The Philippines is a rugged land traversed by many mountain ranges, extensive but narrow coastal plains, navigable rivers, fertile valleys and deltas and beautiful lakes and waterfalls.
Most of the islands in the Philippine archipelago are characterized by irregular seacoasts, fertile plains and wooded uplands in the interiors.
\"Mineral Springs\"
The Two Largest Islands
• Luzon in the north, 104,688 square kilometers in area.
• Mindanao in the south, 94,630 square kilometers-comprise 67.1 percent of the total land area of the country.
The other major islands from the largest to the smallest are Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, and Masbate. About 800 of the islands in the archipelago are inhabited, while the rest are islands, islets, or rocks too small to be populated.
The Philippines has an irregular coastline totaling 17,465.5 kilometers long or about twice as long as the coastline of the United States. Our coastline is considered the longest discontinuous coastline in the world. This has resulted in a great many fine harbors and landlocked straits. Located between Samar and Leyte is what has been called "the narrowest strait in the world."-The San Juanico Strait. Manila Bay, with a circumference of about 193.2 kilometers is one of the world's finest natural harbors. The fourth lowest spot in the world ins the Philippine Deep, situated off northeastern Mindanao. It is only a little less deep than the Marianas Deep, just east of Luzon, and is about 10,539 meters deep. Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, can easily be submerged in it, with 1.6 kilometers of space to spare.
The Philippines has four major plains
• Central Luzon Plain is the largest lowland area in the north and is considered the rice granary of the Philippines.
• Cagayan Valley, in Northeastern Luzon is the leading tobacco-producing region in Asia.
• Agusan-Davao Plain
• Cotabato Valley
It also has two pricipal plateaus-the Lanao-Bukidnon Plateau and the Tiruray Tableland in Maguindanao.
Volcanoes abound in the Philippines, a few of them active.
The Most Known volcanoes in the Philippines
• Mayon in Albay
• Iraya in Batanes Islands
• Taal in Batangas
• Banahaw in Quezon
• Apo in Davao del Sur
• Makaturing in Lanao del Sur
• Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin Island
• Isarog in Camarines Sur
• Bulusan in Sorsogon.
Among these, Mayon is the most active and the most famous, with its nearly perfect cone rising above the surrounding landscape that it enriches with its occasional eruptions.
Of the many scenic waterfalls in the country, the best known are Pagsanjan falls and Botocan Falls in Laguna, Hinulugang Taktak in Rizal, Tamaraw Falls in Oriental Mindoro, and Maria Cristina Falls-the tallest and most beautiful of them all-in Lanao del Norte.
Mineral springs are plentiful in the Philippines too. Best known among these are Tiwi Hot Springin Albay; Los Baños, Pansol, and Bumbungan Hot Springs in Laguna; the Pandi and Sibul Hot Springs in Bulacan; and the Magsingal Spring in Ilocos Sur.
There are some 59 lakes in the country. Lake Dagatan in Quezon is said to be the smallest of these lakes.
The Six Largest Philippine Lakes
• Laguna de Bay - pronounced as ba-I,a rich source of fish and shellfish and is Manila's source of these items.
• Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur
• Lake Taal in Batangas - surrounded by fertile agricultural land; it is a lake at the top of an extinct volcano, and there is another volcano in the middle of the lake.
• Lake Mainit in Surigao del Norte - the crater of an extinct volcano and got its name from the many hot springs along its shores.
• Lake Naujan in Oriental Mindoro - abounds in ducks and edible shells as well as freshwater fish.
• Lake Buluan in Sultan Kudarat
• Lake Bito in Leyte
About the Philippines
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