Philippines

I

Introduction

Philippines, officially Republic of the Philippines, republic in the western Pacific Ocean, made up of the Philippine Islands and forming in physical geography a part of the Malay Archipelago. Situated about 1,210 km (750 mi) east of the coast of Vietnam, the Philippines are separated from Taiwan on the north by the Bashi Channel. The republic is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by the Celebes Sea, and on the west by the South China Sea. The country comprises about 7,100 islands, of which only about 460 are more than 2.6 sq km (1 sq mi) in area. Eleven islands have an area of more than 2,590 sq km (1,000 sq mi) each and contain the majority of the population. These islands are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Luzon, Masbate, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, and Samar. The total area of the Philippines is about 300,000 sq km (116,000 sq mi). Manila is the capital and largest city of the Philippines.

II

Land and Resources

The Philippines are the most northerly island group of the Malay Archipelago, extending about 1,850 km (1,150 mi) almost due north and south between Borneo and Taiwan; the eastern and western extent is almost 1,127 km (700 mi). The islands, of volcanic origin, are the summits of a partly submerged mountain mass, and all are mountainous. In general the Philippine ranges extend north to south paralleling the coasts and in many places bordering them. Earthquakes are fairly common in the islands, which include about 20 active volcanoes.

On the smaller islands the mountains form a backbone and are the principal topographical feature. The larger islands, particularly Luzon and Mindanao, have a more diversified topography, with broad plains and level, fertile valleys in the interior. In northern Luzon the valley of the River Cagayan is a plain about 80 km (50 mi) wide, surrounded by the mountains of the Sierra Madre on the east, the Cordillera Central on the west, and the Caraballo Mountains on the south. To the south of the Caraballo Mountains is the Central Plain, which extends from Lingayen Gulf to Manila Bay, and Laguna de Bay, the largest lake of Luzon. The plain is drained by the River Agno in the north and by the River Pampanga in the south. On the south-western coast are the Zambales Mountains. Luzon has a narrow, mountainous extension to the south-east called the Bicol Peninsula. Mayon Volcano, an active volcano that erupted without warning in February 1993, is on this peninsula just north of Legaspi. Dormant for about 600 years, Mount Pinatubo, a volcano located in central Luzon, erupted in late June 1991 and again in July 1992.

On Mindanao, the largest island of the Philippines after Luzon, the Diuata Mountains border the Pacific coast, and west of them lies the valley of the Agusan River. In south-western Mindanao is a large lowland area, the valley of Mindanao. One of the southern Mindanao ranges contains Mount Apo (2,954 m/9,692 ft), which is the highest point in the Philippines. The coastlines of all the islands are extremely irregular, measuring about 22,530 km (14,000 mi) in length.

A

Rivers

The principal islands of the Philippines are traversed by large rivers, some of which are navigable. The longest river on Luzon is the Cagayan; other important rivers on the island include the Chico, Abra, Pampanga, and Bicol. The Río Grande de Mindanao (known in its upper course as the Pulangi) and the Agusan are the principal rivers of Mindanao.

B

Climate

The Philippine Islands are within the tropics and have a mean annual temperature of about 27° C (80° F). In general, interior valleys and leeward sides of islands are warmer than the mean; mountain slopes and peaks and windward sides of islands are cooler than the mean. Rainfall averages about 2,030 mm (80 in) a year in the lowlands. In most of the Philippine Islands the rainy season occurs during the summer monsoon, from May to November, when the wind blows from the south-west; the dry season occurs during the winter monsoon, from December to April, when the wind blows from the north-east. From June to October the Philippine Islands are sometimes struck by typhoons, which occasionally cause great damage.