Philippines. Natural conditions and resources

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- a state in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, lying on the Philippine Islands, which are part of Malay Archipelago. In the east it is washed by the Philippine Sea, in the south - by the Celebes Sea, in the west - by the South China Sea. The state is located on more than 7100 islands, but most of them have an area of ​​less than 2.5 km2.

The country is named after King Philip II of Spain.

Official name: Republic of the Philippines (Pilipinas)

Capital:

The area of ​​the land: 300 thousand sq. km

Total population: 92 million people

Administrative division: Divided into 74 provinces.

Form of government: Republic.

Head of State: President elected for a term of 6 years.

Composition of the population: 80% - Filipinos, 10% - Chinese, Malays, Americans, Indians, Spaniards, as well as representatives of local peoples: Tagals, Ilocans, Moros, mestizos.

Official language: Filipino (Tagalog or Tagalog), English and Spanish are also used.

Religion: 83% of the population are Catholics, 9.5% are Protestants. The more traditional religions for this region: Islam and Buddhism account for 5 and 3% of the population, respectively.

Internet domain: .ph

Mains voltage: ~220 V, 50 Hz

Phone country code: +63

Country barcode: 480

Climate

In general, the climate of the Philippines is tropical, monsoonal, but due to the strong dissection of the relief, the different exposure of slopes in relation to wet monsoon flows and tropical cyclone routes, and the degree of remoteness of the area from the ocean, it is not uniform.

The air temperature in the Philippine Islands is stable all year round. The difference between the hottest and coolest months is 4°C in the north and even less in the south. The average annual temperature in the plains is approx. 27 ° S. Geographic latitude, in contrast to the factor absolute altitude, does not significantly affect the temperature regime.

So, in the northern part of Luzon, the climate is slightly cooler than on the islands of the Sulu archipelago located 1600 km closer to the equator. Meanwhile, in the summer on the same island, there is a sharp contrast between the hot, humid climate of the Central Lowland and the cool, temperate climate of the Central Cordillera, where the city of Baguio, the former "summer capital" of the country, is located.

The annual rainfall in the Philippines usually exceeds 2000 mm. According to the conditions of moisture (the amount and seasonal distribution of precipitation), four regions are distinguished. 1. In the eastern regions of the Philippine archipelago (east coast of Luzon, Bohol and Leyte, central and western parts of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago), precipitation falls evenly throughout the year. 2.

IN western regions countries (in the west of the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Palawan, Negros) distinguish two seasons: winter-spring dry - 50–200 mm of precipitation (October - April) and summer-autumn wet (from April to October there are intense rains caused by strong southwest winds). 3. In the north-east of Luzon, Samar Island, the east of the Leyte Islands and Mindanao, precipitation falls all year round, but their maximum occurs in November - January. During the summer and autumn months, typhoons periodically hit Luzon and the Visayas from the east and northeast.

Catastrophic floods are associated with prolonged heavy rains. The annual rainfall in this area is 2000–4000 mm. 4. Area including eastern regions the islands of Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Cebu and the northwest of Minandao Island, is characterized by an average annual rainfall of 1300-1500 mm and a relatively short dry period.

Geography

A state in Southeast Asia, located on the Philippine Islands, stretching from north to south in the western Pacific Ocean. In the north it borders with Taiwan (Bashi Strait), in the south with Malaysia (Balabak and Alice Straits) and Indonesia, from the east it is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, from the west by the South China Sea. The entire territory between the Philippine Islands is occupied by numerous inland seas and straits. The total area of ​​the country is 300 thousand square meters. km., the area of ​​​​inland water areas - more than 1.8 thousand square meters. km.

The country includes more than 7.1 thousand islands, of which about 1000 are permanently inhabited, and more than 2500 are not only not inhabited, but do not even have a name. The islands are located in three groups - north island Luzon and adjacent islands, the central Visayan group (about 6 thousand islands) and southern Mindanao with the surrounding islands.

Flora and fauna

Vegetable world

In the Philippine Islands, the floristic composition is rich and diverse, with more than 10,000 species. It includes about 3 thousand trees, 1 thousand ferns and ferns, 900 species of orchids. About 60 tree species are of commercial value. Forests occupy more than 40% of the country's territory.

The Philippines is dominated by tropical evergreen rainforests in the north and equatorial rainforests in the south. In areas of constant moisture up to a height of 500–800 m, multi-layered dipterocarp forests are widespread, in which there are many valuable tree species (tanhile, mayapis, guizo, almon, white and red luan, large-flowered dipterocarpus, yakal, narra, erythrophleum).

There are numerous epiphytes - orchids and rafflesia (the diameter of its flower reaches 1 m). Palm trees grow in the lower tier and along the edges of forests, including those with important economic importance sugar (or pinnate), fan, areca (or betel), rattan liana. Where the winter-spring dry season is pronounced, monsoon deciduous forests are common.

Evergreens grow in the upper part of the selected belt and slightly above it. oak forests with an undergrowth of palms, giving way to oak-maple-myrtle forests entwined with lianas and with mosses, lichens and orchids on tree trunks.

At altitudes of 1000–2000 m, pure pine trees grow (with island pine and Merkuza), in which such a valuable tree species as white agatis is found.

In places in the coastal strip, mangrove forests are common, consisting of spiky rhizophora, small-flowered brugiera and soneratia. On the periphery of these forests grows the nipa palm. In the course of anthropogenic activities, significant areas of virgin forests have been destroyed, as a result, many soils have been severely eroded or overgrown with tough tropical grass alang-alang (Imperata cylindrica), which locals called "cogon".

Animal world

In general, the fauna of the Philippines is characterized by high endemism and a small number of mammal species. Of the large mammals in the Philippines, there are two subspecies of the Asian buffalo - carabao and tamarau (the latter - only in central regions Father Mindoro).

Smaller mammals are somewhat more widely represented. These include five species of macaques, tarsier (a representative of the prosimians), rodents, numerous bats (about 60 species, including fruit bats that cause great damage to gardens) and shrews, as well as Javan deer (or pygmy musk deer) and porcupine living on the island of Palawan, Philippine woolly wing, pangolin lizard. Of the carnivores, there are such small animals as the short-legged mongoose, binturong (from viverrids), strange-tailed.

The abundance of reptiles (crocodiles, snakes, turtles, lizards, including geckos) is characteristic.

Several hundred bird species have been recorded in the Philippines. The avifauna is similar to Malaysian and Australian. More than 300 species of birds nest in the Philippine Islands, including a rare bird of prey from the hawk family - the harpy (lives in forests on the island of Mindanao, feeds on macaques).

The species diversity of insects is enormous, among which there are many carriers of diseases (for example, mosquitoes) and pests of agriculture (cicadas, etc.). The diversity and beauty of butterflies is striking.

More than 2 thousand species of fish are found in the seas, many of which are of commercial importance (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.). In shallow water near the Sulu Archipelago, large colonies of mollusks, including pearl mussels, are found.

Attractions

• Boracay
• Villa Escudero
• Miagao Church

Banks and currency

The monetary unit of the Philippines is the Philippine peso (PHP, code 608). 1 Philippine peso is equal to 100 centavos.

In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 pesos, as well as coins in denominations of 5, 10, 25 centavos; 1, 5 and 10 pesos.

Apart from national currency, US dollars are widely used in the Philippines. Prices for goods and services are often quoted in both pesos and dollars.

You can exchange currency in the Philippines at banks, hotels and some shops. In addition, you can use the services of private money changers, which are easy to find in shopping malls and department stores. Money changers, as a rule, offer a more favorable exchange rate than in banks, however, when working with them, there is a risk of facing fraud.

The Philippines accepts mainly US dollars, euros and pounds sterling for currency exchange. It is difficult to exchange any other currency, especially outside large cities.

Banks in the country are open from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 15.00/16.00.

Credit cards of the main systems are accepted in major cities shops, restaurants and hotels. At the same time, credit cards are practically not used in the province.

Useful information for tourists

It would be useful to know that metropolitan taxi drivers never give change. Tips are accepted on the islands - 5-10% of the bill for a taxi, hotel and restaurant services. Large stores and hotels accept credit cards main world systems and traveler's checks, their use is unlikely in the province.

2. natural conditions and resourcesRelief
mostly composed of mountains
the highest of which is the Apo volcano (2954 m),
located on the island of Mindanao
Mountain ranges - volcanic
origin, since the archipelago is located
at the junction of continental and oceanic
lithospheric plates and is part of the Pacific
fiery ring, characterized by increased
seismicity and volcanism.

Minerals

Minerals

Natural resources

Water resources

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11. Water resources

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13. 4. Climate

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17. 5. Population

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19. 6. Economy

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24. 7. Transport and communication

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26. Largest islands:

Philippines - Republic of the Philippines (Republic of the Philippines, Republika ng Pilipinas)

State in Southeast Asia. It consists of many islands located in the Pacific Ocean between Indonesia and Taiwan. The Philippines is primarily famous for its picturesque beaches And coral reefs. The islands have numerous National parks, faunal reserves and forest reserves. The Philippines has sufficient recreational resources, natural and socio-cultural. Today, the islands offer almost all types of tourism: cognitive, beach, extreme, sports, ecological.

general information

Location, territory and landscape

The Philippines occupy the Philippine Islands, which are part of the Malay Archipelago. The largest of more than 7100 islands belonging to the Philippines are Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Panay, Palawan, Negros, Mindoro, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu. The length of the Philippine archipelago from north to south is about 2000 km, from west to east - 900 km. In the west, the islands are washed by the South China Sea, in the east by the Philippine Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea, in the north the Philippine Islands are separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Strait.

Territory country is 299,764 km².

The main relief of the islands is made up of mountains, the highest of them is the Apo volcano (2954 m), which is located on the island of Mindanao. The mountain ranges are of volcanic origin, because the archipelago itself is located at the junction of the continental and oceanic lithospheric plates, it is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is characterized by increased seismicity and volcanism. A distinctive feature of the Philippines are deep-sea trenches and volcanic islands. off the coast of Mindanao one of the deepest oceans in the world Philippine trench up to 10,830 m deep.

Population: over 105 million 700 thousand people.

Capital: Manila (population 1.6 million).

Largest cities: Manila (as part of the Metro Manila conurbation), Quezon City.

Languages: the state language is Tagalog (pilipino), a significant part of the population speaks English language. Spanish (3%), Spanish-Creole Chabacano (1%), and Chinese are also common.

Religion: 80.9% of the population professes the Catholic religion, 11.6% Protestants, 5% Muslims, some Filipinos adhere to traditional beliefs.

Timezone: UTC+8.

Telephone code: +63.

Currency: Philippine peso (PHP), 1 Philippine peso = 100 centavos (centimo). 1.00 USD PHP 43.83, 1.00 EUR ≅ 59.64 PHP.

Credit cards of payment systems: Visa, MasterCard, American Express.

Climate and average temperature

The islands are characterized by a tropical, monsoonal climate, turning into subequatorial in the south. The average temperatures on the coast are 24-28 ° C, in the mountainous regions it is slightly cooler. The rainy season in the country traditionally lasts from May to November, when the southwest monsoon blows. The dry season (November to April) is pronounced in western Luzon, Palawan and the Visayas. Powerful typhoons often hit the northern regions of the country, and tsunamis are also possible. The amount of precipitation per year varies from 1000 to 4000 mm.

Flora and fauna

More than half of the territory of the Philippines is covered with tropical rainforests, dominated by palm trees, rubber trees, banyan, apitong, mayapis, lauan, bamboo, orchids, and cinnamon are also very common. At an altitude of over 1200 m above sea level, there are meadows and shrubs. Among the animals that live in the Philippine Islands, wild boar, deer, and mongoose are more common than others. The fauna of this country is characterized big variety species of birds and reptiles. In the coastal waters there are many species of fish and shellfish, among the latter, pearl mussels are especially remarkable - shellfish that are capable of forming pearls.

How to get there

The best option for getting there for tourists from Ukraine would be a flight with KLM or Qatar Airways and connections via Bangkok, Amsterdam or Dubai. Usually better rates European carriers, but traditionally the most economical in terms of time are the offers of airlines from China and South Korea.

Companies Korean Air and KLM operate their regular flights from Moscow to Manila with transfers in Seoul and Amsterdam, respectively. Moreover, the last option is not the most convenient due to long docking in Amsterdam. It is considered quite convenient to fly Qatar Airways (via Doha to Manila or Cebu, flight time is about 17 hours, including connections) or Emirates Airlines (via Dubai to Manila, about 18 hours, including connections). Flights are operated from Almaty with a connection in Dubai.

Best time to visit

The monsoonal climate and the rainy season lasting more than 6 months are not conducive to development beach tourism. best time to visit the country - the period from late September to mid-May.

Popular tourist sites

Manila - the capital of the Philippines, its political, economic and Cultural Center. Ethen a whole conglomerate of 18 cities that form a single large metropolis. central city called Metro Manila. Here you can enjoy dinner in a restaurant on a street in the style of ancient Spain, visit modern mega malls and glass skyscrapers business Makati, and in the evening stroll along the promenade with restaurants national cuisine and small outdoor bars.

Main resorts: Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Mindoro, Negros, Mactan, Mindanao and Panglao .

Philippines on world map

The Philippines occupy an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago bears the same name and is part of the Malay Archipelago. There are more than 7 thousand islands in the archipelago, and only 2 thousand are inhabited. The largest are Luzon and Mindanao, occupying 66% of the country's territory. Other large islands are Panay, Samar, Negros, Mindoro, etc.

From north to south, the Philippines stretches for 2 thousand km, from west to east their length is 900 km. Coastline has a length of 36.3 thousand km. The archipelago is washed by the seas of the Pacific Ocean: in the west - the South China Sea, in the east - the Philippine Sea, from the south it is washed by the Sulawesi Sea. The Bashi Strait in the north separates the archipelago from the island of Taiwan.

The archipelago occupies total area 299.7 thousand sq. km. The Philippine archipelago belongs to the Pacific volcanic ring, so there are many active volcanoes, and most major islands are of volcanic origin.

Within the Philippines, in the central and northern part of the island of Luzon, Mountain chain Cordillera. The summit is located on the island of Mindanao - Apo volcano (2954 m).

At the base of the archipelago are two lithospheric plates - Philippine and Eurasian. The result of the feat of these plates are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The Republic of the Philippines is located on the archipelago, where, according to data for 2015, more than 100.9 million people lived, this is the 12th place in the world. The capital of the country is the city of Manila.

The country has two official languages ​​- Filipino and English, Spanish Chinese, Arabic are also common, but they are not official. In general, the population of the archipelago speaks 150 different languages, some of which are regional languages.

Remark 1

Economic and political position modern Republic The Philippines is assessed by specialists as unstable.

The country belongs to the agro-industrial, the republic's agriculture is quite developed and occupies a large part in exports, the republic is open to foreign investors, but, on the other hand, the infrastructure and heavy industry of the Philippines are poorly developed.

not stable enough and political situation. TO unresolved issues include the relationship between Trotskyists and Maoists, as well as the problem of Muslim separatism.

Remark 2

The Philippines is a member of a number international organizations- in 1945 the country became a member of the UN, IMF, IBRD, in 1967 - a member of ASEAN, in 1989 - APEC and in 1995 - a member of the WTO.

Natural conditions of the archipelago

The Philippine Islands are bordering southeastern part Asia and geological structure belong to the field of Cayonozoic tectogenesis. By the late Cenozoic, the modern structure of the archipelago had already taken shape.

The relief is mostly mountainous, of volcanic origin. A distinctive feature is the presence volcanic islands and deep sea trenches. For example, off the coast of the island of Mindanao there is one of the deepest in the oceans, the Philippine Trench. Its depth reaches 10830 m.

WITH mountain ranges plains and river valleys alternate:

• on the island of Luzon, the Central Plain;
• the Bikol Plain to the southeast;
• the Cagayan river valley in the northeast;
• on the island of Panay - the Central Plain;
• river valleys in Mindanao.

In addition, coastal plains stretch along most of the islands.

There are few large rivers in the archipelago. Those that are suitable for small ships play an important role in the economy of the country. The main river of the Philippine Islands is the Cagayan River, and the longest is the Mindanao River (550 km).

In the intermountain and foothill depressions there are small artesian pools and thermal mineral waters. From large lakes lakes stand out. Bai and Taal on the island of Luzon and Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao.

The northern islands lie within the subequatorial monsoon climate, and the southern ones lie within the equatorial climate. Throughout the year, air temperatures in both the north and south do not fall below +24 degrees, and only with the ascent into the mountains does the air temperature drop - at an altitude of 1500 m to +18 degrees and up to +15 degrees at the peaks.

The windward slopes of the mountains receive up to 5 thousand mm of precipitation. southern islands receive uniform rainfall throughout the year.

The northwest coast of the archipelago is influenced by the summer southwest monsoon, with dry winters. East Coast lies in the zone of influence of the winter monsoon and the Pacific trade wind, so it will be more humid.

The archipelago annually finds itself in the path of 15-20 tropical cyclones, accompanied by heavy rains, winds and floods.

The soils of this zone, as a rule, have low natural fertility, because all valuable mineral substances are intensively removed. More fertile soils are characteristic of the valleys of large rivers.

The flora and fauna of the archipelago is rich and varied, 46% of its territory is covered with forests with valuable, durable and beautiful wood. The forests are characterized by banyan tree, palm tree, rubber trees, bamboo, brown tree, orchids.

At an altitude of 1200 m shrubs grow and there are meadows. There are no large mammals on the islands, with the exception of deer and wild pigs.

There are more than 750 species of birds and many reptiles here. IN warm waters ocean common pearl.

Historical and geographical features of the development of the Philippines

Experts suggest that the first people came to these islands using land bridges in the distant past. When the "bridges" disappeared, already after 3000 BC. Mongoloid Malayo-Austronesian peoples arrived on the islands by sea.

They pushed the Australoids far inland. A similar migration took place over several millennia. In the course of contacts with merchants and seafarers, the Philippine tribes developed rapidly. In addition, the influence of other peoples penetrated the Philippine Islands.

The archipelago was in the sphere of trade and cultural contacts of the largest powers of that time, Sumatra and Java.

The Philippines was known to Chinese sailors and merchants even before the beginning of our era. Steady contacts with China appeared in the 9th century and were of a systematic nature, and in the 13th-14th centuries, colonies of Chinese traders settled on the Philippine coast.

Wax, mother-of-pearl, pearls, betel, fabric, coconuts, fruits were exported from the archipelago. They brought porcelain, glass, ceramics, weapons, paper, gold items. Thus, the Chinese trace also took place in the culture, life, languages ​​and economic life of the population.

Relations with the countries of Southeast Asia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Siam - were intensively developed in the XIV-XV centuries.

For Europeans, the archipelago was opened during the Spanish round the world expedition in March 1521 by the Portuguese F. Magellan. Later, the islands were named after the Spanish king Philip II - Philippine.

The Spaniards left a big mark on the history and geography of the islands. The population of the Philippines began to be called Hispanic-Asians. There was something about it, because, like Latinos, Filipinos love bright festivities and fiestas.

Having come here with a sword and a cross, the Spaniards met good-natured and calm people who accepted Catholicism without resistance, and today 90% of Filipinos profess Catholicism.

Remark 3

Unable to fully subjugate the archipelago to their influence, they sold the Philippine Islands to the Americans, who set foot on this land in 1898. Independence was proclaimed in 1946.