page_title: Marawi
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Marawi / Geography
caption_attribution_description: العربية: بحيرة مدينة مراوي
context_page_description: Marawi, officially the Islamic City of Marawi, is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 201,785 people.
  The people of Marawi are called the Maranaos and speak the Maranao language. They are named after Lake Lanao, called Meranau in their language, upon whose shores Marawi lies. The city is also called the "Summer Capital of the South" because of its higher elevation and cooler climate, a nickname it shares with Malaybalay, which legally holds the title.
  On May 23, 2017, the city suffered extensive damage during the Battle of Marawi as militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant invaded the city and engaged in a massive urban gunfight. The ensuing battle lasted until October 23, 2017 when Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the ending of the battle. Major damage of the city was mostly caused by airstrikes carried out by the Philippine Air Force in an attempt to eliminate the militants.
context_section_description: Marawi has a total land area of 8,755 hectares (21,630 acres).   It is located on the northernmost shores of Lake Lanao and straddles the area where the Agus River starts. It is bounded to the north by the municipalities of Kapai and Saguiaran; to the south by Lake Lanao; to the east by the municipalities of Bubong and Ditsaan-Ramain; and to the west by the municipalities of Marantao and Saguiaran. The Bagang beach is situated 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the city's commercial center.
  The Islamic city also hosts a national park, the Sacred Mountain National Park, which spans the barangays of Guimba and Papandayan covering an area of 94-hectare (230-acre). The protected area was established on August 5, 1965, by Republic Act no. 4190.  The park is dominated by Mount Mupo, a 900-foot (270 m) tall extinct volcanic cone.  The park is ideal for birdwatching and mountain climbing to the summit that features a small pond.
caption: Lake Lanao viewed from Marawi
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