Isabela City is a 5th class city and the capital of the province of Basilan, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. The city is located on the northern shore of Basilan. Across the Basilan Strait to the north is Zamboanga City

Zamboanga City

The City of Zamboanga : is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines....

. Zamboanga City is very accessible via ferry boat (lantsa - 1 hour travel time) or fast craft (sea jets - 30 minutes travel time) and even pumpboat.

While administratively, the island province of Basilan is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan , Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only region that has its own government...

 (ARMM), Isabela City itself is in not part of this region and is placed under the Zamboanga Peninsula

Zamboanga Peninsula

Zamboanga Peninsula / Western Mindanao is a peninsula and an administrative region in the Philippines. Designated as Region IX, the region consists of three provinces, namely, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, its component cities of Dipolog, Dapitan, Pagadian, and...

 region.

Institutionally, the Military has played a major part in Isabela City's and Basilan's volatile history, owing to the incessant conflicts borne out of the Moro Secessionist wars of the 1970s, and more recently, by Al Qaeda-backed Islamic fundamentalist groups fomenting a running gun-battle with the Philippines' armed forces for over a decade now.

In addition to the conflict on the island, Isabela City has the highest crime rate in the country.

Also exerting great influence in everyday life is the Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic Mufti and Imams, religious scholars and leaders who exercise a moral ascendancy over their respective groups.

Trading and commerce is still predominantly East Asian (Hokkien Chinese), aided more so by a recent influx of immigrants from Taiwan and by Koreans as well.
"Isabella" means "Devoted to God"

According to the 2007 census, Isabela City has a population of 87,985 people in 13,753 households.