Cedrick Macua

Physical Features of the

Philippines
From the air the Philippines is seen as a series of mountain slopes softened by tropical growth
and interrupted by cultivated plains and terraces, as well as by inland seas and channels. Except
in Luzon and Mindanao, no portion of the archipelago is much more than 50 miles (80 km) from
the water. It is a land whose mineral resources are inadequately mapped, but whose volcanic soil
is constantly being eroded because of reckless farming methods and deforestation.

Physical Features
The Philippine Islands are the tops of underwater mountains formed by outpourings of molten
materials from the earth's interior. Consequently, igneous rock appears throughout most of the
archipelago. Submergence of the entire area, after formation of these mountains, resulted in the
deposit of various marine sediments over the lava underlay. The process of mountain forming
has not stopped, as is indicated by recurring earth tremors and volcanic action. One of the most
unstable parts of the earth's crust, the Philippines lies between the continental periphery of
Southeast Asia and the Philippine (Mindanao) Trench. Descending 34,440 feet (10,497 meters)
below sea level, the Philippine Trench is one of the deepest parts of any ocean.
Large expanses of level land are rare, although it has been estimated that with terracing nearly
half of the Philippines is potentially arable. The largest lowlands are on Luzon and Mindanao.
Foremost is the Central Plain in western Luzon, which extends over 100 miles (160 km) from
Lingayen Gulf south to Manila Bay. The plain continues southward into the volcanic hills
beyond Batangas and Laguna provinces and averages 40 miles (65 km) in width. Cagayan Valley
in the extreme northeastern portion of Luzon, between the Cordillera Central and the Sierra
Madre, is equally fertile and an important rice-growing area. In Mindanao, inside the coastal
highlands on the east, an alluvial plain extends from the Agusan River in the north to Davao in
the south. The Cotabato Valley occupies southwestern Mindanao, and north of this valley at an
elevation of 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600–900 meters) lies the fertile Bukidnon Plateau.
Of the seven largest Visayan islands—Samar, Negros, Panay, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, and
Masbate—only Bohol and Masbate, which are plateaus, escape the presence of dividing, high,
central mountains. The largest stretches of flatlands run from the northern coast of Panay to the
city of Iloilo, and along the western part of Negros Occidental province. Among outlying islands
Palawan is undeveloped, largely because of its mountainous terrain. The islands of the Sulu
group are uncultivated because arable land is scarce.
The small area of the islands precludes extensive river systems. Most rivers are less than 20
miles (30 km) long, turbulent, and seasonal in their flow. The largest, the Cagayan, is only 200
miles (320 km) long. Other major rivers are the Agno, Pampanga, Pasig, and Bicol in Luzon, and
the Rio Grande de Mindanao and Agusan in Mindanao. The short Pasig River is important
because of the shipping it carries through Metropolitan Manila.

Relief

Outstanding physical features of the Philippines include the irregular configuration of the
archipelago, the coastline of some 22,550 miles (36,290 km), the great extent of mountainous
country, the narrow and interrupted coastal plains, the generally northward trend of the river
systems, and the spectacular lakes. The islands are composed primarily of volcanic rock and
coral, but all principal rock formations are present. The mountain ranges for the most part run in
the same general direction as the islands themselves, approximately north to south.

The Cordillera Central, the central mountain chain of Luzon, running north to the Luzon
Strait from the northern boundary of the central plain, is the most prominent range. It consists of
two and in places three parallel ranges, each with an average elevation of about 5,900 feet (1,800
metres). The Sierra Madre, extending along the Pacific coast from northern to central Luzon, is
the longest mountain range in the country. That range and the Cordillera Central merge in north-
central Luzon to form the Caraballo Mountains. To the north of the latter, and between the two
ranges, is the fertile Cagayan Valley. The narrow Ilocos, or Malayan, range, lying close along the
west coast of northern Luzon, rises in places to elevations above 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) and is
seldom below 3,500 feet (1,000 metres); it is largely volcanic. In the southwestern part of
northern Luzon are the rugged Zambales Mountains, consisting of more or less isolated old
volcanic stocks (rock formed under great heat and pressure deep beneath the Earth’s surface).
Most of the central plain of Luzon, about 150 by 50 miles (240 by 80 km), is only about 100 feet
(30 metres) above sea level. The greater part of southern Luzon is occupied by isolated
volcanoes and irregular masses of hills and mountains. The highest peak is Mayon
Volcano (8,077 feet [2,462 metres)]), near the city of Legaspi (Legazpi) in Albay province on the
island’s Bicol Peninsula in the southeast.
The island of Palawan is about 25 miles (40 km) wide and more than 250 miles (400 km) long;
through it extends a range with an average elevation of 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500
metres). Each of the Visayan Islands except Samar and Bohol is traversed longitudinally by a
single range with occasional spurs. Several peaks on Panay and Negros reach a height of 6,000
feet (1,800 metres) or more. Mount Canlaon(Canlaon Volcano), on Negros, rises to 8,086 feet
(2,465 metres).
There are several important ranges on Mindanao; the Diuata (Diwata) Mountains along the
eastern coast are the most prominent. To the west lies another range that stretches from the
centre of the island southward. Farther west the Butig Mountains trend northwestward from the
northeastern edge of the Moro Gulf. A range also runs northwest-southeast along the
southwestern coast. Near Mindanao’s south-central coast is Mount Apo, which at 9,692 feet
(2,954 metres) is the highest peak in the Philippines. A number of volcanic peaks surround Lake
Sultan Alonto (Lake Lanao), and a low cordillera extends through the Zamboanga Peninsula in
the far west.
Although volcanoes are a conspicuous feature of the landscape, there is relatively little volcanic
activity. There are altogether about 50 volcanoes, of which more than 10 are known to be
active. Mount Pinatubo on Luzon, once regarded as extinct, was in 1991 the site of one of the
world’s largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. All gradations of volcanoes can be seen,
from the almost perfect cone of Mayon, which has been compared to Mount Fuji in Japan, to old,
worn-down volcanic stocks, the present forms of which give little indication of their origin. The
several distinct volcanic areas are in south-central and southern Luzon and on the islands of
Negros, Mindanao, Jolo, and elsewhere. Tremors and earthquakes are common.

Drainage

The most important rivers of the Philippines are the Cagayan, Agno, Pampanga, Pasig, and Bicol
on Luzon and the Mindanao (Río Grande de Mindanao) and Agusan on Mindanao. The northern
plain between the Sierra Madre and the Cordillera Central is drained by the Cagayan, while the
central plain is drained in the north by the Agno and in the south by the Pampanga. The Pasig,
which flows through the city of Manila, was once commercially important as a nexus for
interisland trade but is no longer navigable except by small craft; heavy pollution has required
significant cleanup efforts. Most of the Bicol Peninsula lies in the Bicol basin. On Mindanao the
Agusan drains the fertile lands of the island’s northeastern quadrant, while the Mindanao
River drains the Cotabato Valley in the southwest. One of the Philippines’ most unique
waterways lies underground, emerging directly into the ocean at Puerto PrincesaSubterranean
River National Park on the island of Palawan; the park was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1999.
The largest lake in the archipelago, with an area of 356 square miles (922 square km), is Laguna
de Bay, on the island of Luzon. Also on Luzon and just to the southwest of Laguna de Bay
is Taal Lake, which occupies 94 square miles (244 square km) inside a volcanic crater; a
volcanic cone emerges from the lake’s centre. Lake Sultan Alonto on Mindanao is the country’s
second largest lake, covering an area of 131 square miles (340 square km).

Soils
In the 880 arable islands three broad groupings of soil are recognized. The most fertile soils are
those that developed from the weathering of relatively recent volcanic materials. But areas with
this type of soil tend to be poorly drained. Artificial drainage is often necessary for the growing
of crops such as sugarcane. The second most fertile type resulted from the weathering of deep
deposits of marine or river sediment. Such soil is high in lime content, as is most of Cebu island,
for example. But because limestone is porous, it loses some of its fertility through rapid water
drainage. The third major soil group occurs on floodplains and highland deltas. These alluvial
deposits are deep, and most lowland rice is planted in them.
While the soil resource is adequate, soil conservation is not. Fertilization, contour plowing, and
crop rotation are all minimal. Three fourths of the farmland shows serious soil erosion, caused
mainly by the widely practiced slash-and-burn method of the kainginero (forest-burner), who
clears trees recklessly in order to plant temporary crops.

Climate
At sea level throughout the islands, the temperature averages about 80° F (27° C). The humidity
is high, and for every 300-foot (90-meter) rise in elevation, the temperature decreases
approximately 1 Fahrenheit degree (0.55 Celsius degree). Thus Baguio, on Luzon, is usually 15
to 20 Fahrenheit degrees (8–11 Celsius degrees) cooler than the lowlands; Bukidnon and Lanao,
on Mindanao, are 5 to 10 Fahrenheit degrees (3–6 Celsius degrees) cooler than the coast. The
islands consequently can supply themselves with both tropical and temperate-zone fruits and
vegetables.
Rainfall is heavy and varies according to area and season. One area may receive less than 40
inches (1,000 mm) of rain per year, while another may receive more than 200 inches (5,000
mm). Generally, the east receives abundant rain all year, with the greatest amount falling from
October to April. Air from the Indian Ocean condenses into monsoon rains, which fall on the
west and southwest slopes of the mountains from June to November. In addition, approximately
15 to 20 typhoons, or baguios, approaching from the vicinity of the Mariana Islands to the
southeast, lash the Philippines during summer and autumn. While the annual rainfall of Baguio,
for example, is between 43 and 170 inches (1,100–4,300 mm), during a typhoon the city can
receive as much as 72 inches (1,800 mm) in 72 hours. Much damage is caused by the winds and
heavy downpours and frequent flooding, as in central Luzon in 1972.