PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, lie to the n. of Borneo and Celebes, in 5° 30' to 19° 42' n. lat., and 117° 14' to 126° 4' e. long. They are more than 1200 in number, with an area of about 1,50,000 sq. miles. Pop. '76, 6,173,632, three-fourths of whom are subject to Spain, tie remainder governed, according to their own laws and customs, by independ ent native princes.
Luzon, in the n. has an area of 51,300 sq. m., and Mindanao, or Magindanao, in the s . fully The islands lying between Luzon and Mindanao are called the Bissayas, Lie largest which are—Samar, area 13,020 sq.m.; Mindoro, 12.600; Panay, 11,340; Leyte. 10,0S0; Negros, 6,300; Masbate, 4,200; and Zebu, 2,332. There are upwards of a thousand lesser islands of which little is known. To the s.w. of the Bissayas lies the I mg. narrow island of Paragoa or Palawan, formedlof a mountain-chain with low coast liaes. out with numerous streams, and exceedingly fertile. The forests abound in ebony, log-wood, gum-trees, and bamboos. Area, 8,320 sq. miles. To the n. of Luzon lie the B•tanen, Bashee, and Babuyan islands, the two first groups having about 8,000 inhabi tants, the last unpeopled.
The Sooloo islands form a long chain from Mindanao to Borneo, having the same mountainous and volcanic structure as the Philippine islands, and all are probably frag ments of a submerged continent. Many active volcanoes are scattered through the Mayon, in Luzon, and Buhayan, in Mindanao, often causing great devastation. The mountain-chains run n. and s., and never attain a greater elevation than 7,000 feet.
The islands have many rivers, the coasts are indented with deep bays, and there are many lakes in the interior. Earthquakes are frequent and destructive, Manila, the capital, having been nearly destroyed by one in 1863. On Feb. 3, 1864 another terrific earthquake visited the province) of Zamboanga, in Mindanao, leveling all the houses to the ground, and causing some of the smaller islands to disappear. The soil is extremely fertile, except where extensive marshes occur. In Mindanao are numerous lakes, which expand during the rainy seasons into inland seas. Rain may be expected from May to December, and from June to November the laird is flooded. Violent hurricanes are experienced in the D. of Luzon and w. coast of Mindanao. Especially during the changes of the monsoons, storms of wind, rain, thunder and lightning prevail. The weather is very fine, and heat moderate, from December to May, when the temperature rapidly rises and becomes oppressive, except for a short time after a fall of rain. The
fertility of the soil and humid atmosphere produce a richness of vegetation which is nowhere surpassed. Blossoms and fruit hang together on the trees, and the cultivated fields yield a constant succession of crops.
Immense forests spread over the Philippine islands, clothing the mountains to their summits; ebony, iron-wood, cedar, sapan-wood, gum-trees, etc., being laced together and garlanded by the bush-rope or palasan, which attains a length of several hundred feet. The variety of fruit-trees is great, ineluding the orange, citron, bread fruit, mango, cocoa-nut, guava, tamarind, rose-apple, etc.; other important products of the vegetable kingdom being the banana, plantain, pine-apple, sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, indigo, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, cassia, the areca-nut, ginger, pepper, etc., with rice, wheat, maize, and various other cereals.
Gold is found in river-beds and detrital deposits, being used, in form of dust, as the medium of exchange in Mindanao. Iron is plentiful, and tine coal-beds, from one to four feet thick, have been found. Copper lies long been worked in Luzon. There are also limestone, a fine variegated marble, sulphur in unlimited quanity, quicksilver, ver milion, and saltpeter—the sulphur' being found both native and in combination with copper, arsenic, and iron.
Except the wild cat, beasts of prey are unknown, There are oxen, buffaloes, sheep, goats, swine, harts, squirrels, and a great variety of monkeys. The jungles swarm with lizards, snakes, and other reptilia; the rivers and lakes with crocodiles. Huge spiders, tarantulas, white ants, mosquitoes, and locusts are plague which form a set-off to the beautiful the brilliant queen-beetle (dater nocalucus), the melody of myriads of birds, the turtle-doves, pheasants, birds of paradise, and many lovely species of paro quets, with which the forests are alive. "Hives of wild bees hang front the branches, and alongside of them are the nests of hummingbirds dangling in the wind." The caverns along the shores are frequented by the swallow, whose edible nest is esteemed by the Chinese a rich delicacy. Some of them are also tenanted by multitudes of lints of immense size. Buffaloes are used for tillage and draught; a small horse for riding. Fowls are plentiful, and•incredible numbers of ducks are artificially hatched. Fish is in great abundance and variety. Mother-of-pearl, coral, amber, and tortoise shell are important articles of commerce.