Philippine Islands

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, an archipelago, named after Philip II. of Spain, of approximately 7,083 islands, belonging to the United States, about Soo m. off the S.E. coast of Asia, between lat. 4° 41' and 21° io' N., and long. 116° 4o' and 126° 34' E. To the west and north is the stormy China sea, east the Pacific ocean, and south the Sea of Celebes and the coastal waters of Borneo. They extend north and south about 1,152 m. and east and west about 688 m., their shape, if bounded by straight lines, being about that of an isosceles triangle, and their area 114,400 sq.m., or about 7,000 sq.m. less than that of Great Britain. The northernmost island, Y'Ami, is 65 m. from Formosa, while the southernmost, Saluag, is 3o m. E. of Borneo. Of the islands only 462 have an area of i sq.m. or over and only 2,441 have names. Eleven islands have an area of over i,000 sq.m. each, namely, Luzon, the most northerly of the large islands, 40,814 sq.m.; Mindanao, the most southerly, 36,906 sq.m. ; Samar, 5,124 sq.m., Negros, 4,983 sq.m. ; Palawan, sq.m. ; Panay, 4,448 sq.m., Mindoro, 3,794 sq.m. ; Leyte, 2,799 sq.m.; Cebu, 1,695 sq.m.; Bohol, 1,534 sq•m.; and Masbate, 1,255 square miles. In addition to the large islands and those with distinct names are various groups, among which may be noted the Babuyanes and Batanes, north of Luzon; the Bisayas (or Visayas) between Luzon and Mindanao; the Cagayan and the Calamian groups, respectively east and north of Palawan; and the Sulu archipelago, of 272 islands, the chief of which is Jolo.

Physical Features.

The irregular configuration of the archi pelago, the coastline of over 12,500 m., the great extent of moun tainous country with the mountains lying close to the sea in many places, the narrow and interrupted coastal plains, the generally northward trend of the river systems and the lakes comprise the salient physical features of the Philippines. The islands are partly of volcanic and coral or other formation. The mountain ranges for the most part run in the general direction of the main axes of the islands. The Cordillera Central of Luzon, running north to the Pacific ocean from the northern boundary of the central plain, is the most prominent chain. It consists of two, and, in places, of three, parallel ranges, each of which averages 5,900 f t. in height. The narrow Ilocos or Malaya Range, lying close along the narrow west coast, rises in places to over 5,000 ft., and the Sierra Madre, fringing the north-east coast, to over 5,000 f t., and is seldom less than 3,500 feet. It is largely vol canic. This range and the Cordillera Central coalesce in Nueva Vizcaya forming the Caraballo mountains. North of the latter and between the two ranges is the fertile Cagayan valley, about 5o m. wide. In the south-western part of northern Luzon are the

rugged Zambales mountains, which consist of more or less isolated old volcanic stocks. The central plain of northern Luzon is about 150 by 5o m. and only about 1 oo ft. above sea-level except near its centre. The greater part of Southern Luzon is occupied by isolated volcanoes and irregular masses of hills and mountains. The highest peak is Mayon (7,9oo ft.) near Legazpi in Albay Province. Through Palawan (about 15 m. wide) extends a range with an average height of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. Each of the Bisayan islands, except Samar and Bohol, is traversed longitudinally by a single range with occasional spurs. Several peaks in Panay reach an altitude of 6,000 ft. or over. In Negros is Mt. Canlaon, a volcano of 7,800 ft., and other peaks reach an altitude of over 6,000 feet. There are several important ranges in Mindanao, the Divata Range along the eastern coast being the most prominent.

West of this lies the fertile Agusan valley, 40 or 5o m. wide. Farther west and south-west is the valley of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the largest river in the island, and below the lower course of this river and the southern coast lies a range trending north-west and south-east. On the southern border of the basin of the above river is Mt. Apo (9,610 ft.), the highest peak in the Philippines. About Lake Lanao are a number of volcanic peaks. A low cordillera extends into Zamboanga Province. Many of the mountains are covered with dense forests in which are many valu able hardwood timbers. In northern Luzon, the principal moun tain tree is the pine. In many places where the forests have been burned away, their place has been taken by cogon or other coarse grasses. The plains lying amid the mountains, e.g., the central plain of Luzon, the Bikol plain of south-eastern Luzon, the Cagayan plain of northern Luzon, the central plain of Panay and the Agusan and Cotobato valleys in Mindanao, have the densest populations of the islands except in Cebu, where the people live mostly on the coastal plain, as the interior is high and rugged. The most important rivers are the Cagayan, Agno, Pampanga, Pasig and Bikol in Luzon; and the Rio Grande de Mindanao and Agusan in Mindanao. The Cagayan flowing north ward through northern Luzon, and draining about one-fourth of the island, is the largest river. This river and the Rio Grande de Mindanao and the Agusan are each over 200 m. long. The Pasig is a most important river commercially. The largest lake in the archipelago is Laguna (Lake) de Bay, located very near Manila.