Area

    The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands (of which 2,773 are named), with a total land area of 115,707 square miles (299,681 square kilometers). In terms of land area, the Philippines is almost as large as Italy, larger than New Zealand, twice as big as Greece and very much larger than Britain.

    The largest island in the Philippines is Luzon (40,814 square miles), which is bigger than Hungary or Portugal. Mindanao, the second largest island, (36,906 square miles) is bigger than Austria.

    The northernmost point of the Philippines is Y'Ami Isle, which is 78 miles from Taiwan and the southernmost point is Saluag Isle, only 34 miles east of Borneo. On a clear sunny day, Taiwan is visible from Y'Ami, and Borneo is visible from Saluag Isle.

    Since 1956, the Philippines seas declared an archipelago principle of internal waters, meaning that the islands, waters and other natural features of the country are to be regarded as a single geographical, economic and political unit. Subsequently, the archipelago principle was established in our national legislation, most recently in Article 1 of the 1986 Constitution. Through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which was signed by 117 states in Jamaica, on December 10, 1982, the Philippine Delegation won recognition for the archipelago principle for all nations.

    The archipelago principle is a distinct contribution of the Philippines to international law. This legal milestone has far-reaching implications. The various islands of archipelago nations (e.g. the Philippines, Greece, Indonesia, etc.) will no longer be regarded as separate units, each with its own separate territorial sea. By this legal principle, we have secured sovereign title over all our archipelagic waters, the air space above them, the seabed and subsoil below them, and the resources contained therein.

    The 1982 UNCLOS Treaty also designated a new concept of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), or a 200-mile belt of water around our archipelago (subject to agreement with neighboring countries whose Zones cross our own). Within this EEZ, the Philippines has the sovereign right to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the natural resources of the ocean, the seabed and the subsoil.

    The following table includes new geographical data on Philippine territory:

    Land Area ....................................................  111,707 sq. miles
    Total Area with UNCLOS Treaty ....................  520,707 sq. nautical miles
    Total Area under Economic Zone of
              200 miles from baselines .....................  625,800 sq. nautical miles

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