LANDSCAPE  AND  CLIMATE
The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Taiwan and China lie to the north. To the east is the ocean. Indonesia is due south, while the South China and Sulu seas lie to the north west. Only 2,773 of the Phillipine islands are named. The three largest are Luzon, where the capital is located, Visayas and Mindanao. All together, the country's 11 largest islands contain 95% of the population. The remaining islands are mostly uninhabited jungle.

The Philippines lies along a mountain chain that runs from Siberia through the South China Sea and down into Australia. The islands are the top of this range; most of the country is mountainous, with high peaks, waterfalls, jungles and superb valleys along the narrow coastlines. Mount Apo, a dormant volcano on Mindanao, is the country's highest peak at 3,143 metres. There are over 200 volcanoes on the islands, though only 23 are currently active. Hot springs bubble from the earth, and the country experiences frequent earthquakes.

Offshore, waters teem with shellfish, squid, sharks, dolphins and swordfish. The islands' forests grow quickly and contain rare, valuable hardwoods such as mahogany, while swamps are dense with mangrove and palm trees. The fertile volcanic soil and tropical climate are also ideal for growing products such as rice, sugarcane, pineapple, bananas and coconuts. Hundreds of orchid and bougainvillea varieties colour the landscape. The country's abundant wildlife includes lizards, monkeys, peacocks, parrots, cobras and eagles. Mammals like the tamaraw, a smaller relative of the water buffalo, are indigenous.

Because the Phlippines lies in the tropics, it has only two seasons: wet and dry. The wet season, from June to October, brings frequent heavy rains, typhoons and high humidity. Landslides linked to deforestation have become a problem during the rainy season.

The dry season, from March to May, is usually hot. The most pleasant period is from November to February, when the warm days are cooled by sea breezes and temperatures range between 20 and 28°C.


  Did you know?
With a wing span of two metres, the country's national bird is the haribon eagle-popularly known as the monkey-eating eagle, though the name literally means "king of birds." Indigenous to Mindanao Island, the eagle is the world's second-largest in its species and is capable of catching a monkey for its prey.