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Philippine Geography

The Philippines is a country located in the Pacific Ocean near the equator and is an archipelagic country consists of 7,640 islands, although this number is decreasing due to the rising water levels, in which 2,000 are known to be inhabited (National Geographic, 2020). This country can be divided into three main areas, known to be Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Out of the three, Luzon is known to be the largest, northernmost island, where Manila lies. The Visayas, a group of islands that includes a lot of well-known places such as Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and Masbate. Lastly, the second-largest island in the Philippines, Mindanao which is found in the southern end of the archipelago (Lasco, 2017). 

This small country consists of  17 different regions with 142 cities. Each region has its own known products (Philippines Cities, n.d.): 

An archipelagic country has both its pros and cons, one of the advantages is the isolation of some areas. It might seem like a disadvantage, however, there is a lot of good that can happen when isolated. A disadvantage of an archipelago near the equator is that it is constantly visited by Mormons that may damage crops.

The northern part of the Philippines is mountainous in comparison to the Mindanaoan region which is surrounded by sea. Therefore, the mountains serve to isolate villages located there and can hinder trade or commerce. On the other hand, the isolation helps preserve indigenous Filipino culture. This isolation kept the tradition of the isolated areas throughout the nearly four centuries of western rule. Due to the persistence of strong family ties, the revival of traditional cultures such as the existence of barangay, the smallest unit of government, increased the attention of Asian histories and literature. In return, the revival of dormant traditions in the Philippines has strengthened even without abandoning the western cultural acquisitions (Cullinane, 2020). 

However, not everything about an archipelagic country is good. An example of this is the existence of destructive insects ruining the agricultural. One of these is Mormon crickets which breed infrequently in cultivated fields, but migrating bands of nymphs or adults may completely destroy fields. These wingless hybrids of both grasshopper and cricket can reach two inches on length. Although not directly dangerous for humans, they pose a threat to the agricultural economy (University of Wyoming, n.d.). They are able to feed on 400 different vegetables making large numbers of these crickets able to cause a lot of damage and problems. The Philippines; is well known for its agriculture and being near the equator, where these mormon cricket and other types of crickets are great in numbers. 

The geography of the Philippines has both advantages and disadvantages, these can affect its agriculture sector, climate change/disaster management, the tourism industry, locally stranded individuals, and many more. An example of its advantages is the isolation that the archipelago has helps the preservation of culture. A disadvantage of this can be the existence of vegetable eating insects that damages the agricultural sector of the country.