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Philippines | History, Map, Flag,
Population, Capital, & Facts
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Philippines, island country of Southeast Asia in the western Pacific
Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of some 7,100 islands and
islets lying about 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Vietnam.
Manila is the capital, but nearby Quezon City is the country’s most-
populous city. Both are part of the National Capital Region (Metro
Manila), located on Luzon, the largest island. The second largest
island of the Philippines is Mindanao, in the southeast.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, who was king of Spain
during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century.
Because it was under Spanish rule for 333 years and under U.S.
tutelage for a further 48 years, the Philippines has many cultural
affinities with the West. It is, for example, the second most-
populous Asian country (following India) with English as an official
language and one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic
countries in Asia (the other being East Timor). Despite the
prominence of such Anglo-European cultural characteristics, the
peoples of the Philippines are Asian in consciousness and
aspiration.
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PhilippinesEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The country was wracked by political turmoil in the last quarter of
the 20th century. After enduring more than a decade of
authoritarian rule under Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, the broadly
popular People Power movement in 1986 led a bloodless uprising
against the regime. The confrontation resulted not only in the ouster
and exile of Marcos but also in the restoration of democratic
government to the Philippines
Contemporary Filipinos continue to grapple with a society that is
replete with paradoxes, perhaps the most obvious being the
presence of extreme wealth alongside tremendous poverty. Rich in
resources, the Philippines has the potential to build a strong
industrial economy, but the country remains largely agricultural.
Especially toward the end of the 20th century, rapid industrial
expansion was spurred by a high degree of domestic and foreign
investment. That growth, however, simultaneously contributed to
severe degradation of the environment. The Philippines also
emerged as a regional leader in education during the late 20th
century, with a well-established public school and university system,
and by the early 21st century the country had one of the highest
literacy rates in Asia.
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Villagers tending a rice field in the Philippines.©
Goodshoot/Jupiterimages
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Land
The Philippine archipelago is bounded by the Philippine Sea to the
east, the Celebes Sea to the south, the Sulu Sea to the southwest,
and the South China Sea to the west and north. The islands spread
out in the shape of a triangle, with those south of Palawan, the Sulu
Archipelago, and the island of Mindanao outlining (from west to
east, respectively) its southern base and the Batan Islands to the
north of Luzon forming its apex. The archipelago stretches about
1,150 miles (1,850 km) from north to south, and its widest east-
west extent, at its southern base, is some 700 miles (1,130 km).
The island of Taiwan lies north of the Batan group, the Malaysian
portion of the island of Borneo is to the south of Palawan, and the
eastern islands of Indonesia lie to the south and southeast of
Mindanao. Only about two-fifths of the islands and islets have
names, and only some 350 have areas of 1 square mile (2.6 square
km) or more. The large islands fall into three groups: (1) the Luzon
group in the north and west, consisting of Luzon, Mindoro, and
Palawan, (2) the Visayas group in the centre, consisting of Bohol,
Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar, and (3)
Mindanao in the south.
Relief
Outstanding physical features of the Philippines include the
irregular configuration of the archipelago, the coastline of some
22,550 miles (36,290 km), the great extent of mountainous country,
the narrow and interrupted coastal plains, the generally northward
trend of the river systems, and the spectacular lakes. The islands
are composed primarily of volcanic rock and coral, but all principal
rock formations are present. The mountain ranges for the most part
run in the same general direction as the islands themselves,
approximately north to south.
PhilippinesEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Cordillera Central, the central mountain chain of Luzon,
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running north to the Luzon Strait from the northern boundary of the
central plain, is the most prominent range. It consists of two and in
places three parallel ranges, each with an average elevation of
about 5,900 feet (1,800 metres). The Sierra Madre, extending along
the Pacific coast from northern to central Luzon, is the longest
mountain range in the country. That range and the Cordillera
Central merge in north-central Luzon to form the Caraballo
Mountains. To the north of the latter, and between the two ranges,
is the fertile Cagayan Valley. The narrow Ilocos, or Malayan, range,
lying close along the west coast of northern Luzon, rises in places
to elevations above 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) and is seldom below
3,500 feet (1,000 metres); it is largely volcanic. In the southwestern
part of northern Luzon are the rugged Zambales Mountains,
consisting of more or less isolated old volcanic stocks (rock formed
under great heat and pressure deep beneath the Earth’s surface).
Most of the central plain of Luzon, about 150 by 50 miles (240 by
80 km), is only about 100 feet (30 metres) above sea level. The
greater part of southern Luzon is occupied by isolated volcanoes
and irregular masses of hills and mountains. The highest peak is
Mayon Volcano (8,077 feet [2,462 metres)]), near the city of
Legaspi (Legazpi) in Albay province on the island’s Bicol Peninsula
in the southeast.
Philippines: Mayon VolcanoMayon Volcano, Luzon,
Philippines.Randy C. Bunney
The island of Palawan is about 25 miles (40 km) wide and more
than 250 miles (400 km) long; through it extends a range with an
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average elevation of 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 metres).
Each of the Visayan Islands except Samar and Bohol is traversed
longitudinally by a single range with occasional spurs. Several
peaks on Panay and Negros reach a height of 6,000 feet (1,800
metres) or more. Mount Canlaon (Canlaon Volcano), on Negros,
rises to 8,086 feet (2,465 metres).
TaytayTaytay, Palawan island, Philippines.Andrew Lillis
There are several important ranges on Mindanao; the Diuata
(Diwata) Mountains along the eastern coast are the most
prominent. To the west lies another range that stretches from the
centre of the island southward. Farther west the Butig Mountains
trend northwestward from the northeastern edge of the Moro Gulf.
A range also runs northwest-southeast along the southwestern
coast. Near Mindanao’s south-central coast is Mount Apo, which at
9,692 feet (2,954 metres) is the highest peak in the Philippines. A
number of volcanic peaks surround Lake Sultan Alonto (Lake
Lanao), and a low cordillera extends through the Zamboanga
Peninsula in the far west.
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Mindanao, Philippines: Mount ApoMount Apo, Mindanao island,
Philippines.Kryzzler
Although volcanoes are a conspicuous feature of the landscape,
there is relatively little volcanic activity. There are altogether about
50 volcanoes, of which more than 10 are known to be active. Mount
Pinatubo on Luzon, once regarded as extinct, was in 1991 the site
of one of the world’s largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.
All gradations of volcanoes can be seen, from the almost perfect
cone of Mayon, which has been compared to Mount Fuji in Japan,
to old, worn-down volcanic stocks, the present forms of which give
little indication of their origin. The several distinct volcanic areas are
in south-central and southern Luzon and on the islands of Negros,
Mindanao, Jolo, and elsewhere. Tremors and earthquakes are
common.
Gas and ash rising from Mount Pinatubo, central Luzon,
Philippines, just prior to eruption in June 1991.David H.
Harlow/U.S.Geological Survey
Drainage
The most important rivers of the Philippines are the Cagayan,
Agno, Pampanga, Pasig, and Bicol on Luzon and the Mindanao
(Río Grande de Mindanao) and Agusan on Mindanao. The northern
plain between the Sierra Madre and the Cordillera Central is
drained by the Cagayan, while the central plain is drained in the
north by the Agno and in the south by the Pampanga. The Pasig,
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which flows through the city of Manila, was once commercially
important as a nexus for interisland trade but is no longer navigable
except by small craft; heavy pollution has required significant
cleanup efforts. Most of the Bicol Peninsula lies in the Bicol basin.
On Mindanao the Agusan drains the fertile lands of the island’s
northeastern quadrant, while the Mindanao River drains the
Cotabato Valley in the southwest. One of the Philippines’ most
unique waterways lies underground, emerging directly into the
ocean at Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park on the
island of Palawan; the park was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1999.
The largest lake in the archipelago, with an area of 356 square
miles (922 square km), is Laguna de Bay, on the island of Luzon.
Also on Luzon and just to the southwest of Laguna de Bay is Taal
Lake, which occupies 94 square miles (244 square km) inside a
volcanic crater; a volcanic cone emerges from the lake’s centre.
Lake Sultan Alonto on Mindanao is the country’s second largest
lake, covering an area of 131 square miles (340 square km).
Volcano Island in the centre of Taal Lake, southwestern Luzon,
Philippines.Peter Mouginis-Mark, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics
and Planetology, University of Hawaii
Soils
The alluvial plains and terraces of Luzon and Mindoro have dark
black cracking clays, as well as younger soils that are especially
suitable for rice cultivation. Much of the land of the hilly and
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mountainous regions consists of moist, fertile soils, often with a
significant concentration of volcanic ash, that support fruit trees and
pineapples. Oil palms, vegetables, and other crops are grown in the
peatlike areas, as well as in the younger, sand-based soils of the
coastal plains, marshes, and lake regions. The dark, organic,
mineral-rich soils of the undulating terrain of the Bicol Peninsula,
much of the Visayas, and the northwest tip of Luzon are used to
grow coffee, bananas, and other crops. Highly weathered, often red
or yellow soils are prominent in the central and southern Philippines
and are typically planted with cassava (manioc) and sugarcane;
these soils also support forests for timber harvesting. The poor,
precipitation-leached soils of Palawan and the eastern mountains of
Luzon are largely covered with shrubs, bushes, and other
secondary growth that typically emerges in areas that have been
cleared of their original forest cover.
Coffee plantation, Basilan Island, PhilippinesTed Spiegel
—Rapho/Photo Researchers
Climate
The climate of the Philippines is tropical and strongly monsoonal
(i.e., wet-dry). In general, rain-bearing winds blow from the
southwest from approximately May to October, and drier winds
come from the northeast from November to February. Thus,
temperatures remain relatively constant from north to south during
the year, and seasons consist of periods of wet and dry. Throughout
the country, however, there are considerable variations in the
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frequency and amount of precipitation. The western shores facing
the South China Sea have the most marked dry and wet seasons.
The dry season generally begins in December and ends in May, the
first three months being cool and the second three hot; the rest of
the year constitutes the wet season. The dry season shortens
progressively to the east until it ceases to occur. During the wet
season, rainfall is heavy in all parts of the archipelago except for an
area extending southward through the centre of the Visayan group
to central Mindanao and then southwestward through the Sulu
Archipelago; rain is heaviest along the eastern shores facing the
Pacific Ocean.
From June to December tropical cyclones (typhoons) often strike
the Philippines. Most of these storms come from the southeast,
their frequency generally increasing from south to north; in some
years the number of cyclones reaches 25 or more. Typhoons are
heaviest in Samar, Leyte, south-central Luzon, and the Batan
Islands, and, when accompanied by floods or high winds, they may
cause great loss of life and property. Mindanao is generally free
from such storms.
November through February constitutes the most agreeable
season; the air is cool and invigorating at night, and the days are
pleasant and sunny. During the hot part of the dry season in most
places—especially in the cities of Cebu, Davao, and Manila—the
temperature sometimes rises as high as 100 °F (38 °C). Overall
temperatures decline with elevation, however, and cities and towns
located at higher elevations—such as Baguio in northern Luzon,
Majayjay and Lucban south of Manila, and Malaybalay in central
Mindanao—experience a pleasant climate throughout the year; at
times the temperature in those places dips close to 40 °F (4 °C).
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