etween 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 water: 1,830 sq km land: 298,170 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 36,289 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: to depth of exploitation 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 exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

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: 18% permanent crops: 15% other: 67% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 15,500 sq km (1998 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,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed,
but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: favorably located in relation to many of Southeast
Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea,
Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait

People Philippines

Population: 84,525,639 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 36.6% (male 15,731,451; female 15,169,264) 15-64 years:
(male 1,399,862; female 1,756,317) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.99% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 26.88 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.