NSCB - A View of the Philippines

Location: Off the south-east coast of Asia and sprawls between Asia mainland and Australia between latitude 21°25'N and 4°23'N and longitude 116°E and 127°E.

Capital: Manila, with a population of 1,660,714¹ as of Aug 1, 2007 and an area of 25.0 sq. km.

Land Area: The Philippines has a total land area of approximately 343,448.32 sq. km.² and comprises 7,107 islands, some 4,000 of which are named and 1,000 are inhabited. The Philippine Archipelago is one of the largest island groups in the world. It is divided into three major island groups, namely:

Luzon, 147,947.63 sq. km.;
Visayas, 59,873.84 sq. km.; and
Mindanao, 135,626.85 sq. km.

Terrain: Diverse, owing to its numerous high mountains and/or volcanic landforms and extensive valleys and plateaus interspersed with many rivers and lakes.

Climate: Tropical, with a normal average year-round temperature of 27°C (82°F). Two pronounced seasons --- dry and wet.

Time Zone (Standard Time): One time zone. 120° East Meridian Time, which is eight hours in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Note: Information are as of January 2010.

¹ Source: 2007 Census of Population and Housing, National Statistics Office
² Land area is based on the 2007 Masterlist certified by the Lands Management Bureau.