Pagadian is the lone city (along with twenty-six (26) municipalities) that comprise the province of Zamboanga del Sur in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The city is politically subdivided into fifty-four (54) barangays, and is a part of the 1st Congressional District of Zamboanga del Sur.

The city serves as both the provincial capital as well as the seat of the Zamboanga Peninsula regional government.

Aside from being the province’s economic hub, Pagadian is the gateway to the rest of Zamboanga del Sur. It also serves as a point of entry to the cities of Ozamis, Iligan, and Cotabato.

Pagadian’s sloping terrain, which encompasses its residential and commercial districts by the bay, has earned for itself the title “Little Hongkong of the South”, reminiscent of the former Crown Colony.