The Philippines is one of the largest archipelagos in the world. the independent republic of Southeast Asia is composed of over 7,100 islands, 7,107 to be exact. There are about 500 of the islands are larger than 1 one square mile, and 2,500 aren't even named. Surrounded by seas and oceans, The Philippines are bounded in the west and South China Sea, on the east by the Pacific Ocean and the south by the Bashi Cannel. The biggests island are Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Samar, Panay, Cebu,Palawan, Leyte, Bohol and Masbate.

The islands are clustered into three geographic area. Luzon is in the north, Visayas is in the middle and Mindanao is in the south. For organizational purposes, the country is divided into 15 regions. The regions are further divided into provinces; the provinces into cities and municipalities; and these latter two into barangays. The barangays are the smallest political unit in the country. The capital of the Philippines is Manila in the island of Luzon. This urban center is part of Metro Manila which covers 4 cities and 13 municipalities.

Aside from the long and irregular coastline, another distinctive geographic feature of the Philippines is the ruggedness of the land mass: its is criss-crossed by great mountain ranges which forms imposing ramparts around the plains and valleys. These rivers serve as waterways for medium sized and ocean going vessels and native boats.

Number of Islands

7,107

Inhibited Islands

2,000

Named Islands

2,500

Large Islands

11

Volcanoes

37

Active Volcanoes

18

Harbors

61

Landlocked Straits

20

Area

191,000 sq

Irrigated Land

16,200 sq km

North to South

687 mi

East to West

1,156 mi

Arable land

26%

Permanent crops

11%

Meadows & pastures

4%

Forest & woodland

40%

Others

19%

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