2001, the Supreme Court declared Joseph ESTRADA
unable to rule in view of mass resignations from his government and
administered the oath of office to Vice President Gloria
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO as his constitutional successor. The government
continues to struggle with ongoing Muslim insurgencies in the south.

Philippines Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea
and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 122 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: total: 300,000 sq km

land: 298,170 sq km

water: 1,830 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 36,289 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 NM from
coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also
claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 NM in
breadth

Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April);
southwest monsoon (May to October)

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m

Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold,
salt, copper

Land use: arable land: 19%

permanent crops: 12%

permanent pastures: 4%

forests and woodland: 46%

other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 15,800 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and
struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active
volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Environment - current issues: uncontrolled deforestation in
watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in Manila;
increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps which are important
fish breeding grounds

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Philippines People

Population: 82,841,518 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.87% (male 15,547,712; female
14,997,544)

15-64 years: 59.45% (male 24,374,849; female 24,873,595)