The Philippines occupies 300,000 square kilometers of the western Pacific Ocean between latitudes 4°23'N and 21°25'N and longitudes 116°E and 127°E. The archipelago consists of 7,641 islands at low tide, though only approximately 2,000 are inhabited and around 5,000 remain unnamed. This count was updated in 2016 by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority after years of using the figure 7,107 islands. The archipelago stretches 1,850 kilometers from north to south and spans 1,127 kilometers at its widest east-west point. The country lies on the western edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, positioned where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate and the Sunda Plate, creating one of the most geologically active zones on Earth.
Geographers divide the Philippines into three major island groups. Luzon in the north covers 104,688 square kilometers and contains the capital Manila and roughly half the national population. The Visayas occupy the central region with major islands including Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Panay, Leyte, and Samar. Mindanao in the south spans 97,530 square kilometers as the second-largest island. These three groups contain 11 of the archipelago's largest islands, which collectively account for 94 percent of the total land area. Palawan, though geographically closer to Borneo than to Luzon, is administratively grouped with Luzon. The remaining thousands of smaller islands scatter across shallow continental shelf waters and deep ocean trenches.
The Sierra Madre forms the longest mountain range in the Philippines, running 540 kilometers along the northeastern coast of Luzon from Cagayan province to Quezon province. This range reaches elevations above 1,800 meters and acts as the primary barrier against typhoons entering from the Pacific Ocean. The Cordillera Central occupies northern Luzon and contains Mount Pulag at 2,922 meters, the highest peak on Luzon and third-highest in the country. Mount Apo on Mindanao rises to 2,954 meters as the highest point in the Philippines. This stratovolcano last erupted in the 1640s based on historical records and remains dormant but not extinct. The mountain supports the Philippine eagle, declared the national bird in 1995.
Twenty-four volcanoes are currently active according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which maintains monitoring networks across the archipelago. Mayon Volcano in Albay province forms a near-perfect cone rising 2,463 meters and has erupted more than 50 times in recorded history, most recently in January 2018. Taal Volcano sits within a lake on Luzon just 50 kilometers south of Manila and produced one of the 20th century's most destructive eruptions in January 1911, killing more than 1,300 people. The volcano erupted again in January 2020, forcing evacuations of more than 100,000 residents. Pinatubo in Zambales province was not recognized as active until it erupted catastrophically in June 1991, ejecting ten cubic kilometers of material and causing global temperature decreases of 0.5 degrees Celsius over the following year.
The archipelago experiences an average of 20 typhoons annually, with approximately nine making landfall. Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 achieved sustained wind speeds of 315 kilometers per hour at landfall in Eastern Samar, making it one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded at landfall globally. The storm killed more than 6,300 people and displaced more than four million. Typhoons typically approach from the Pacific between June and December, with peak activity in August and September. The Sierra Madre absorbs much of the impact along Luzon's eastern coast, though typhoons that pass north or south of this range strike populated areas with full force.
Climate varies by region due to the archipelago's 1,850-kilometer north-south extent and complex topography. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration classifies the country into four climate types based on rainfall distribution. Type I areas including western Luzon and Palawan have distinct wet and dry seasons, with rains from May to November and dry conditions from December to April. Type II regions along the eastern coasts experience no dry season and very pronounced rainfall from November to January due to the northeast monsoon. Type III areas including parts of the Visayas have no very pronounced maximum rain period but relatively short dry seasons. Type IV regions show rainfall distributed throughout the year.
Manila records average temperatures of 27.1 degrees Celsius annually, with May averaging 29.9 degrees and January 26.2 degrees. The capital receives approximately 2,000 millimeters of rainfall annually, with August typically recording more than 400 millimeters. Baguio at 1,450 meters elevation maintains cooler temperatures averaging 18.3 degrees Celsius annually, making it a traditional retreat from lowland heat. The city holds the Philippine record for 24-hour rainfall with 1,168 millimeters recorded on July 14-15, 1911 during a typhoon. Davao on Mindanao's southeastern coast lies outside the primary typhoon belt and experiences more consistent conditions throughout the year.
Humidity remains high throughout the archipelago, typically ranging from 70 to 85 percent. Coastal areas experience constant sea breezes that moderate temperatures, while interior valleys can exceed 35 degrees Celsius during summer months from March to May. The southwest monsoon or habagat brings moisture from June to September, while the northeast monsoon or amihan delivers cooler and drier air from October to February. These monsoonal patterns interact with local topography to create microclimates across short distances.
The Philippine Trench reaches depths of 10,540 meters east of Mindanao, forming the third-deepest point in Earth's oceans. This trench marks where oceanic crust subducts beneath the archipelago, generating the earthquakes and volcanic activity that characterize the region. The archipelago sits at the convergence of three tectonic plates creating multiple fault systems. The Philippine Fault extends 1,200 kilometers from northern Luzon through the eastern Visayas to eastern Mindanao and has produced magnitude 7 earthquakes in 1973, 1990, and 2012. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Bohol in October 2013, killing more than 220 people and damaging centuries-old stone churches.
Coral reefs surround many Philippine islands, with the country containing approximately 26,000 square kilometers of coral reef area according to surveys conducted by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Sulu Sea covers 97,030 hectares and received UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1993, expanded in 2009. The park's two atolls support 600 fish species and 360 coral species. Apo Reef off Mindoro covers 34 square kilometers as the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system. These reefs form on shallow continental shelf areas where clear water allows light penetration for coral growth.
Mangrove forests occupy approximately 240,000 hectares of Philippine coastline according to 2012 surveys by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, down from more than 500,000 hectares in the early 20th century. These forests protect coastlines from erosion and storm surge while supporting fisheries through nursery habitat provision. Palawan retains the largest remaining mangrove areas in the country. Mangroves grow in the intertidal zone where freshwater from rivers meets seawater, creating brackish conditions that few other tree species tolerate.
The Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao province climb mountainsides to elevations above 1,500 meters and were carved into the slopes between 2,000 and 6,000 years ago according to archaeological studies, though popular claims of 2,000-year age appear more reliable than older estimates. These terraces represent Indigenous engineering adapted to steep topography and high rainfall. The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras received UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1995 covering five separate terrace clusters. The terraces use gravity-fed irrigation systems channeling water from mountain forests.