Philippines: Geography#
| Location | Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 13 00 N, 122 00 E 13.0,122.0 |
| Area | total: 300,000 sq km land: 298,170 sq km water: 1,830 sq km [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 36,289 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Mount Apo 2954 m; Mount Pulag 2922 m; Mount Ragang 2815 m; Mount Halcon 2586 m; Mayon Volcano 2463 m According to Geonames: Mount Apo 2954 m; Mount Katanglad 2938 m; Mount Pulag 2934 m; Mount Ragang 2815 m; Mount Piapayungan 2815 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands |
| Natural Hazards | astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms each year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Taal (elev. 311 m), which has shown recent unrest and may erupt in the near future, has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Mayon (elev. 2,462 m), the country's most active volcano, erupted in 2009 forcing over 33,000 to be evacuated; other historically active volcanoes include Biliran, Babuyan Claro, Bulusan, Camiguin, Camiguin de Babuyanes, Didicas, Iraya, Jolo, Kanlaon, Makaturing, Musuan, Parker, Pinatubo and Ragang |
| Natural Resource | timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper |
| Land Use | arable land: 18% permanent crops: 17.33% other: 64.67% (2011) |
| Climate | tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October) |
| Irrigated Land | 18,790 sq km (2006) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 479 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Manila; Cebu City; Davao; Dasmariñas; Cagayan de Oro According to Geonames: Manila; Quezon City; Budta; Davao; Malingao Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait Important Lakes |