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Philippines: Philippines Geography Profile 2012

2012/03/27

Philippines Geography Profile 2012

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

Comparison to the world:

Land:

298,170 sq km

Water:

1,830 sq km

Area comparative:

slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries Total:

0km

Land boundaries Note:

Coastline

Value:

36,289 km

Note:

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

Climate:

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

Kind:

arable land

Percentage:

19%

Year:

2005

Kind:

permanent crops

Percentage:

16,67%

Kind:

other

Percentage:

64,3%

Irrigated land

Value:

15,500 sq km

Year:

2003

Total renewable water resources

Value:

479 cu km

Year:

1999

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

Total:

28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)

Per capital:

343 cu m/yr

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

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