Introduction and Geography of The Philippines

Geography and Natural
Resources of the Philippines

I. Introduction
Geography, science that deals
with the distribution and
arrangement of all elements of
the earth's surface. The word
geography was adopted in the
200s BC by the Greek scholar
Eratosthenes and means earth
description. Geographic study
Geography and
Natural Resources of
the Philippines
Physical geographic features
include the climate, land and
water, and plant and animal life.
Cultural geographic features
include artificial entities, such as
nations, settlements, lines of
communication, transportation,
buildings, and other modifications
of the physical geographic
Branches:
Geography may be divided
into two fundamental
branches: systematic and
regional geography.
Systematic geography is
concerned with individual
physical and cultural
elements of the earth.
Branches:
Because the division is
based only on a
difference in approach
to geographic studies,
the two branches are
interdependent and
are usually applied
Branches:
A. Systematic Geography
Systematic geography includes
physical geography and cultural
geography. These classifications
are made up of specialized
fields that deal with specific
aspects of geography.
1. Physical geography includes
the following fields:
geomorphology, which uses
Branches:
which uses biology and deals
with the distribution of plant and
animal life; soils geography (see
Soil; Soil Management), which is
concerned with the distribution of
soil; hydrography, which concerns
the distribution of seas, lakes,
rivers, and streams in relation to
their uses; oceanography, which
deals with the waves, tides, and
currents of oceans and the ocean
Branches:
2. Cultural Geography
This classification, sometimes
called human geography,
involves all phases of human
social life in relation to the
physical earth. Economic
geography, a field of cultural
geography, deals with the
industrial use of the
Branches:
Manufacturing industries rely
on geographic studies for
information concerning raw
materials, sources of labor, and
distribution of goods.
Marketing studies concerned
with plant locations and sales
potentials are based on
geographic studies. The
Branches:
Cultural geography also includes
political geography, which is an
application of political science.
Political geography deals with
human social activities that are
related to the locations and
boundaries of cities, nations, and
groups of nations.
Military geography provides
military leaders with information
Branches:
2. Regional Geography
Regional geography concerns the
differences and similarities among
the various regions of the earth.
This branch of geography seeks
explanations for the variety among
places by studying the special
combination of features that
distinguishes these places.
Regional geographers may study
the development of a small area
Branches:
2. Regional Geography
Regional geographers may
divide macrodivisions into
many smaller areas that
share specific
characteristics. For
example, they may
consider language, the
type of agriculture or
Philippine Geography
II. Overview of Land and
Resources of the Republic of the
Philippines
Republic of the Philippines (in Filipino,
Republika ng Pilipinas), island
republic in the western Pacific Ocean,
within the Malay Archipelago, an
island grouping that extends
southward to include Indonesia and
Malaysia. The Philippines comprises
more than 7,100 islands, but the 11
largest islands form most of the
Overview of Land and
Philippines
Agriculture has long formed the
backbone of the economy. After
World War II (1939-1945) the
Philippines was one of the first
nations of Southeast Asia to try to
industrialize its economy. It
subsequently lagged behind most
of its Asian neighbors in economic
Overview of Land and
Philippines
The people of the Philippines are called
Filipinos. Most Filipinos are of Malay
descent. Filipinos of mixed descent
(through various combinations of
Malay, Chinese, and Spanish
intermarriage) have traditionally
formed the countrys elite in business
and politics. Nearly 83 million people
live in the Philippines. The republic has
one of the highest population-growth
Overview of Land and Resources of the
Republic of the Philippines
More than 80 other indigenous
languages and dialects are also
spoken, and the people of the
Philippines are divided into
regional ethnolinguistic groups.
The Philippines is the only
predominantly Christian country in
Asia, a result of its colonization by
the Spanish Empire in the 16th
The first Spanish settlement was

established in the Philippines in
1565, marking the onset of Spanish
colonial rule. The Spanish-
American War ended in 1898 with
the transfer of the Philippines to
United States control. In 1946,
after more than 300 years under
foreign rule, the Philippines
A four-day protest in Manila

known as the People Power
Movement toppled the Marcos
regime in 1986, and a new
constitution based on democratic
principles was ratified the
following year. The Philippines
today is forging its place among
the newly industrialized nations
Area 300,000 sq km
116,000 sq mi
Coastline 36,289 km
22,549 mi
Highest Mount Apo
point 2,954 m/9,692
ft
The Philippines is bounded on the east
by the Philippine Sea, on the south by
the Sulu and Celebes seas, on the
west by the South China Sea, and on
the north by Luzon Strait. The
Philippine Islands lie off the
southeastern coast of the Asian
mainland, across the South China Sea
from Vietnam and China. The shortest
distance to the mainland, from the
The Philippines covers a total

area, not including its extensive
coastal waters, of 300,000 sq
km (116,000 sq mi). More than
7,100 islands and islets are
included in the Philippine
archipelago. The 11 largest
islands make up more than 90
percent of the total area. Only
Islands of the Philippines
This cluster of lushly forested and mountainous
islands is among the Samales Islands located in the
Sulu Archipelago off the tip of the island of
Mindanao in the
Philippines. Most of the countrys 7,107 islands are
Natural Regions
The Philippines can be divided into

three geographic areas: the
northern islands of Luzon and
Mindoro, the central islands of the
Visayan Islands (Visayas) and
Palawan, and the southern islands of
Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.
The national borders of the
A. Natural Regions
Luzon and Mindanao are the two largest
islands, anchoring the archipelago in
the north and south. Luzon has an area
of 104,700 sq km (40,400 sq mi) and
Mindanao has an area of 94,630 sq km
(36,540 sq mi). Only nine other islands
have an area of more than 2,600 sq km
(1,000 sq mi) each: Samar, Negros,
Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu,
1. Mountainous Landscapes
Volcanic in origin, the Philippine

Islands are the higher portions of a
partly submerged mountain chain.
The mountains are the principal
topographical feature on the smaller
islands. The larger islands,
particularly Luzon and Mindanao,
have a more diversified topography,
with fertile river valleys in the
On Luzon the Sierra Madre mountains

form the longest range of the
Philippines, extending along the
islands eastern, or Pacific, coast. The
parallel ranges of the Cordillera
Central, to the west about 80 km (50
mi) across the Cagayan River Valley,
contain Luzons highest peak, Mount
Pulog, at 2,930 (9,613 ft). Near this
The rugged Zambales Mountains,

containing Mount Pinatubo (1,780
m/5,840 ft), form the valleys western
boundary, leading south to the
Bataan Peninsula, the sheltering
landmass for Manila Bay. Luzon
becomes narrow at its southern end,
curving to the southeast in a long,
mountainous extension called the
Mindanao is similarly formed, with

coastal mountain ranges and
inland valleys, notably those of
the Agusan and Mindanao rivers.
The Diuata Mountains bordering
the eastern coast form the most
prominent range on the island.
The countrys highest point,
The Visayas include seven major
islands, among them the republics
third largest island, Samar, with an
area of 13,100 sq km (5,100 sq mi).
The most easterly of the Visayas,
Samar is connected by bridge to the
adjacent island of Leyte; both islands
are relatively undeveloped and have
dense jungle forests. To the west are
Negros, which developed from the

mid-1800s as the center of the
Philippine sugar industry; and Panay,
where many agricultural crops are
grown in the rich volcanic soils of the
densely populated coastal plain of
Iloilo Province. Masbate, in the north
central Visayas, is noted for its gold
and copper mines.
Most of the Philippine Islands are
clustered in a predominantly north-
south direction. In the southwest, two
island groupings deviate from this
predominant direction: the long,
narrow island of Palawan and its
offshore islands and, farther south, the
approximately 900 small islands of the
Sulu Archipelago. Both island
2. Pacific Ring of Fire
The Philippine Islands are part of the
so-called Ring of Fire, an area
encircling the Pacific Ocean where
earthquakes and volcanic activity
result from the movements of
tectonic plates, or segments of
Earths crust (see Plate Tectonics). To
the east of the islands lies the
10,539-m (34,578-ft) deep Philippine
2. Pacific Ring of Fire
The Philippines includes about 20
active volcanoes and many inactive,
or dormant, volcanoes. The most
active is Mayon Volcano, with recent
eruptions in 1993, 2000, and 2001.
Mount Pinatubo caused widespread
damage when it erupted in 1991 after
lying dormant for about 600 years.
Mount Apo, the countrys highest
Aftermath of Pinatubo Eruption
When the Philippine volcano Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it spewed millions
of tons of ash into the atmosphere, coating the surrounding area in up to 3 m
(10 ft) of ash. Here, residents of Olongapo, a city south of Pinatubo, survey an
ash-covered street.
Mayon Volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines is the most
perfectly symmetrical volcano in the world. The volcano has erupted
more than 30 times since its first recorded eruption in 1616, emitting
clouds of ash and lava flows. The mountainous islands of the
Philippines are volcanic in origin and include many active volcanoes.
B. Rivers and Lakes
The principal islands of the Philippines
are traversed by large rivers, some of
which are navigable. The longest river
of the republic is the Cagayan, in
north central Luzon. Other important
rivers of Luzon include the Agno and
Pampanga, crossing the Central Luzon
Valley; the Chico, flowing through the
Cordillera Central and irrigating the
B. Rivers and Lakes
Laguna de Bay, 13 km (8 mi)

southeast of Manila, is the largest lake
of the Philippines. Lake Taal, 56 km
(35 mi) south of Manila, occupies a
huge volcanic crater and contains an
island that is itself a volcano, with its
own crater lake. Lake Lanao is the
largest lake of Mindanao and the
source of the Agusan River, which
Bugnay Village, on northern Luzon Island, the Philippines, is situated
on the Chico River in the Cordillera Mountains. Here villagers farm rice
in terraces. Approximately one half the population is involved with
A Luzon Island resident fishes in Lake Taal, the third largest lake in the
Philippines. Lake Taal occupies the crater of an extinct volcano. The
lakes uninhabited Volcano Island contains a small active volcano.
C. Coastline
With its numerous islands, the

Philippines has a total coastline of
about 36,289 km (22,549 mi). The
coastline is irregular, with numerous
bays, gulfs, and inlets. Manila Bay,
with its superb naturally sheltered
harbor, is the most commercially
important. Also significant is the wide,
unsheltered Davao Gulf of
D. Climate
The Philippines has a tropical climate.
At sea level, temperatures rarely fall
below 27C (80F). Interior valleys and
leeward sides of islands tend to be
warmer, while mountain slopes and
peaks and windward sides of islands
tend to be cooler. Rainfall averages
about 2,030 mm (80 in) a year, with
more precipitation in coastal plains
D. Climate
In contrast, the eastern side of

the country receives most of its
rainfall during the winter
monsoon and has no true dry
season. Tropical storms are
common from June to October;
each year about 20 typhoons
strike the Philippines, mostly on
E. Natural Resources
The Philippines has extensive mineral
deposits of copper, gold, silver, nickel,
lead, and chromium. Other important,
but less plentiful, deposits of zinc,
cobalt, and manganese also exist.
Copper has been mined extensively
and is the leading mineral product, but
many of the countrys mineral
resources remain unexploited. The
F. Plant & Animal Life
Forests in the Philippines include the

banyan, many varieties of palm, trees
yielding rubber, and many indigenous
trees with extremely hard wood such
as apitong, yacal, lauan, camagn,
ipil, white and red narra, and mayapis.
Bamboo and cinnamon, clove, and
pepper plants grow wild, as do
hundreds of species of orchid. Abaca,
Mangrove trees and nipa palms grow

in coastal swamps. Coarse, hardy
tropical grasses have taken over many
upland areas that were cleared of their
original tropical rain forest.
The Philippines has few species of

large mammals. The domesticated
water buffalo, or carabao, is common
Small mammals are more numerous,
including monkeys, rodents, bats, and
shrews; several species of deer,
including a dwarf deer; mongooses;
and porcupines, found only on
Palawan. Reptiles and birds abound in
greater variety and number than
mammals. The islands have 196
species of birds, including colorful
Coastal and inland waters teem

with marine life, including
thousands of species of fish as
well as mollusks such as clams.
Pearl oysters are abundant around
the Sulu Archipelago, and Sulu
pearls are renowned for their
quality. Coral reefs and sponges
G. Environmental Issues
Deforestation poses the most direct
threat to the remarkable biodiversity
of the Philippines. Largely due to loss
of habitat, more than 380 animal
species are threatened or
endangered. Water pollution has
damaged the fragile marine
ecosystems of the countrys coastal
wetlands, mangrove swamps, and
coral reefs. Serious air pollution is
G. Environmental Issues
The Philippines has one of the highest
rates of deforestation in the world. At the
current rate of deforestation, about 2.1
percent annually, the countrys virgin
forests are in danger of disappearing by
2010. The clearing of forests has
contributed to soil erosion, a serious
problem in the Philippines due to heavy
monsoon rains. The Philippine
government imposed restrictions on
logging in the late 1970s and banned
III. Population
A. Principal Cities
Manila is the capital and largest city of the Philippines. Located on the
eastern shore of Manila Bay on Luzon Island, the city has a deep,
sheltered harbor and modern waterfront, which help make it the
countrys main seaport. The Pasig River divides Manila between the
original city, on its southern bank, and the more modern section, on
its northern bank. Spanish colonists founded the city in 1571, and
III. Population
Manila is the capital of the

Philippines and the countrys
chief port, main commercial and
cultural center, and largest city.
Other important cities include
Quezon City, which is part of the
Manila metropolitan area, and
served as the countrys capital
from 1948 to 1976; Davao, a
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Filipinos are generally divided
along linguistic, geographic, and
religious lines. Different linguistic
groups developed as a result of
the original settlement patterns.
As the Malayan peoples spread
throughout the archipelago, they
dispersed into separate groups
that each developed a distinct
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Christian Filipinos are the largest

and most politically powerful
group in the Philippines. They live
primarily in lowland areas,
specifically coastal areas and
inland plains. They speak many
different regional languages and
dialects and are categorized into
ethnolinguistic groups.
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
The largest groups are the
Tagalogs, who predominate in
central and southern Luzon,
including Manila; the Cebuanos,
who live in Cebu, Bohol, eastern
Negros, western Leyte, and in
some coastal areas of Mindanao;
and the Ilocanos, who
predominate in the coastal areas
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Muslim Filipinos, also known as Moros or
Moro Muslims, constitute the second largest
group with a common cultural identity,
although there are many linguistic and
cultural differences among them. The Moros
are of Malayan or Indonesian descent and
comprise ten major ethnolinguistic groups,
the largest of which are the Maguindanao,
Maranao, Tau Sug, and Samal. The
Maguindanao, who live mainly on
Mindanao, are the largest Muslim group in
the country. The Maranao, meaning people
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
The upland tribal groups are the third
largest cultural group in the Philippines. The
islands include more than 100 upland tribes,
ranging in size from 100,000 to fewer than
several hundred members. The members of
the Aeta and Agta tribes are considered to
be the indigenous people of the Philippines.
They are descendents of perhaps the first
humans who settled the islands during
prehistoric times, before the Malayan
migrations. They are commonly known as
Negritos (a term assigned to them during
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Although most of them were

absorbed into the Malay
population through intermarriage,
some retreated to the mountains
as the Malayan settlers increased
in number. Those who retreated
retained a hunting-and-gathering
way of life augmented by a type
of nomadic farming known as
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Through centuries of relative

isolation, these groups have
preserved their traditional ways
of life and distinct cultures. They
are engaged in subsistence
hunting, fishing, and farming.
Most maintain indigenous belief
systems based on animism (the
worship of nature deities and
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
People of Chinese descent

comprise the largest non-
Malay group, making up
about 1 percent of the
population. Chinese people
have settled in the
Philippines for centuries.
They originally came as
III. Population
B. Cultural Groups
Intermarriage between Chinese

and lowland Filipinos is common.
People of mixed Malay and
Chinese descent are known as
mestizos. Unlike Chinese who do
not intermarry or become
citizens, mestizos have always
been readily accepted in
Philippine society. They formed
III. Population
C. Religion
The Philippines has the only

predominantly Christian
population in Asia, reflecting
Spains colonization of the
islands in the 16th century.
About 94 percent of the people
are Christians, about 5 percent
are Muslims, and the remainder
are Buddhists, animists, or
III. Population
C. Religion
About 84 percent of all Filipinos are
Roman Catholic. Another 10 percent
belong to other Christian
denominations, most notably the
Iglesia Filipina Independiente
(Philippine Independent Church), an
independent Catholic church whose
adherents are known as Aglipayans.
Founded by Filipino priest Gregorio
Aglipay and formally organized in
III. Population
C. Religion
Another Filipino-founded church, the
evangelical Iglesia ni Kristo (Church
of Christ), was founded in 1914 by
Felix Y. Manalo and began to attract
a significant membership after
World War II.
The Muslim population of the

Philippines lives mostly in the
southern islands of Mindanao and
the Sulu Archipelago. Islam
III. Population
C. Religion
Spanish colonial authority

depended on locally based
Catholic religious orders to help
maintain political control, and this
interdependency made the
church a powerful institution in
the islands. Although there is an
official separation of church and
state in the Philippines, the
III. Population
D. Language
More than 80 indigenous
languages and dialects are spoken
in the Philippines. These languages
and dialects belong to the Malayo-
Polynesian group of the
Austronesian language family. The
most widely spoken are Tagalog,
Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon,
Bicol, Waray-Waray, Pampangan,
III. Population
D. Language
English and Filipino (formerly
spelled Pilipino) are the official
languages. Filipino is largely
based on Tagalog, with many
words adopted from other
languages, including English and
Spanish. It was made the
national language in 1987 in an
attempt to address the fact that
III. Population
D. Language
Some Filipinos are trilingual,
speaking an indigenous language,
Filipino, and English. Many Filipinos
continue to primarily speak their
indigenous language, rather than
Filipino. Very few people speak
Spanish, despite the countrys
colonial history. Spanish never
became a widely used or learned
III. Population
E. Education
Education in the Philippines is free and
compulsory for children ages 6
through 12. Filipino and English are
the primary languages of instruction.
The literacy rate is 96.3 percent of the
adult population, with little variation
between males and females.
During the Spanish colonial era, only

the elite population had access to
III. Population
E. Education
English replaced Spanish as the
language of instruction and as the
national medium of
communication. Since
independence in 1946, the
Philippine government has opened
schools in even the remotest areas.
Literacy rates in some languages
have slowly improved. However,
III. Population
E. Education
Virtually all children aged 6 to 12 are
enrolled in school, and attendance is
compulsory. Enrollment for ages 13
through 16 is 84 percent. At the
university level, enrollment stands at
30 percent of the relevant age group.
Institutions of higher learning include
the University of the Philippines (1908),
in Quezon City; Adamson University
(1932), the University of the East
III. Population
F. Social Structure
Family relationships are the basic
building block of Philippine society.
Each Filipino is at the center of a
large circle of relatives, usually
extending to third cousins. Marriage is
rarely permitted for members of the
same kinship circle. The kinship circle
is customarily enlarged through
compadrazgo, or ritual co-
parenthood, the Catholic custom of
III. Population
F. Social Structure
In rural areas the barangays
(villages) contain sitios, or
clusters of households, of an
extended family. The social
support provided by these
close-knit communities is
reflected in the absence of
such institutions as retirement
III. Population
F. Social Structure
In the bilateral kinship system
that is traditional in the
Philippines, descent is traced
equally through both male and
female lineages. Because a
womans lineage is equally
valued, her rights to property and
inheritance are not questioned.
Today educated women in the
III. Population
G. Way of Life
One of the most notable
characteristics of Filipino society is its
strong family and community
relationships. These are strengthened
by the traditional Filipino concept of
utang na loob, in which an act of
voluntary assistance creates an
obligation that the receiver must
attempt to repay through reciprocal
assistance. This often creates a long-
III. Population
G. Way of Life
In Philippine villages, houses are
traditionally constructed of bamboo
and nipa palm thatching and raised
above the ground on poles. Simple
wooden houses with galvanized iron
roofs are also common. Except in the
remotest areas, rural houses are
equipped with electricity and indoor
plumbing. More services and modern
facilities are available in towns and
III. Population
G. Way of Life
Farming, fishing, and forestry are
the primary occupations in rural
areas. Many of the rural poor are
employed as tenant farmers and
landless agricultural workers.
Most urban residents are
employed in the service sector or
in manufacturing. There is a
growing middle class of
III. Population
G. Way of Life
The Philippine diet usually consists of
boiled rice or ground corn,
vegetables, fresh or salted fish, and
fruits. A locally made beverage is
tuba, a fermented coconut wine.
Traditional sports include arnis, a kind
of fencing with wooden sticks, and
sipa, a game much like volleyball
except that the players use only their
feet to move the ball. Cockfighting
and boxing are popular spectator

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Geography and Natural

Resources of the Philippines

The first Spanish settlement was

A four-day protest in Manila

The Philippines covers a total

The Philippines can be divided into

Volcanic in origin, the Philippine

On Luzon the Sierra Madre mountains

The rugged Zambales Mountains,

Mindanao is similarly formed, with

Negros, which developed from the

Laguna de Bay, 13 km (8 mi)

With its numerous islands, the

In contrast, the eastern side of

Forests in the Philippines include the

Mangrove trees and nipa palms grow

The Philippines has few species of

Coastal and inland waters teem

Manila is the capital of the

Christian Filipinos are the largest

Although most of them were

Through centuries of relative

People of Chinese descent

Intermarriage between Chinese

The Philippines has the only

The Muslim population of the

Spanish colonial authority

During the Spanish colonial era, only

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