Jolo, officially the Municipality of Jolo (; ; ), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 137,266 people. Etymology According to Dr. Najeeb M. Saleeby (1908) and in old maps such as the Velarde map, "Joló" was the historical Spanish spelling of the word "Sulu" that now refers to the province and the whole Sulu Archipelago, which the early Spaniards historically spelt as "Xoló", with the initial letter most likely formerly pronounced with the Early Modern Spanish /ʃ/ sound, but later evolved into the Modern Spanish /h/ sound. Meanwhile, the word "Sulu" itself comes from , an older form of . It is also said that the Hokkien Chinese traders who frequented and later migrated to the place, named Jolo from Hokkien after Hokkien , reflecting the Chinese perception of the natives, because whenever Chinese traders would leave goods on Jolo's shore, they found them undisturbed on their return. Part of its population is still of Chinese descent today, particularly from Amoy(Xiamen) and Singapore. History Pre-Colonial period In the 14th century, Arab traders landed on the island to introduce and convert its inhabitants to Islam. The native inhabitants on the island are the Tausūg people. The Tausugs are part of the larger Moro group which dominates the Sulu Archipelago. The Moro had an independent state known as the Sultanate of Sulu, which was politically and economically centered on Jolo, the residence for Sulu Sultanates. The Seat of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu was in Astana Putih, which is Tausug for ‘White Palace’ in Umbul Duwa in the municipality of Indanan on Jolo Island, later on, the capital was moved in Maimbung during the 1800s. Spanish Colonial Period The Spanish failed to conquer and convert the Muslim areas in Mindanao. After colonising the islands in the north, they failed to take over the well-organized sultanates in the south. Trading center The Sulu economy relied on the network of nearby trading partners. The Sultanate benefited from importing rice from northern Philippines, as the Sulu region had a chronic rice shortage. The Sultanate was unable to bring agriculture to its full potential because the area was prone to erratic rainfall and drought. Chinese immigration Since the 15th century, the Sulu Sultanate traded local produce with neighbors and with countries as far as China by sea. Most of