu Archipelago: Introduction

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kleomarlo, Public domain. The Sulu Archipelago is not, as many suppose, the remnant of a land bridge between Borneo and the Philippines. It is something more dramatic: the exposed edge of submarine ridges, pushed up by the tectonic tilting of the ocean floor, crowned by the eroded cones of extinct volcanoes. Basilan, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi, and the hundreds of smaller islands that compose the chain form the boundary between two seas, the Sulu to the north and the Celebes to the south. Sometimes called Basulta, from the first syllables of its three provinces, the archipelago stretches southwest from Mindanao like a curving arm reaching toward Borneo.

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Image: Kleomarlo | Public domain

Sulu Archipelago: Islands Born from the Deep

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. The geology tells the story of forces operating on a scale that makes human history look brief. The islands sit along submarine ridges produced by the collision of tectonic plates, their volcanic cones rising from the southernmost ridge in the chain. Tawi-Tawi, the most remote ma...

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Image: Ervin Malicdem | CC BY-SA 4.0

Sulu Archipelago: The Sultanate's Stronghold

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The original uploader was Caltrop at English Wikipedia., Public domain. In 1405, the Sultanate of Sulu made the archipelago the seat of an Islamic maritime state. Founded by Sharif ul-Hashim, the sultanate controlled not just these islands but portions of Borneo, Mindanao, and Palawan. From the beginning, the Spanish Empire contested this claim. Migu...

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Image: The original uploader was Caltrop at English Wikipedia. | Public domain

Sulu Archipelago: Colonial Chess in Island Waters

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jjarivera, Public domain. The archipelago became a contest ground for European empires. After the Seven Years' War, the British occupied Manila from 1762 to 1764, then withdrew south to establish trading alliances with the Sulu Sultanate through the British East India Company. Spain responded by directing...

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Image: Jjarivera | Public domain

Sulu Archipelago: The American Chapter and Beyond

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Agtillah, CC BY-SA 3.0. Spain's hold ended in 1898 when the United States defeated the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay. The Philippine-American War followed, and after it, the Moro Rebellion of 1899 to 1913 continued the independence struggle against new occupiers. World War II brought Japanes...

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Image: Agtillah | CC BY-SA 3.0