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The Philippines is an archipelago lying southeast of the coast of the mainland of Asia.

It is located a little
above the equator and thus, belongs to the northern hemisphere. Of approximately 7641 islands and
islets that compose the archipelago, some 4000 have no names. Luzon, Mindanao, Negros, Samar,
Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, and Bohol are the ten biggest islands. The total land area,
excluding the bodies of water surrounded by land, such as Laguna de Bay, Taal Lake, Lake Lanao and
many more like these, is 300,000 square kilometers. The northernmost island of Luzon is just 100
kilometers away from the island of Taiwan, formerly called Formosa. North and west of the archipelago
lies the South China Sea; to the east is the Pacific Ocean; and to the south are the Celebes Sea and the
waters of Borneo.

The coastline of the Philippines is irregular and stretches for about 36,289 kilometers, about twice as
long as the coastline of the United States, excluding that of Alaska and Hawaii. In a note verbale
submitted by the Philippine government to the United Nations on March 7, 1955, the Philippines is
defined as a mid-ocean archipelagic state. Thus, All waters around, between and connecting different
islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, irrespective of their width or dimension, are necessary
appurtenances of its land territory, forming an integral part of the national or inland waters, subject to
the exclusive sovereignty of the Philippines. Because of the irregular coastline, the country abounds in
good harbors, landlocked straits and hundreds of small rivers, bays, and lakes. Manila Bay, which has an
area of a little less than 2,000 square kilometers and a circumference of about 190 kilometers, is
considered one of the finest natural harbors in the world. The Philippine Deep, which is found east of
the Philippines near Samar and Leyte, is considered as one of the deepest sea trenches in the world.

A look at the physical map of the Philippines shows that it is mountainous. There are numerous peaks
from north to south, of which Mount Apo in Mindanao is the highest, standing at approximately 2,954
meters high. The second highest is Mount Dulang-dulang in Bukidnon, which is 2,938 meters high. The
northern and eastern parts of Luzon have rugged mountains which are volcanic in origin. There are three
large mountain ranges in Luzon. They are the Western Caraballo Mountain Range, the Sierra Mare
Mountain Range, and the Caraballo de Baler. Western Caraballo runs from north to south and divides
itself into the Central Cordillera and Northern Cordillera. It crosses the provinces of the northern Luzon,
west of the Cagayan River. The Sierra Madre begins at the town of Baler in the eastern part of Quezon
Province, and crosses the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Quezon. It is the longest continuous
mountain range in the Philippines. The third mountain range, the Caraballo de Baller, begins from the
town of Baler and ends in the Strait of San Bernardino. This mountain range includes Mayon Volcano in
Albay and Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon.

Outside of these big mountain ranges are the small mountain ranges of Zambales and the Tagaytay
Ridge. The Zambales range begins at Cape Bolinao, follows the coast of the China Sea, and ends in the
Bataan Peninsula. The Tagaytay Ridge crosses the province of Cavite and Batangas. Mount Makiling in
Laguna and Taal Volcano are parts of the Tagaytay Ridge. Mindoro, Panay and Negros have small
mountain ranges. The highest peaks in these parts are Mount Halcon in Mindoro and Kanlaon Volcano in
Negros, Leyte and Samar are not as mountainous at the provinces mentioned above. Mindanao, on the
other hand, has four distinct mountain ranges. They are the Eastern Mountain Range, which begins at
Surigao and follows the Pacific coast; the Central-Eastern Mountain Range which begins at Butuan and
extends south to Agusan on the east and to Pulangui on the west; the Central-Western Range, which
begins at Mount Apo, follows the boundary of Cotabato, and ends in the Zamboanga Peninsula; and the
Western Range which begins west of Iligan Bay and ends on the shores of Basilan Strait.
The Philippine archipelago lies in Southeast Asia in a position that has led to its becoming a cultural
crossroads - a place where Malays, Hindus, Arabs, Chinese, Spaniards, Americans, and others had
interacted to forge a unique cultural and racial blend. The archipelago numbers some 7,641 islands, and
the nation claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its shores. The
Philippines occupies an area that stretches for 1,850 kilometers (1,150 mi) from about the fifth to the
twentieth parallels north latitude. The total land area is slightly more than 300,000 square kilometers
(115,831 sq mi). Only approximately 1,000 of its islands are populated, and fewer than one-half of these
are larger than 2.5 square kilometers (1 sq mi). Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine
landmass, and two of these Luzon and Mindanao measure 105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq
mi) and 95,000 square kilometers (36,680 sq mi), respectively. They, together with the cluster of islands
in Visayas in between them, represent the three principal regions of the archipelago that are identified
by the three stars on the Philippine flag. The Philippines is broken up by the sea, which gives it one of
the longest coastlines of any nation in the world.

Off the coast of eastern Mindanao is the Philippine Trench, which descends to a depth of 10,430 meters
(34,220 ft). The Philippines is part of a western Pacific arc system characterized by active volcanoes.
Among the most notable peaks are Mount Mayon near Legazpi City, Taal Volcano south of Manila, and
Mount Apo in Mindanao. All of the Philippine islands are prone to earthquakes. The northern Luzon
highlands, or Cordillera Central, rise to between 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) and 2,750 meters (9,020 ft),
and, together with the Sierra Madre in the northeastern portion of Luzon and the mountains of
Mindanao, boast rain forests that provide refuge for numerous upland tribal groups. The rain forests
also offer prime habitat for more than 500 species of birds, including the Philippine eagle (or monkey-
eating eagle), some 1,100 species of orchids, and some 8,500 species of flowering plants.

The country's most extensive river systems are the Pulangi River, which flows into the Mindanao River
(Rio Grande de Mindanao); the Agusan, in Mindanao which flows north into the Mindanao Sea; the
Cagayan in northern Luzon; and the Pampanga, which flows south from east Central Luzon into Manila
Bay. Laguna de Bay, east of Manila Bay, is the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines. Several rivers
have been harnessed for hydroelectric power.

To protect the country's biological resources, the government has taken a first step of preparing a
Biodiversity Action Plan to address conservation of threatened species.

The islands are volcanic in origin, being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and are mostly mountainous. The
highest point in the country is the peak of Mount Apo in Mindanao, which is 2,954 meters (9,692 ft)
above sea level. The second highest point can be found on Luzon at Mount Pulog, a peak 2,842 meters
(9,324 ft) above sea level.

The Philippine Archipelago is geologically part of the Philippine Mobile Belt located between the
Philippine Sea Plate, the South China Sea Basin of the Eurasian Plate, and the Sunda Plate. The Philippine
Trench (also called the Mindanao Trench) is a submarine trench 1,320 kilometers (820 mi) in length
found directly east of the Philippine Mobile Belt and is the result of a collision of tectonic plates. The
Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under the Philippine Mobile Belt at the rate of about 16 centimeters
(6.3 in) per year. Its deepest point, the Galathea Depth, has a depth of 10,540 meters (34,580 ft). The
Philippine Fault System consists of a series of seismic faults that produce several earthquakes per year,
most of which are not felt.

Many volcanoes in the country are active, the most recent eruption being that of Mount Pinatubo on
Luzon in 1991. Mount Mayon is another of the active volcanoes and has the world's most perfectly
shaped cone. Mayon has a violent history of 47 eruptions since 1616 and another violent eruption is
currently feared. Taal Volcano, also located on Luzon, is one of the Decade Volcanoes.

The islands typically have narrow coastal plains and numerous swift-running streams. Every island has
sand beaches, but few open onto spacious lowlands. There are few large plains or navigable rivers. The
longest river is the Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan in northern Luzon measuring 354
kilometers. In Mindanao, the longest river is the Rio Grande de Mindanao or Mindanao River which
drains Maguindanao and other parts in western-central Mindanao. Agusan River drains eastern
Mindanao.

Most of the islands used to be covered by tropical rainforests. However, illegal logging has reduced
forest cover to less than 10% of the total land area.

The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands include
Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate and Batanes Islands. The Visayas is the
group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte
and Samar. The Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed
primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and Tawi-Tawi

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