Philippines
Philippines: population, cities
Population
According to
Countryaah website, the Philippines has a population of around 107 million.
Ethnic composition
The following figures are rounded up or down:
- 28% Tagalog
- 13% Cebuano
- 9% Llocano
- 7.5% Bisaya/Binisaya
- 7.5% Hiligaynon Ilonggo
- 6% Bikol
- 3.5% Waray
- 25.5% others
Religious affiliation
83% Roman Catholic (approx. 83 million).
The Catholic Church of the Philippines is divided into 16 archbishoprics with 62
dioceses. The largest diocese is that of the Archdocese of Cebu with almost 4
million Catholics.
9% Protestants
5% Muslims
3% Buddhists
National
languages Official languages: Filipino (based on Tagalog) and
English;
English is the business language; numerous local languages and dialects are in
use;
Spanish is hardly spoken.
In 1762, the English language was introduced by English settlers.
Today the Philippines is the third largest English speaking nation after the USA
and the United Kingdom (UK).
Capital, other cities
The capital of the Philippines is Manila with a population of approx. 12
million.
Other cities are:
- With an area of 2,211 km², Davao City is
the largest city in the Philippines and has around 1.5 million residents.
- Quezon City is the second largest city in the
Philippines with around 2.8 million residents.
- Kalookan City has around 1.5 million
residents.
- Cebu City is the oldest city in the
country and has a population of around 870,000. The city is the seat of the
largest archdiocese in the Philippines
Philippines: geography, map
Defined by DigoPaul, the Philippines are an island nation and are located in Southeast Asia. The
country's islands cover a total area of around 300,000 km², of which 298,170
km² are land and 1,830 km² are water.
Thereof:
- Forest
Around 35% of the country is forested.
- Agricultural land
Around 40% of the land is used as arable land or fields, particularly for
growing rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, coconuts, bananas, oranges,
mangoes, sugar cane and tobacco.
- Other areas 25% (e.g. cities, roads, airport ports, military sites)
Islands of the country
The Philippines are made up of the three island groups Visayas, Luzon in the
north and Mindanao in the south with a total of 7,640 islands.
About 1,000 of the islands are larger than 1 km² and about 460 are larger than
2.5 km².
Only the following main islands are larger than 2,500 km²:
The Philippines claim the Spralty Islands,
also called the Kalayann Islands. The islands are also claimed by China,
Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam at the same time. The approx. 600 small islets are
located northwest of Brunei and are rich in raw materials.
Coastline
The Philippines has a coastline of around 36,290 km. The second deepest sea
trench in the world is the Minanao Trench, also known as the "Philippine
Depth". It is 10,297 m deep.
In 1927 the German ship "Emden" sank here.
Longitude and latitude
The Philippines extend over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation
Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
| Δφ = from around 05 ° to 21 ° north latitude
Δλ = from around 117 ° to 126 ° east longitude |
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and
Latitude.
Legal time
For the Philippines, the following value applies to Central European Time
(CET), i.e. the time without summer time. A minus sign means that it is earlier
there, a plus sign that it is later than CET:
Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones,
time.
Highest sun in Manila
Manila is located at a northern latitude of around φ = 14.5 ° (14 ° 30 ') and
thus in the middle of the tropics.
If the declination δ of the sun has the value of 14 ° 30 'north and the image
point of the sun is thus exactly above the city, the sun is perpendicular
there. This happens exactly twice a year, roughly 35 days before June 21st and
35 days after June 21st.
Attention
If the image point of the sun and thus the declination δ is north of the
latitude of Manila, the sun is not in the south at noon, as in our latitudes,
but in the north. In this case, the sun moves from east to north to west, where,
like us, it sets.
Mountains
Mount Apo
The highest mountain in the country is Mount Apo, a dormant volcano on Mindanao
with a height of 2,954 m.
It belongs to one of the volcanic chain called Central Mindanao Arc, which also
includes the Latukan and the Ragang. The Latukan is a 2,338 m high stratovolcano
that was probably active in the early Holocene period.
The Holocene began around 11,700 years ago and continues to this day..
Other high mountains are:
- Mt. Pulog with a height of 2,928 m.
- Mt Klatungan with a height of 2,896 m.
- Mt Tabayog with a height of 2,842 m.
About 20 of the numerous volcanoes in the country are still more or less
active.
Active volcanoes
About 20 of the numerous volcanoes in the country are still more or less
active or have been in the last few centuries. Some are presented here:
Pinatubo
The Pinatubo is located relatively centrally on the island of Luzon - about 95
km north-northwest of Manila. Before its last severe eruption in 1991, the
mountain was 1,745 m high - today it is 1,485 m. Until its eruption in 1991, the
volcano was considered extinct. When it erupted on June 15, 1991, around 900
people were killed and numerous houses and fields were destroyed by pyroclastic
avalanches, ash rain and lahars. The last documented eruption before that
occurred in 1380.
Mayon
The Mayon is located in the southeastern part of the island of Luzon - approx.
325 km southeast of Manila. The volcano is a so-called stratovolcano with a
height of around 2,465 m. The volcano erupted over 50 times in the past 500
years. The last serious outbreak took place in 1993 with around 80 deaths. A
particularly devastating eruption in 1814 claimed around 1,250 lives - in
addition, the city of Cagsawa was almost completely destroyed by lava flows. In
2006, over 30,000 people were temporarily evacuated out of fear of another
outbreak.
Babuyan Claro
The Babuyan Claro is located on the Babuyan Islands in the Luzon Strait north of
the main island of Luzon. The Babuyan Claro is a stratovolcano with a height of
around 845 m.
Taal
The Taal volcano is located on the island of Luzon - approx. 65 km south of
Manila - and lies in the lake of the same name. The volcano has a height of
around 400 m.
Banahaw (Banahao)
With a height of around 2,160 m, the Banahaw is the highest volcano of the
nearby San Christobal volcanoes and the 1875 m high Banahaw de Lucban.
Banahaw de Lucban
The Banahaw de Lucban has a height of 1,875 m and is located near the two
volcanoes Banahaw (Banahao) and San Christobal near Manila
San Christobal
The San Christobal has a height of 1,480 m and is located near the two volcanoes
Banahaw (Banahao) and Banahaw de Lucban near Manila
Bulusan
The Bulusan (Mount Bulusan) is located on the southern part of the island of
Luzon - about 65 kilometers southeast of the Mayon volcano. The volcano has a
height of 1,565 m. The last eruption of the volcano, which caused no known
casualties, lasted from the end of July 2007 to October of the same year.
Iriga
Mount Iriga is 1,195 m high and is located in the interior of the Bicol
Peninsula - the southern part of Luzon, around 30 km northwest of Mount
Mayon. In 1641 there was a major earthquake on Bicol, as a result of which parts
of Mt. Iriga collapsed. It was created during the quake by the damming of a
smaller river (Buhi), Lake Buhi.
Canlaon
The Canlaon (Kanlaon) is a 2,435 m high stratovolcano on the island of Negros,
about 36 km southeast of Bacolod. Negros belongs to the Visayas archipelago. The
mountain is part of Mt. Kanla-on National Park and is very popular with climbers
from all over the world. In August 1996, three mountaineers (two Filipinos and
one British) were fatally exposed to an unexpected outbreak - however 17 other
mountaineers were rescued.
Hibok-Hibok
The Vukan is located on the 230 km² about 10 km north of Mindanao Camiguin
Island. The name of the Vukansdem composed the sound that boiling lava is said
to cause.
It had its strongest known active phase since records began from September 1948
to 1953. The small eruption in 1948 left no damage, but sulfur mining in the
crater was stopped. In 1949, 79 people died in a more violent outbreak. On the
morning of December 4, 1951, the volcano erupted unexpectedly again, lava flowed
down the slope and triggered landslides. In particular, a pyroclastic current at
800 °C that struck Mambajao, charred or mummified over 500 people in
seconds. The death toll has never been precisely determined, but is believed to
be over 3,000. A total of almost 19 km² of land was devastated. Many fled the
island, whose population halved dramatically and only almost returned to its old
level in 1995.
Ragang
The Rangang is located on the island of Mindanao. The approximately 2,815 m high
stratovolcano had its last eruptions in 1873 and 1916.
The volcano belongs to one of the volcanic chains called Central Mindanao Arc,
which also includes the Latukan and Mount Apo.
Parker
The Parker is a 1,824 m high stratovolcano, the last eruption of which occurred
in 1641. It is located on the island of Minanao and was named after the US
General Frank Parker.
It is located about 30 west of General Santos City. Worth mentioning is the
large summit caldera (crater) with the approximately 3.04 km² Maughan Lake in
its center.
on September 26, 1995, parts of the crater walls broke and about 30 million m³
of water poured over the north-western slope of the volcano with a 6 m high
tidal wave. Around 100 people lost their lives in the process.
Rivers
Cagayan
The longest river in the country is the Cagayan on the island of Luzon with a
length of around 350 km. it flows into the Pacific at Aparri.
Abra River
The Abra River is around 178 km long and has its source near Mount Data in the
Benguet province on Luzon.
Chico
The river is known for its white water rides
Pampanga River
The Pampanga River flows from the Pantabangan Dam through central Luzon until it
flows into the approximately 1,995 km² large Manila Bay. For example, Manila Bay
was the site of a naval battle during the Spanish-American War in 1898
Bicol
The approximately 150 km long Bicol River rises at Mount Labo in the province of
Bicol in the southeast of the island of Luzon and flows after approximately 150
km in a southeast direction into Lake Bato. The lake is located in the city of
the same name in the southeast of Luzon.
Lakes
Laguna de Bay
The largest lake in the Philippines is Laguna de Bay on Luzon with an area of
194 km². The lake is located in the southeast of Manila Bay. The lake's
outflow is the Pasig River, which flows into Manila Bay.
Lake Lanao
With an area of km², Lake Lanao is the second largest lake and also the
deepest. He is on
Lake Taal
The sulphurous Lake Taal (Taalsee) is the third largest lake in the Philippines
and is located on the island of Luzon - around 65 km south of Manila. The lake
is located in a basin that was formed as a result of a volcanic eruption around
500,000 to 100,000 years ago. The lake covers an area of 234 km² - with a
maximum depth of 171 m. in the middle there is a volcano of the same name.
Lake Sebu
The lake has an area of 3.54 km² - with a maximum depth of 34 m. It is located
in the province of South Cotabato on the island of Mindanao.
Lake Bato
The lake is located in the city of the same name in the southeast of Luzon. The
lake covers an area of 2.8 ha - at a depth of 10 m. The Bicol River flows into
the lake.
Lake Danao
This lake covers an area of 1.48 km². The lake is located on Leyte Island in
the middle of Lake Danao National Park. Leyte Island is about 70 km north of
Mindanao.
Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea
Sulu
Sea The Sulu Sea is located in the middle of the Philippine Islands, from which
it is literally framed. In the north it borders on Mindoro, in the west on
Visayas and Mindanao, in the south on the north of Malaysia on Borneo and in the
west on Palawan. In the southeast it merges into the Celebes Sea. The greatest
depth is 7,025 m. In the middle of the Sulu Sea are the Tubbataha Atolls, which
form a large, continuous reef. The atolls, which only protrude from the water at
low tide, were around 170 km southeast of the capital of the island of Talaban
(Puerto Princesa) and around 360 km in a northeastern direction from the
northern tip of Malaysia. Parts of the Sulu Sea are among the most dangerous sea
areas in the world because of the pirates there.
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea, also known as Sulawesi Sea, is one of the numerous marginal
seas of the Pacific Ocean. The sea is bounded in the south by the Indonesian
island of Sulawesi, in the west by Borneo and in the northeast by Mindanao. In
the south it is connected to the Java Sea by the Strait of Makassar. The name
comes from the port city of Makassar in the south of the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi. The Celebes Sea has an average depth of 5,000 m - with a maximum depth
off the south coast of Mindanao of 6,220 m. Its area is approx. 280,000 km².
Philippine Sea, South China Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is an approx. 5 million km² large marginal sea of the
Pacific. With a maximum depth of approx. 10,540 m in the Philippinengraben -
which stretches along the western edge of the sea - it is one of the deepest
seas in the world.
The Philippine Sea is bounded in the north by Japan, in the northeast the Ryūkyū
Islands separate the Philippine Sea from the East China Sea, in the south Palau
forms its border, in the east the Mariana Islands form the three volcanic
islands belonging to Japan (main island: Iwojima) Japanese Ogasawara-guntō
(Bonin Islands) and in the northeast the Japanese Izu Islands make the
transition to the Pacific.
South China Sea
The Philippines borders the South China Sea to the west.
The South China Sea is part of the China Sea and one of the marginal seas of the
Pacific Ocean. The sea includes the Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin. It
covers an area of around 2,975,000 km "- with a maximum depth of 5,025 m. A
detailed description of the South China Sea can be found here >>>
In addition to Indonesia, the following states are located on the South China
Sea: Brunei, Hong Kong (People's Republic of China), Cambodia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
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