General Santos, chartered city of the southern Philippines, in South Cotabato Province, on the southern coast of Mindanao Island at the head of Sarangani Bay. General Santos, formerly Dadiañgas, is the southernmost chartered city of the Philippines. The city is the entrance to the fertile Koronadal Valley.
General Santos is an important deepwater port and an agro-industrial and fishing center. The area is a major producer of pineapples, corn, cattle, coconuts, and tuna, and plants have opened to process and can these commodities. Rice is also grown nearby. During the 1990s, large infusions of economic aid from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Japan's Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, and the World Bank greatly improved the city's infrastructure. Projects included construction of a new airport, road improvements, and new docks and fishing piers. Roads connect General Santos to Digos and Davao to the north and to Koronadal and Cotabato to the northwest. There are direct flights to Davao and Cebu.
