Philippines-Geography

Published: 29 Oct 2008 10:23:00 PST

Location:   
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
 
Geographic coordinates:   
13 00 N, 122 00 E
 
Map references:   
Southeast Asia 
 
Area:   
total: 300,000 sq km
country comparison to the world: 72
land: 298,170 sq km
water: 1,830 sq km
 
Area - comparative:   
slightly larger than Arizona
 
Land boundaries:   
0 km
 
Coastline:   
36,289 km
 
Maritime claims:   
territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
 
Climate:   
Current Weather
tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
 
Terrain:   
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
 
Elevation extremes:   
lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
 
Natural resources:   
timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
 
Land use:   
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 16.67%
other: 64.33% (2005)
 
Irrigated land:   
15,500 sq km (2003)
 
Total renewable water resources:   
479 cu km (1999)
 
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):   
total: 28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)
per capita: 343 cu m/yr (2000)
 
Natural hazards:   
astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
 
Environment - current issues:   
uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds
 
Environment - international agreements:   
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
 
Geography - note:   
the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait