Philippine Geography and Natural Resources PDF

Philippine Geography and Natural Resources  Learning Objectives: At the end of this lesson, you are expected to: Explain and analyze the geographical makeup and natural resources of the Philippines. Identify and examine current issues in relation to the geographical makeup and natu...

Philippine Geography and Natural Resources  Learning Objectives: At the end of this lesson, you are expected to: Explain and analyze the geographical makeup and natural resources of the Philippines. Identify and examine current issues in relation to the geographical makeup and natural resources of the country. Analyze the world map carefully. What made the geographical location of the Philippines a great importance into the world affairs? Analyze the physical map of Philippines. What geographical information can you identify on the map? What is the importance of this information to the development of the country?  If given the opportunity to travel around the country, what specific place would you like to visit? Why? Physical Features and Natural Resources Location – fixes the permanent position of the place on the surface of the globe. Can be expressed in latitude and longitude or in relation to its vicinity or its nearness to land and water bodies. Latitudes are angular distances measured north or south of the equator. Equator – divides the globe into the northern and southern hemisphere Longitudes – are angular distances measured east or west of the Prime Meridian  Physical Features and Natural Resources LOCATION lies between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer, between 4° 23’ north latitude and between 116° and 126° 30” east longitudes Boundaries – north – Bashi Channel East – Pacific Ocean South – Celebes Sea West – China Sea  Vicinal Location Some 965 km. southeast coast of the mainland of Asia Neighboring countries- North – Taiwan, China and Japan West – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia South – Borneo and Indonesia  Vicinal Location Northernmost island of the country – Y’ami of Batanes province – some 97 km. Southernmost island – Saluag of the Sibutu group of island Omapoy island of the same Sibutu group – nearest to Borneo – some 32 km. North Borneo – presently claimed by Philippines Significance of Location Significance of Location Political Commercial Cultural Climatic condition Significance of Location Guards the approaches from the north and from the east Politically important Ideal distribution center of goods within the region Meeting grounds of diverse culture  Significance of Location How can we safeguard our interest and security given we are at the cross-roads of movement of various forces within our location? Significance of Location Maritime or insular location Does not have common land boundary with its neighbor Theoretically, our physical separation from the Asiatic mainland gives us a distinct security advantage. Because of being an insular in location  Significance of Location Commercially - Lies on major oceanic trade route and air lane plying between the United States and Asia Manila as an important port of call for ships to other southern countries.  Significance of Location Air route follows closely with the oceanic trade routes Culturally – Center of the blending of east and west Its geographical location is responsible for its climatic conditions  Size Boundaries of the Philippines are determined by the following: Treaties Archipelagic Doctrine (National Territory)  SIZE Present boundaries of the Philippines are defined by: 1. Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain on December 10, 1898 2. Treaty between the United States and Spain on November 7, 1900 3. Treaty between the United States and Great Britain on July 2, 1930  Size Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain on December 10, 1898 – Sulu archipelago not included due to cartographic illiteracy – ceded to US amounting to $20mil. Treaty between the United States and Spain on November 7, 1900 – Cagayan Sulu and Sibutu and their dependencies lying off the coast of Borneo amounting to $100thousand Treaty between the United States and Great Britain on July 2, 1930 – Turtle Islands and Mangsee Islands- defined the boundary bet. Philippines and NorthBorneo  Size 1968 – Congress of the Philippines passed the bill defining the baselines of the country in compliance with the requirement of the UN. The bill provides the definition of the baselines of the territorial sea of the Philippine Archipelago as provided in the Act is without prejudice to the delineation of the baselines of the territorial sea around Sabah, situated in North Borneo.  Size Limits set by the three treaties – territorialsea of the country extend beyond the conventional three-mile limits in all cardinal directions Eastern coast of Mindanao- narrowest portion along the shores of Davao is about 50 km In Luzon along the coast of Cagayan Valley- extends about 430 km to the international treaty limits  Size Western portion – extensive territorial waters cover a distance of 240 km from Ilocos Coastal Plain. Combined land and water areas of the Philippines within the treaty is about 1,800,000 sq. km  Size The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including 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, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines. – Article 1 of the Constitution -  National Territory As embodied in the Constitution, the Philippine national territory embraces LAND, WATER AND AERIAL DOMAINS. In view of the series of land claims on the cluster of island in the South China Sea by neighboring Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Philippines, the concept national territory has become a crucial issue.  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) 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