What do you know about the Philippines?
Here is a glimpse of the
Philippines, its geography, and its natural beauty.
The Philippines is a tropical paradise in Southeast Asia, boasting spectacular beaches lined with gently swaying palm trees on fine white, pink, and in some areas, almost black sand. Some islands are well-known, while others remain deserted and undiscovered, home to underwater wrecks such as Spanish galleons, Chinese junks, and warships surrounded by vast expanses of verdant landscapes and classic Baroque churches.
Photo Credit –
en.wikipedia.org
The
Philippine Islands, consisting of about 7,100 separate islands primarily of
volcanic origin, are traversed from north to south by irregular mountain ranges
that span more than 1,100 miles (1,850 kilometers) from north to south and
nearly 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) east to west at their widest. The total
land area is approximately 115,000 square miles (roughly 300,439 square
kilometers), slightly larger than New Zealand and comparable in size to the
state of Arizona. Approximately two-thirds is contained in Luzon and Mindanao.
The total water surface of the archipelago is 705,115 square miles.
The Philippines consists
of three main island groupings: Luzon, located in the north, which includes the
islands of Mindoro and Palawan; the Visayan Islands in the middle; and Mindanao,
in the south, which includes the Sulu
archipelago.
The islands are located
within the Pacific volcanic belt, are very mountainous, with a comparatively
small area of lowland. The islands are subject to floods, typhoons, earthquakes,
and volcanic eruptions. Some volcanoes of interest are Taal, the world’s lowest
volcano, and Mt. Mayon, recognized as the most perfectly formed volcano cone in
the world, both of which exhibit many indications of recent eruptive
disturbances. The larger islands have high, rugged, mountainous interiors, mainly
comprising ranges that run north to south, with peaks emerging above hills and
valleys. The main mountain ranges are the Cordillera Central on the western
side and the Sierra Madre on the eastern side, both running north to south,
roughly parallel to the coastline of Luzon. The highest mountain in the
Philippines is Mt. Apo, which stands at 2,954 meters (9,600 feet) high in
Mindanao. Slightly smaller is Mt. Pulog at 2,928 meters (8,481 feet) in
northern Luzon. In some places, the mountains drop steeply to the sea.
Scattered between the
Pacific Ocean on the east and the South China Sea on the west, Balintang
Channel on the north, and Celebes Sea on the south, the islands of the
Philippines form an archipelago almost as large as that of Japan proper. The most
oversized island and farthest north, Luzon at 40,410 square miles (104,688
square kilometers), occupies 35 per cent of the nation’s total land area, and
is surrounded by numerous islands and islets. It is about 105 kilometers (500
miles) from Taiwan and about 1,250 miles from Australia. The Philippine Trench
(also known as the Mindanao Deep), the world’s deepest spot at 10,057 meters
(32,995 feet) deep, is located 60 kilometers (37.28 miles) off its southeast
shores. Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, located in
its southern region. Many islands have extensive coral reefs offshore.
The ten largest islands
are Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte,
Cebu, and Bohol. All but 460 out of the 7,100 islands occupy areas of less than
one square mile apiece. Only 46 are larger than 62 square miles (100 square
kilometers). Many of the 7,100 islands are little more than rocks, reefs, or
sandbanks. They are mere specks on the ocean. Some 4,600 are named and about
1,000 are inhabited. The Philippine Islands have a total coastline of
approximately 11,500 miles (18,000 kilometers). There are hundreds of rivers
and bays. Manila Bay is the main port.
The Philippine Islands
lie wholly within the tropics, between latitudes five degrees and fifteen
degrees north of the Equator, so that if they could be brought straight across
the Pacific to the American continents, they would extend from the middle of Mexico
to the middle of Colombia in South America.
The Philippines has a
complex weather pattern. It has a moist tropical climate. The Philippines is
hot and humid year-round, with seasons determined by the prevailing winds. The
eastern parts of the Philippines receive their heaviest rainfall from November
to June, while the western parts of the Philippines experience heavy rain from
June to November. Rainfall can average seventy inches a year, with some areas
receiving as much as two hundred inches, especially during the monsoon season
between October and April. Climate varies by region, but one can escape the
heat by moving to higher elevations, such as Baguio, located at an elevation of
1,524 meters, making it the summer capital.
There are numerous
mineral deposits, including gold, coal, and iron, in various locations. The
volcanic soils of the Philippines foster a rich and varied growth of plants.
Much of the archipelago is covered with thick jungle, featuring diverse
tropical vegetation, particularly in the mountainous interiors. Rugged ridges
of hills and steep mountain ranges dot the countryside. Tropical rainforests
give way to open parklands. The area outside the equatorial belt, particularly
north of the Equator, is also subject to devastating periodic typhoons.
Swift-flowing streams during the rainy season turn into deep arid gullies
during the hot, dry season.
Rivers flowing from the
highlands water the extremely fertile soil of the agricultural lowlands. Rice
paddies, vast swamps, coconut plantations, sugar plantations, and tobacco
plantations abound. Coconut trees, the Philippines’ most important tree, are
everywhere. It is used for coconut wine, coconut milk, coconut meat, and
coconut heart for making lumpia (egg roll) and salad. Coconut oil is
used for cooking, and coconut wood is used for building materials. There are
hardwood trees, including ebony, teak, and cypress, suitable for building and
making furniture. Rattan and bamboo abound. Nipa palms are used for roofing
materials. Beautiful mahogany and narra are very special woods for making
furniture.
Photo
Credit of Durian – smithsonianmag.com
The Island also produces
an abundance of delicious tropical fruits. Mangoes, avocados, papayas, guavas,
lanzones, chico, duhat, siniguelas, langka, and the hugely stinking durian are
some of the more popular and exotic fruits. Breadfruit and bananas can also be
found in the Philippines, with the former being used to make barkcloth as well.
There were two major species of bananas grown, the Musa troglodytarum with
a vertical fruit stalk and the more familiar-looking Musa sapientum, whose
fruit stalk bends downward.
Photo
Credit of Waling-Waling Orchid - YouTube
Botanists have
discovered more than 12,000 different species of plants. Orchids thrive here.
The 1,000 orchid species include the popular waling-waling orchid of western
Mindanao. Sampaguita, the white,
sweet-smelling national flower, frangipani, bougainvillea, and hibiscus also
abound. In addition, more than 1,000 species of ferns and over 8,000 plant
species bloom, decorating the country with an array of colors and fragrant
scents. At least 130 species of Philippine fauna now stand on the United Nations’
list of endangered and threatened species.
Some fifty years ago,
forests, conservatively valued at $20 billion at the time, covered more than 53
percent of the islands. Hungry for foreign currency, commercial logging was a
nationally prioritized industry from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Estrada
administration banned commercial logging, but by that time, more than 70
percent of the nation’s original forests had already been destroyed.
The Philippines is
Asia’s best-kept secret diving haven. Luzon’s most accessible dive area is
Anilao in Batangas, a few hours’ drive south of Manila. Across the strait from
Anilao lies Puerto Galera in Mindoro, renowned for its rewarding sports diving.
In northern Luzon, divers can visit several World War II wrecks in Subic Bay.
The famed 19th-century dreadnought USS New York lies in 90 feet
of water, with El Capitan, a 430-foot freighter, submerged just 40 feet below.
Coron Bay, off northern Palawan’s Calamian Island, features some of the
Philippines’ best wrecks. The dozen accessible wrecks comprise a fleet of
supply ships for Japanese Naval Admiral Kurita, sunk during the October 1944
battle of Leyte Gulf.
Sources:
Compton’s Pictured
Encyclopedia
Insight Guide
Philippines – APA Publications
Philippines Traveler’s
Companion - Kirsten Ellis
Philippines Handbook –
Carl Parkes
The Philippines - John
Cockcroft
Wikipedia