International disputes: involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; claims Malaysian state of Sabah
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use: arable land: 26% permanent crops: 11% meadows and pastures: 4% forest and woodland: 40% other: 19%
Irrigated land: 16,200 sq km (1989 est.)
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
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
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands
@Philippines:People
Population: 73,265,584 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (female 13,841,552; male 14,214,234)
15-64 years: 58% (female 21,603,818; male 20,923,307)
65 years and over: 4% (female 1,425,706; male 1,256,967) (July 1995
est.)