Geography and Environment

The Philippines was created be volcanic activity ~50,000,000 BC. It lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire. As a result, there are many earthquakes daily throughout the Philippines although they are too weak to be felt. As expected from its formation, there are many active volcanoes throughout the Philippines and in 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted and devastated the surrounding areas resulting in mass evacuation of nearby towns and villages. The archipelago is one of the largest in the world consisting of 7,107 islands but also forms part of the Malay Archipelago (which is the largest archipelago in the world). Although the Philippines is made up of a large number of islands, less than 500 hundred are larger than 2.6 km². Only 11 islands account for most of the land area and population. Listed in order of decreasing size they are Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Masbate. Roughly, only one-quarter of the islands are inhabited and only one-third of the islands have names. To the east of the archipelago is the Philippine Trench which is 10.5 km at its deepest point. The southern tip of Palawan and the province of Tawi-Tawi are very close to Borneo, an island which is territorially shared by Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Currently, the Philippines has a dispute over the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo and the Spratly Islands (Kalayaan Island Group) which are disputed by a number of countries in the region. Terrain varies from some plains in Luzon to rolling hills and mountains. The climate is tropical with three defined seasons. Throughout the year there are a number cyclonic storms which hit the Philippines sometimes causing severe damage and results in flooding and landslides. The main environmental issues are illegal logging resulting in deforestation and soil erosion. Air and water pollution are also problems in Metro Manila.

Geography

The Philippine archipelago comprises of 7,107 islands 1,210 km from mainland Asia. It is located between 116° and 127° longitude and between 4° and 21° latitude. The Philippines covers an area of approximately 300,000 km² and is divided into three geographical regions or island groups. Luzon is the northern most group and consists of the largest island of Luzon and Palawan, Mindoro, Masbate and Marinduque and various other islands. Mindanao is the southern most island group and consists of Mindanao which is the second largest island, Camiguin, Basilan, Sulu and various other islands including the Sulu archipelago. The Visayas is the central island group and the major islands are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. As a result of consisting of so many islands, the Philippines has a coastline of 36,289 km. The Philippines is surrounded by three main bodies of water. These are the South China Sea (to the north and west), the Celebes Sea (to the south) and the Philippine Sea leading onto the Pacific Ocean (to the east). There is also the Sulu Sea which lies between Palawan and the Sulu archipelago.

Land and Terrain

The terrain in the Philippines varies from plains (in Central Luzon and Caraga Region, Mindanao), to valleys, rolling hills, and mountains such as the Cordillera and Sierra Madre mountains in northern Luzon. The lowest point is sea level and the highest is Mount Apo at 2,954 m.

Climate and Natural Disasters

The Philippines has a tropical climate with three pronounced seasons: wet/rainy (June - October), cool-dry (November - February) and hot-dry (March - May). The Philippines is within a typhoon belt and is affected by a number of cyclonic storms every year. Sometimes the storms are particularly devastating and result in flooding and landslides. There are many active volcanoes within the Philippines and the existence of the archipelago is generally attributed to volcanic activity. Needless to say, the active volcanoes pose a natural threat with devastating eruptions such as Mount Pinatubo in 1991.

Environment

There are several environmental issues in the Philippines. Illegal logging is resulting in deforestation and soil erosion but has also left the landscape potentially dangerous. The stripped landscape is now far more prone to landslides. Even recently, the damage from severe storms that have hit the Philippines has been amplified by flooding and landslides. The other main issue is pollution. Air pollution is mainly from vehicle exhausts and industry. Water pollution is mainly from industrial waste but also domestic raw sewage as a result of inadequate or overloaded drainage systems. Air and water pollution is most significant in Metro Manila and other highly urbanised areas through the country.