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Transcript of Geography of the Philippines
Geography of the PhilippinesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Geography of the Philippines
Continent Asia
Region Southeast Asia
Coordinates 13°00'N 122°00'E
Area Ranked 73rd
300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi)
99.38% land
0.62 % water
Borders None
Highest point Mount Apo
2,954 m (9,691 ft)
Lowest point Philippine Sea
0 m/0 ft (sea level)
Longest river Cagayan River
Largest lake Laguna de Bay
Territorial limits of the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000 km2. The 11
largest islands contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about
105,000 km2. The next largest island is Mindanao at about 95,000 km2. The archipelago is around 800 km
from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo.
The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands
include Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate and Batanes Islands . The Visayas is
the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which
are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, plus
the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and Tawi-Tawi.
Contents
[hide]
1 Physical setting
2 Political geography
o 2.1 Regions
o 2.2 Provinces
2.2.1 List of landlocked provinces in the Philippines
2.2.2 List of island provinces in the Philippines
o 2.3 Subnational enclaves and exclaves
o 2.4 Subnational quadripoint
2.4.1 More than four
2.4.1.1 Five
2.4.1.2 Six
2.4.1.3 Eight
o 2.5 Extraterritoriality
o 2.6 Geographic center
3 Climate
4 Terrain
o 4.1 Luzon
4.1.1 The Batanes And Babuyan islands
4.1.2 Western Luzon
4.1.3 Cagayan Valley
4.1.4 Cordilleras and Caraballos
4.1.5 Sierra Madre mountains
4.1.6 Central Luzon plains
4.1.7 Manila-Calabarzon plains
4.1.8 Mindoro island
4.1.8.1 Mindoro coastal plains
4.1.8.2 Mindoro highlands
o 4.2 Palawan
4.2.1 Kalayaan islands (Spratly Islands)
o 4.3 Bicol peninsula
o 4.4 Visayas
4.4.1 Panay-Negros-Cebu area
o 4.5 Mindanao
4.5.1 Zamboanga peninsula
4.5.2 Misamis coastal plains
4.5.3 Bukidnon-Lanao plateaus
4.5.4 Agusan-Surigao-Davao coastal plains
o 4.6 Southern Pacific cordillera
4.6.1 Compostela valley
4.6.2 Sarangani-Cotabato coastal plains
5 Statistics
o 5.1 Area
o 5.2 Coastline
o 5.3 Maritime claims
o 5.4 Natural resources
o 5.5 Land use
o 5.6 Irrigated land
o 5.7 Natural hazards
o 5.8 Environment - current issues
o 5.9 Environment - international agreements
o 5.10 Ten largest cities
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
[edit]Physical setting
Physical map of the Philippines
The Philippine archipelago lies in Southeast Asia in a position that has led to its becoming a cultural
crossroads, a place where Malays, Arabs, Chinese, Spaniards, Americans, Japanese and others have
interacted to forge a unique cultural and racial blend. The archipelago numbers some 7,107 islands and
the nation claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its shores. The
Philippines occupies an area that stretches for 1,850 kilometers from about the fifth to the twentieth
parallels north latitude. The total land area is slightly more than 300,000 square kilometers. Only
approximately 1,000 of its islands are populated, and fewer than one-half of these are larger than 2.5
square kilometers. Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine landmass, and two of these —
Luzon and Mindanao — measure 105,000 and 95,000 square kilometers, respectively. They, together
with the cluster of the Visayan Islands that separate them, represent the three principal regions of the
archipelago that are identified by the three stars on the Philippine flag. Topographically, the Philippines is
broken up by the sea, which gives it one of the longest coastlines of any nation in the world. Most
Filipinos live on or near the coast, where they can easily supplement their diet from approximately 2,000
species of fish.
Off the coast of eastern Mindanao is the Philippine Trough, which descends to a depth of 10,430 meters.
The Philippines is part of a western Pacific arc system that is characterized by active volcanoes. Among
the most notable peaks are Mount Mayon nearLegazpi City, Taal Volcano south of Manila, and Mount
Apo on Mindanao. All of the Philippine islands are prone to earthquakes. The northern Luzon highlands,
or Cordillera Central, rise to between 2,500 and 2,750 meters, and, together with the Sierra Madre in the
northeastern portion of Luzon and the mountains of Mindanao, boast rain forests that provide refuge for
numerous upland tribal groups. The rain forests also offer prime habitat for more than 500 species of
birds, including the Philippine eagle (or monkey-eating eagle), some 800 species of orchids, and some
8,500 species of flowering plants.
The country's most extensive river systems are the Pulangi River , which flows into the Mindanao
River (Rio Grande de Mindanao); theAgusan, in Mindanao which flows north into the Mindanao Sea;
the Cagayan in northern Luzon; and the Pampanga, which flows south from east Central Luzon
into Manila Bay. Laguna de Bay, east of Manila Bay, is the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines.
Several rivers have been harnessed for hydroelectric power.
To protect the country's biological resources, the government has taken a first step of preparing
a Biodiversity Action Plan to address conservation of threatened species.
[edit]Political geography
Main articles: Provinces of the Philippines and Regions of the Philippines
The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the 81 provinces as the
primary unit. Provinces are further subdivided into cities and municipalities, which are in turn composed
of barangays. The barangay is the smallest local government unit.
The Philippines is divided into 17 regions with all provinces grouped into one of 16 regions for
administrative convenience. The National Capital Region however, is divided into four special districts.
Most government offices establish regional offices to serve the constituent provinces. The regions
themselves do not possess a separate local government, with the exception of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao.
[edit]Regions
Ilocos Region (Region I)
Cagayan Valley (Region II)
Central Luzon (Region III)
CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
MIMAROPA (Region IV-B)
Bicol Region (Region V)
Western Visayas (Region VI)
Central Visayas (Region VII)
Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Davao Region (Region XI)
Soccsksargen (Region XII)
Caraga (Region XIII)
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
National Capital Region (NCR; Metro Manila)
[edit]Provinces
Abra
Agusan del Norte
Agusan del Sur
Aklan
Albay
Antique
Apayao
Aurora
Basilan
Bataan
Batanes
Batangas
Benguet
Biliran
Bohol
Bukidnon
Bulacan
Cagayan
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Camiguin
Capiz
Catanduanes
Cavite
Cebu
Compostela Valley
Davao del Norte
Davao del Sur
Davao Oriental
Dinagat Islands
Eastern Samar
Guimaras
Ifugao
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Sur
Iloilo
Isabela
Kalinga
La Union
Laguna
Lanao del Norte
Lanao del Sur
Leyte
Maguindanao
Marinduque
Masbate
Misamis Occidental
Misamis Oriental
Mountain Province
Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
Northern Samar
North Cotabato
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Vizcaya
Occidental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro
Palawan
Pampanga
Pangasinan
Quezon
Quirino
Rizal
Romblon
Samar
Sarangani
Shariff Kabunsuan
Siquijor
Sorsogon
South Cotabato
Southern Leyte
Sultan Kudarat
Sulu
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur
Tarlac
Tawi-Tawi
Zambales
Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga del Sur
Zamboanga Sibugay
[edit]List of landlocked provinces in the Philippines
A landlocked province is one that has no coastline, meaning no access to sea or ocean. There are
16 landlocked provinces in the Philippines:
All provinces of Cordillera Administrative
Region (CAR): Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao and Benguet
Two provinces of Cagayan Valley (Region II): Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino
Two provinces of Central Luzon (Region III): Nueva Ecija and Tarlac
Four provinces of Mindanao:
Bukidnon of Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Cotabato Province of Soccsksargen (Region XII)
Agusan del Sur of Caraga (Region XIII), and
Similarly, Laguna and Rizal Province of CALABARZON (Region IV-A) have coastlines on Laguna de Bay.
Since lakes do not allow access to seaborne trade, these provinces are still considered to be landlocked.
[edit]List of island provinces in the Philippines
An island province completely surrounded by water, is the opposite of a landlocked one. There are 15
island provinces in the Philippines:
One province of Cagayan Valley (Region II): Batanes
Five provinces of MIMAROPA (Region IV-B): Oriental Mindoro, Occidental
Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan
Two provinces of Bicol (Region V): Catanduanes and Masbate
One province of Western Visayas (Region VI): Guimaras
Three provinces of Central Visayas (Region VII): Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor
One province of Eastern Visayas (Region VIII): Biliran
One province of Northern Mindanao (Region X): Camiguin
Three provinces of Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM): Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi
[edit]Subnational enclaves and exclaves
In political geography, an enclave is a territory or part of a territory lying wholly within the boundaries of
another, and an exclave is one which is politically attached to a larger piece but not actually contiguous
with it. Many entities are both enclaves and exclaves, but the two are not synonymous.
Enclaves which are not exclaves Since Chartered Cities are not considered to be a part of any
provinces of the country, some cities are completely surrounded by provinces where they do not belong.
Baguio City is an enclave in Benguet province.
Angeles City is an enclave in Pampanga province.
Naga City is an enclave in Camarines Sur province.
Exclaves which are not enclaves
Caloocan City is divided in two by Valenzuela City.
The municipality of Cordon is separated from the rest of Isabela province
by Santiago City.
In Cotabato province, the municipality of President Roxas is divided in two
by Antipas municipality.
Pene-enclaves/exclaves and inaccessible districts
Three municipalities and two cities of Laguna are separated by the
municipality of Santo Tomas, Batangas (a portion of SLEX crosses the
municipality) from the rest of the province.
In SoCCSKSarGen, Sarangani province is divided by General Santos
City or Sarangani Bay .
In Zamboanga Peninsula :
Isabela City is part of this region (although it is the capital of
the ARMM province of Basilan), but it is separated from it by Basilan
Strait.
Zamboanga del Sur — Zamboanga City , a chartered city, is
unofficially part of this province but is separated from it
by Zamboanga Sibugay .
Some coastal barangays in Canaman, Camarines Sur do not have direct
connection to barangays in poblacion. People from some coastal
barangays in Canaman have to pass Camaligan via Barangays of Sua
and Dugcal or Naga City via Bicol River before reaching poblacion.
[edit]Subnational quadripoint
A quadripoint is a point on the Earth that touches four distinct regions. Such points are often called "four
corners", from the corners of the four regions meeting there.
Four provinces in Mindanao meet at a point: Bukidnon of Northern
Mindanao Region, Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur of Davao Region,
and Cotabato Province of Soccsksargen
[edit]More than four
Four distinct geographic divisions converging at a single point is not uncommon in the Philippines, and
there are other points of convergence between five or more divisions that can be found.
[edit]Five
The municipalities of: Tagkawayan, Quezon Province; Labo, San Lorenzo
Ruiz, and San Vicente, Camarines Norte Province ; and Del
Gallego, Camarines Sur Province
The cities of Cadiz, Sagay, Silay and Talisay, and municipality
of Calatrava, in Negros Occidental
The municipalities of Batuan, Bilar, Carmen, Dimiao, and Valencia,
in Bohol Province
The municipalities of Alicia, Dagohoy, Pilar, San Miguel, and Ubay, in
Bohol Province
The municipalities of Baungon, Lantapan, Sumilao, and Talakag;
and Malaybalay City in Bukidnon Province
The municipalities of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan and Pikit in Cotabato
Province; and Pagagawan in Maguindanao Province
The municipalities of Tibiao and Barbaza, in Antique
Province; Madalag and Libacao (a close call?), in Aklan Province ;
and Jamindan, inCapiz Province
[edit]Six
The municipalities of Basey and Marabut, Samar Province;
and Balangkayan, Llorente, Balangiga and Lawaan, Eastern Samar
Province.
[edit]Eight
The cities of Ligao, Legazpi and Tabaco, and the municipalities
of Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Malilipot, Sto . Domingo , in the province
of Albay meet on the crater of Mayon Volcano .
[edit]Extraterritoriality
Plaza Rizal in Naga City is claimed by the province of Camarines Sur , its home province.
The Plaza belonged to the city (formerly Nueva Caceres) when it was the capital of Ambos Camarines. A
new capitol was constructed in Pili when Camarines Sur was created.
[edit]Geographic center
The island province of Marinduque prides itself as being the geographic center of the Philippines.[1] The
Marinduque governor has stated that their claim to be the Geographical Center of the Philippines has
received notice and support from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).
[2] The Luzon Datum of 1911 in Marinduque is used as point number one for all map makers in the
country.[3]
An article at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism website says that Masbate "is supposed to
be the geographic center of the Philippines."[4]
The boundaries of the Philippine archipelago are described in Article III of the Treaty of Paris (1898), as
comprising an irregular polygon.[5] A box enclosing that polygon would have corners at 20°N 116°E, 20°N
127°E, 4.75°N 127°E, 4.75°N 116°E. The center of this box would lie at 121.5 E, 12.375 N. That point lies
roughly in the center of the Tablas Strait between the islands of Tablas and Mindoro.
Republic Act No. 9522, "An Act to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines",
[6] describes an irregular polygon which fits within a box with its center at 121°44'47.45"E 12°46'6.1252"N,
a point also roughly in the center of the Tablas Strait.
The CIA Factbook locates the Philippines at 13°N 12°E.[7] This point, northwest of Romblon Island, is the
approximate center of a box enclosing the land boundaries of the Philippine archipelago, not including
the Spratley Islands .
The extreme points under Philippine control as of 2010 are:
Direction
Location
Coordinates
Latitude (N)
Longitude (E)
NorthAmianan Island, Batanes
21º7’18.41" 121º56’48.79"
EastPusan Point, Davao Oriental
7º17’19.80" 126º36’18.26"
SouthFrances Reef, Tawi-Tawi
4º24’53.84" 119º14’50.71"
WestThitu Island [a] , Kalayaan , Palawan
11°3’10.19" 114°16’54.66"
a Thitu island is the westernmost of all the Spratly Island features controlled by the Philippines
as of December 2009.
The center of a box enclosing these points would be located at
12°46’6.13"N, 120°26’36.46"E. That point is located in the Mindoro Strait,
about 12 km NNE of Apo Island, in Sablayan , Occidental Mindoro .
[edit]Climate
Main article: Climate of the Philippines
Philippine Climate Map
The Philippines has a tropical wet climate dominated by a rainy season
and a dry season. The summer monsoon brings heavy rains to most of
the archipelago from May to October, whereas the winter monsoon brings
cooler and drier air from December to February. Manila and most of the
lowland areas are hot and dusty from March to May. Even at this time,
however, temperatures rarely rise above 37 °C (98.6 °F). Mean annual
sea-level temperatures rarely fall below 27 °C (80.6 °F). Annual rainfall
measures as much as 5,000 millimeters (196.9 in) in the mountainous
east coast section of the country, but less than 1,000 millimeters (39.4 in)
in some of the sheltered valleys.
Monsoon rains, although hard and drenching, are not normally associated
with high winds and waves. But the Philippines sit astride the typhoon
belt, and it suffers an annual onslaught of dangerous storms from July
through October. These are especially hazardous for northern and
eastern Luzon and the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, but Manila gets
devastated periodically as well.
In the last decade, the Philippines has been hit severely by natural
disasters. In 2005 alone, Central Luzon was hit by both a drought, which
sharply curtailed hydroelectric power, and by a typhoon that flooded
practically all of low-lying Manila's streets. Still more damaging was the
1990 earthquake that devastated a wide area in Luzon, including Baguio
and other northern areas. The city of Cebu and nearby areas were struck
by a typhoon that killed more than a hundred people, sank vessels,
destroyed part of the sugar crop, and cut off water and electricity for
several days. The Philippines is prone to about 18-21 typhoons per year.
Of course the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption also damaged much of
Central Luzon, the lahar burying towns and farmland, and the ashes
affecting global temperatures.
Building construction is undertaken with natural disasters in mind. Most
rural housing has consisted of nipa huts that are easily damaged but are
inexpensive and easy to replace. Most urban buildings are steel and
concrete structures designed (not always successfully) to resist both
typhoons and earthquakes. Damage is still significant, however, and many
people are displaced each year by typhoons, earthquakes, and other
natural disasters. In 1987 alone the Department of Social Welfare and
Development helped 2.4 million victims of natural disasters.
[edit]Terrain
Map showing major volcanoes of the Philippines
The islands are volcanic in origin, being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire,
and are mostly mountainous. The highest point in the country is the peak
of Mount Apo in Mindanao, which is 2,954 m above sea level. The second
highest point can be found on Luzon at Mount Pulog, a peak 2,842 m
above sea level.
The Philippine Archipelago is geologically part of the Philippine Mobile
Belt located between thePhilippine Sea Plate, the South China Sea Basin
of the Eurasian Plate, and the Sunda Plate . ThePhilippine Trench (also
called the Mindanao Trench) is a 1,320-kilometer-long submarine
trenchfound directly east of the Philippine Mobile Belt and is the result of a
collision of tectonic plates. The Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under
the Philippine Mobile Belt at the rate of about 16 cm per year. Its deepest
point, the Galathea Depth, has a depth of 10,540 meters (5,763 fathoms
or 34,580 feet). The Philippine Fault System consists of a series of
seismic faults that produce several earthquakes per year, most of which
are not felt.
Many volcanoes in the country are active, the most recent eruption being
that of Mount Pinatuboon Luzon in 1991. Mount Mayon is another of the
active volcanoes and has the world's most perfectly-shaped cone. Mayon
has a violent history of 47 eruptions since 1616 and another violent
eruption is currently feared. Taal Volcano , also located on Luzon, is one of
the Decade Volcanoes.
The islands typically have narrow coastal plains and numerous swift-
running streams. Every island has sand beaches, but few open onto
spacious lowlands. There are few large plains or navigable rivers. The
longest river is the Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan in northern
Luzon measuring 354 kilometers. In Mindanao, the longest river is
the Mindanao River or Rio Grande de Mindanao which
drains Maguindanao and other parts in western-central Mindanao. Agusan
Riverdrains eastern Mindanao.
Most of the islands used to be covered by tropical rainforests. However,
illegal logging has reduced forest cover to less than 10% of the total land
area.
[edit]Luzon
Northern Philippines (Luzon)
[edit]The Batanes And Babuyan islands
The Batanes and Babuyan Islands are found on the Luzon Strait north of
the Philippines facing Taiwan. It contains the northernmost point of land,
the islet of Y'Ami in the Batanes Islands, separated from Taiwan by the
Bashi Channel (c.50 mi/80 km wide).
[edit]Western Luzon
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Cagayan Valley
Main article: Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley (Lambak ng Cagayan in Filipino; Tana' nak Cagayan in
the Ibanag language ;Tanap ti Cagayan in the Ilocano language) is a
region of the Philippines, also designated as Region II or Region 02. It is
composed of five provinces, namely: Batanes with Basco as the capital,
Cagayan, Tuguegarao City as the capital, Isabela considered to be the
heart of the region with Ilagan as the capital, Nueva Vizcaya with
Bayombong as the capital, and Quirino with Cabaruguis as the capital. It
has three cities; Cauayan City in Isabela, its regional center-Tuguegarao
in Cagayan, and its commercial center-Santiago City in Isabela.
Most of the region lies in a large valley in northeastern Luzon, between
the Cordilleras and the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The Cagayan
River, the country's longest river runs through its center and flows out to
Luzon Strait in the north, in the town of Aparri, Cagayan. The Babuyan
and Batanes island groups that lie in the Luzon Strait also belong to the
region.
[edit]Cordilleras and Caraballos
Main article: Cordillera Administrative Region
The Cordilleras and Caraballos, together with the Sierra Madre Range,
form the main mountain system in Northern Luzon.
The Cordilleras consists of 2, sometimes 3, mountain ranges that are
found in northwestern central Luzon. The first, called Caraballo del Sur,
forms the nucleus of the system and has its highest peaks in the border
between the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan. The next,
called Caraballo Occidentalles, is further divided into 2 ranges, the
Cordillera Norte and Cordillera Central. They line the central portions of
the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The Caraballos (Caraballo de Baler) start where the Sierra Madre and the
Cordilleras meet. They are found south of Cagayan Valley, northeast of
the Central Luzon Plains.
[edit]Sierra Madre mountains
Sierra Madre Mountain is the longest mountain range in the Philippines
that lies in the Northeastern part of Luzon Island. The range stretches
from Quezon Province to Isabela. 80 percent of the mountain range is
tropical rainforest, which is diminishing from rampant illegal logging
activity. Only 5 percent of the mountain range is unexplored. The Sierra
Madre Mountain Range serves as the eastern wall of Luzon Island that
protects inhibitants from tropical cyclones usually coming from the Pacific
Ocean. These storms happen an average of 26 per year will cause a lot of
distress for the people living in the biggest island of the Philippines.
[edit]Central Luzon plains
The largest plain in the country and produces most of the country's rice
supply, earning itself the nickname "Rice Bowl of the Philippines". Its
provinces are: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac,
and Zambales. It is an administrative division or region of the Republic of
the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast
central plain of the island of Luzon (the largest island), for administrative
convenience
[edit]Manila-Calabarzon plains
This region is where the capital of the Philippines is located. Large rivers
from bays and mountain springs traverse the plain. In the Northern part of
the region, that is, Manila and Rizal, most of the plain has been converted
into cities, and are thus industrialized. The plain harbors the largest inland
freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, the Laguna de Bay.
[edit]Mindoro island
[edit]Mindoro coastal plains
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Mindoro highlands
The Mindoro mountain range begins with Mount Halcon and is further
divided into 3. The northwest ends at Calavite Point and is a landmark for
ships. The east originates from Lake Naujan and the west follows Mindoro
Strait.
[edit]Palawan
[edit]Kalayaan islands (Spratly Islands)
The Kalayaan islands are located to the west of Palawan. "Kalayaan" is a
Filipino word meaning "freedom". see Spratly islands
[edit]Bicol peninsula
This peninsula is connected to mainland Luzon by the isthmus of
Tayabas. Provinces occupying Bicol Peninsula are the provinces
ofCamarines Norte, Camarines Sur , Albay, Sorsogon and the
easternmost municipalities of Quezon Province.
[edit]Visayas
Catbalogan Plains
[edit]Panay-Negros-Cebu area
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Mindanao
[edit]Zamboanga peninsula
Zamboanga Peninsula has a very mountainous terrain this chain of
mountain ranges is called the Zamboanga Cordilleras. The highest
mountain in this range is Mt. Dapia, which is 2,617 meters (8,586 ft) high.
[edit]Misamis coastal plains
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Bukidnon-Lanao plateaus
The plateaus are located in the north-central portion of Mindanao. They
are extensive flatlands around the height of 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above
sea level.
[edit]Agusan-Surigao-Davao coastal plains
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Southern Pacific cordillera
[edit]Compostela valley
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Sarangani-Cotabato coastal plains
This section is empty. You can help
by adding to it.
[edit]Statistics
Unless otherwise indicated, the information below is taken from CIA
Factbook information for the Philippines.[7]
[edit]Area
Total: 300,000 km2
Land: 298,170 km2
Water: 1,830 km2
[edit]Coastline
36,289 km
[edit]Maritime claims
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
Territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nautical miles
(185 km) from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has
also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285
nautical miles (528 km) in breadth.
[edit]Natural resources
Timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
[edit]Land use
Arable land: 19%
Permanent crops: 16.67%
Other: 64.33% (2005)
[edit]Irrigated land
15,500 km2 (2003)
[edit]Natural hazards
The Philippines sit astride typhoon belt and are usually affected by 15 and
struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes;
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis.
[edit]Environment - current issues
Uncontrolled deforestation in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and
water pollution in Manila; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove
swamps which are important fish breeding grounds; severe water
pollution that caused the death of one of the country's major rivers,
though there are ongoing efforts at resuscitation.[8]
[edit]Environment - international agreements
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification
[edit]Ten largest cities
The following is a list of the ten largest cities in the country in terms of
population, with their population according to the 2007 census.
Component cities and municipalities of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu are
taken as one to show the extent of urbanization.
Rank City Population in 2007 1.Metro Manila 11,553,4272.Metro Cebu 2,314,8973.Metro Davao 1,363,3374.Zamboanga City 774,4075.Antipolo 633,9716.Cagayan de Oro 553,9667.General Santos City 529,5428.Bacolod 499,4979.Iloilo City 418,710
10.Calamba City 360,281
[edit]See also
List of islands of the Philippines
Territories claimed by the Philippines
[edit]References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or
documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
1. ̂ Regional Tourism Stakeholders to meet in Marinduque,
Marinduque.gov
2. ̂ STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS of Gov.JOSE ANTONIO
N. CARRION, GOVERNOR OF MARINDUQUE, July 7, 2008.
3. ̂ Luzon Datum of 1911, Marinduque.gov
4. ̂ Alex Tizon, Guns, Goons, and Gold, Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism.
5. ̂ Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain, The Avalon
project.
6. ̂ Republic Act No. 9522,An Act to Define the Baselines of the
Territorial Sea of the Philippines, as amended by Section 1 of
Republic Act No. 5446, The LawPhil project.
7. ^ a b Philippines : Geography , CIA World Factbook.
8. ̂ Cezar Tigno, Resuscitating the Pasig River, Asian Development
Bank, April 2009.
[edit]External links
Government Portal of the Republic of the Philippines
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Coordinates: 13.000°N 122.000°E
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