Davao del Sur (Cebuano: Habagatang Dabaw, Tagalog: Timog Dabaw) is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital and largest city is Digos. The province is bordered by Davao City to the north, Davao Occidental to the south and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf.

The beginnings of both Davao Region and Davao del Sur were associated with that of the foundation of Davao, which was the first town to be founded in southern Mindanao in 1848, following the conquest of the area by José Uyanguren of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain (Guipúzcoa in Spanish). In 1849, Nueva Guipúzcoa province was founded in the region conquered by Uyanguren in what is now Davao Region, with Davao, then called Nueva Vergara, as the provincial capital. Uyanguren became the provincial governor, but he failed in his efforts to develop Nueva Guipúzcoa.

Thirty-six years after the foundation of Davao, the town of Santa Cruz was founded on the 5th day of October, 1884. It is the first town to be founded south of Davao and is now the oldest in the province.

In 1898, the Spanish administration in the Philippines ended in 1898 following its defeat during the Spanish–American War. In early 1900s, waves of immigrants from the Visayas, Luzon, and as well as from Japan began to live in the region, centered mainly in Davao. The region began to boom in economic growth as agricultural business proliferated in the region.

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