But for most people living in the Philippines, the words "Jolo" and "Sulu" are associated with violence: Muslim rebels attacking military outposts, Muslim extremists kidnapping people for ransom and political clans killing each other over election disputes.
The Tausogs — the native Muslim group that makes up the majority in the islands take pride in their tradition of martial courage that resisted Spanish and American colonizers in centuries past.
But this has also resulted in giving Jolo a reputation for violence that has scared away business and left the area mired in poverty.
The Tausogs’ fondness for weaponry and the willingness to launch "ridos" or clan feuds further reinforces this.
"They say here, it doesn’t matter if we go hungry as long as we have arms," remarks Brig. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala, head of a task force hunting rebels and terrorists in Jolo.
"The Tausogs, all of us, are fighters," says provincial spokesman Sabri Asri with a mixture of pride and resignation.
The latest outbreak of violence in Jolo started on Feb. 7 when followers of jailed Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari, backed by local Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, launched attacks on military outposts.
About a hundred soldiers and rebels were killed in a week of clashes. While the guerrillas’ camps have been overrun, fighting has persisted with as many as 10 soldiers and rebels killed last week.
Not surprisingly, Sulu, located 920 kilometers (570 miles) south of Manila, is also probably the poorest province in the Philippines, says Beltran Chio, the provincial planning and development coordinator.
Of the province’s population of 620,000, government figures in 2000 found that 63.2 percent lived below the poverty level compared to the national average of about 27.5 percent, Chio said. Many non-government organizations say the poverty level here is actually much higher.
About 35 percent of Sulu’s population is functionally illiterate compared to the national level of less than 16 percent, he adds.
Chio says the poverty problem "boils down to peace and order. When you have a peace and order problem, livelihood is affected."
Regional military chief Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza calls for continuing operations against rebel groups but he concedes that "the military component is not the only solution to the problem."
"The problem is multidimensional. It includes ignorance, problems of education, alleged corruption of local government officials and governance," Braganza says.
Sulu was not always poor. In the early-1970s, it was the envy of surrounding regions as a major trading center. Its abaca fiber was considered one of the best in the country and the surrounding waters are still known for abundant marine resources.
But in 1974, Misuari and his Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces launched a separatist war, resulting in the burning of Jolo town. Many businessmen fled the island and the province has never recovered.
Misuari signed a truce in 1996 in a deal which saw him become governor of an autonomous Muslim region, but after the government rejected giving him a second term in 2001 he launched a new uprising in Jolo. This one was swiftly crushed with 100 dead and Misuari arrested.
In the late-1980s, the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group alleged to have ties to the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, began a campaign of bombings and kidnappings for ransom of foreigners and Christians, centered around Jolo, further adding to the island’s notoriety.
There are also pitched battles between political clans during elections, land disputes that turn into bloody shootouts, petty quarrels that result in death and grenade-throwing incidents for extortion and harassment.
Virtually every male in the islands owns a gun and the wealthy and powerful maintain private armies – complete with their own uniforms.
The government, supported by Western aid donors has poured money into Sulu in hopes of alleviating the poverty and providing an alternative livelihood for former Muslim rebels.
However it is reported that the latest fighting has disrupted some of the aid projects with some of the aid beneficiaries even returning to the armed conflict.
Local officials say that the vast majority of Sulu residents want only peace and note that only a small group took part in the latest uprising in February despite appeals from both MNLF leaders and Abu Sayyaf members for wider support.
Alfredo Isidro, regional director for Growth With Equity in Mindanao (GEM), a US-supported effort to boost the economy of the southern region of Mindanao including Sulu, says the province offers many opportunities.
Help from GEM has made Sulu the country’s biggest supplier of dried seaweeds and there is an emerging industry in the culture of high-value seafood, such as groupers, abalone and lobster, in the province, Isidro says.
The province is also becoming a major exporter of durian, mangosteen and other local fruits, he adds.
GEM is looking for investors who will put money into expanding such ventures and processing marine and agricultural produce but the recent fighting has made this task more difficult.
Isidro says "even the Tausogs of Jolo are doing some sort of cultural transformation, a revolution from within," to address the frequency of violence.
But he warns that increased prosperity is unlikely while bloodshed continues.
"If that will continue – this culture of violence, these feuds – that will finish their group and will eventually lead to the worsening of economic conditions of the province," he says.