Geography of the Philippines PDF

National Territory Philippine lawmakers, for one, rallied on the specific definitions of the country’s territorial rights. As a consequence, the Philippine area of jurisdiction has been increased with the government’s territorial claim to the Kalayaan (Spratly) islands, consid...

National Territory Philippine lawmakers, for one, rallied on the specific definitions of the country’s territorial rights. As a consequence, the Philippine area of jurisdiction has been increased with the government’s territorial claim to the Kalayaan (Spratly) islands, considered part of Palawan. This is based in the archipelago doctrine that draws straight baselines joining the outermost islands of the archipelago.  Archipelago Doctrine Proponent was Arturo M. Tolentino, a Filipino lawmaker, and it won general acceptance from other nations through the 1982 treaty (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) 25. Under this concept ("archipelagic doctrine"), an archipelago shall be regarded as a single unit, so that the waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, irrespective of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the state, and are subject to its exclusive sovereignty. Archipelagic Doctrine On the country’s territorial waters, the traditional belt of safety around the country has been widened from 3 miles to 12 miles.  Principle of the Archipelagic doctrine Is the unity of the land, water , and people into a single unit so that the archiepelago may not be splintered into as many islands as compose it, with the consequent fragmentation of the nation and the State itself. Will preserve the unity and identity as a single entity of the land, water, and seabed enclosed within the baselines.  Size Total land area of the Philippines – excluding Sabah – 300,000 sq. km. or 30,000,000hectares About the size of Italy , slightly larger than the size of the United Kingdom, but slightly smaller than Japan Composed of 7, 641 islands – according to the latest data of National Mapping and Resources Information Authority 2000 are inhabited  Size Luzon and Mindanao – two biggest islands Samar – 13,271 Sq. kms Negros – 12, 699 sq. kms Palawan – 11, 655 sq. kms Panay – 11, 520 sq. kms Mindoro – 9, 826 sq. kms Leyte – 7, 249 sq. kms Cebu – 4, 390 sq. kms Bohol – 3, 975 sq. kms  Significance of Size General rule, although small countries may attain a very high level of cultural and economic development, they are always handicapped by their limited space. But size does not provide enough potential and space for population growth and economic expansion.  Significance of Size Physical size of the Philippines is not therefore, deterrent factor for its economic growth and development, since many smaller countries have achieved a high per capita income. But from the viewpoint of military security, small areal extent results in lack of “defense in depth” due to limited space.  Shape Shape of a country is another geographic element that has a bearing on its economic, social and political development. Compactness and elongation represent two extremes in shape – The more compact the state is, the smaller is the ratio of its boundary in relation to its area France is a good example Chile – typical example of an elongated state since its length is many times longer than its width  Shape Three Classification 1. broken shape – where two or more segments are disconnected 2. Fragmented shape – where there are numerous islands but the whole territory occupies a definite are of the globe 3. scattered shape – where the various parts are found in the different parts of the world  Shape Broken shape - Malaysia is a good example of a broken shape Made up of three separate parts – Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak Fragmented Shape – Philippines is an example of a fragmented shape since it has so many islands all occupying a definite territory Scattered shape – the former British empire which had territories in parts of the world Significance of Shape Economic Social Poltical  Significance of Shape Its elongated and fragmentary character is distinct disadvantage Construction of continuous network of roads and railroads is a physical impossibility Economic development cannot be accelerated in the absence of good means of transportation and communication Problems of administration and supervision as well as implementation of governmental policies cannot be carried easily because of the physical division of the country  Significance of Shape Socially and politically – cannot easily achieve national unity and solidarity. Why? In matters of security – numerous islands and the long coastline make it difficult to defend the country against foreign invasion What make this as a problem? What is the advantage of having a