Philippine National Territory

Study Notes

The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, including all islands and waters, and other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction.
The archipelago is situated in the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south.

The Philippine Archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein.
All other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction.
Its terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains.
Its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.
The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago.

The archipelago is made up of over 7,600 islands, including Luzon, the largest island in the country.
The territorial sea of the Philippines is a strip of water that extends 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the national territory.
The seabed refers to the land that holds the sea, lying beyond the seashore, including mineral and natural resources.
The subsoil refers to everything beneath the surface soil and the seabed, including mineral and natural resources.
Insular shelves are the submerged portions of a continent or offshore island, which slope gently seaward from the low waterline.

The Philippines also has sovereignty or jurisdiction over other territories, including the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly Islands) and the Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippines claims the Benham Rise, a submarine area located in the western Pacific Ocean.

The terrestrial domain includes all land areas within the national territory.
The fluvial domain includes all rivers, streams, and other bodies of water within the national territory.
The aerial domain includes all airspace above the national territory.

Sovereignty is the supreme political and constitutional authority of a State to govern itself.
Jurisdiction is the official power to make legal decisions and judgments.