Chapter 2 The Land the People The Philippines

Chapter 2 The Land the People

The Philippines is located in the southeastern portion of Asia. Because of its central location in the Southeast, it has been dubbed with so many names being at the gateway of Asia. The Philippine islands are an archipelago of over 7, 107 islands lying about 500 mi (805 km) off the southeast coast of Asia. it covers a total land area of 300, 000 square kilometers. This makes the country bigger than New Zealand, Greece and even Great Britain. There are three major island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country is divided into 17 administrative regions, 78 provinces, 115 cities, 1, 496 municipalities, and 41, 939 barangays or villages.

Origin of the Philippines Lemuria or Mu – the lost pacific continent which sunk during the pre -historic times. Land Bridge Theory - another well-known theory was the which believed that the Philippines was once a component of continental Asia. Dr. Fritjof Voss conducted a rigorous study in the Philippine geology and indicated from earlier geological studies that the country was a result of earthquakes due to the moving of tectonic plates. Dr. Bailey Willis theorized that the Philippines was of volcanic origin stating that it came into existence from the series of volcanic eruptions beneath the ocean

The largest are Luzon in the north (40, 420 sq mi; 104, 687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36, 537 sq mi; 94, 631 sq km), and Visayas (23, 582 sq mi; 61, 077 sq km). The ten largest islands are: Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, Negros, Samar, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, and Bohol. The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9, 690 ft; 2, 954 m) on Mindanao. The northernmost point is Y’ami isle which is about 78 miles from Taiwan while the southernmost point is Saluag Isles, which is only 34 miles east of Borneo.

17 Regions • Region I (Ilocos Region) Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan regional center: San Fernando City • Region II (Cagayan Valley) Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino regional center: Tuguegarao City • Region III (Central Luzon) Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales regional center: San Fernando City

• Region IV (Southern Tagalog) IV-A (Calabarzon) - Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal regional center: Calamba City IV-B (Mimaropa) - Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Romblon regional center: Quezon City • Region V (Bicol Region) Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon regional center: Legazpi City • Region VI (Western Visayas) Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental regional center: Iloilo City

• Region VII (Central Visayas) Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor regional center: Cebu City • Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Southern Samar regional center: Tacloban City • Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay regional center: Pagadian City

• Region X (Northern Mindanao) Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao Del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental regional center: Cagayan de Oro • Region XI ( Davao Region) Compostela Valley, Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, Davao Oriental regional center: Davao City • Region XII (Soccsksargen) North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat regional center: koronadal City

• Caraga Agusan Del Norte, Agusan Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur regional center: Butuan City • National Capital Region (17 local government units) regional center: Manila • ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) Basilan, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi regional center: Cotabato City • CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province regional center: Baguio City