mpa 201 1 About the Philippines_ Natural Resources.pdf

1. About the Philippines
Bodies of Water
The Philippines boast of many different kinds of natural water forms, such as bays, rivers,
lakes falls, gulfs, straits, and swamps. Because it is made up of islands, the country's
coastline, if laid end-to-end, would measure around 17.5 thousand kilometers. The Philippines
is blessed with excellent natural harbors for ports like Manila Bay. Other excellent harbors
with port potentials are found in Ilocos, Pangasinan, Visayas, and Mindanao. The three largest
rivers in the country are the Cagayan River in Northern Luzon, the Rio Grande de Mindanao,
and the Agusan River, also in Mindanao. Also noteworthy in terms of size are the Agno, Pasig,
Angat Pampanga, and Bicol rivers in Luzon. Most popular among tourist is the famous
underground river in Palawan. Aside from rivers, the country also abounds with lakes. Easily
the most famous is the heart-shaped Laguna de Bay. Other famous lakes are Taal in
Batangas, Sampaloc in Laguna, Buhi and Bulusan in Bicol, Naujan in Mindoro oriental, and
Lanao and Mainit in Mindanao. Generating power for the Nation’s growth are the magnificent
waterfalls that serve as tourist attractions, as well. The biggest is waterfalls is the Maria
Cristina falls, it can be found in the North Western part of Lanao province in Mindanao, while
the most popular is Pagsanjan falls in Laguna, where tourist came in droves.
Natural Resources
The Philippines is rich in natural resources. It has fertile, arable
lands, diverse flora and fauna, extensive coastlines, and rich
mineral deposits. About 30% of the land area of the country was
determined be geologically prospective by the Philippine Mines
and Geo-Sciences Bureau. But Only 1.5% of country's land area
is covered with mining permits. Despite the rich natural
resources of the Philippines, the government is restricting its
exploitation. A logging ban is imposed on many areas of the
country and only in select areas are "sustainable logging"
allowed. However illegal logging and small-scale illegal mining
continues is many areas. In July 2012, President Benigno
Aquino III ordered a stop to all mining activities in all (78 areas)
protected and eco-tourism sites. A positive step in the right
direction to protect the natural resources of the Philippines.
Our Land
The Philippines’ primary source of livelihood is its fertile land. Rich, wide plains suitable for
farming are found in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, South western Bicol, Panay, Negros,

2. Davao, Cotabato, Agusan and Bukidnon. The country ‘s six major crops are rice, corn,
sugarcane, coconut, abaca and tobacco. Except for rice and corn, all these products are
exported, along with bananas and pineapples.
Our Forests
The Philippines also boasts of wide tracts of lush, green forests. In fact, almost half of the
country’s total land area is forested. Sixty percent of these forests are found in Mindanao.
Mineral resources
Except for petroleum and a number of metals, mineral resources abound in Philippine soil.
The country’s mineral deposits can be classified into metals and non-metals. Our metal
deposits are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons, while non-metal deposits are projected at
19.3 billion metric tons. Nickel ranks first in terms of deposits and size, it is found in Surigao
del Norte, Davao, Palawan, Romblon and Samar. Iron is found in Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija,
Camarines Norte and Cotabato. While copper in Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro, Panay and
Negros. Among non-metal deposits, the most abundant are cement, lime, and marble. Other
non-metals include asbestos, clay, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon, phosphate,
and marble.
Fishery Resources
With its territorial waters measuring as much as 1.67 million square kilometers and located in
the worlds fishing center, the Philippines is definitely rich in marine resources. Of the 2,400
fish species found in the country. 65 have good commercial value. Other marine products
include corals, pearls, crabs and seaweeds. Some of the countries best salt water fishing
area’s are found in Sintangki Island in Sulu Estancia in Bohol, Malampaya in Palawan,
Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, San Miguel lake in Camarines Norte, Bantayan Channel in Cebu,
and the seas of Quezon and Sorsogon.
On the other hand, among our biggest fisher water fishing areas are Laguna de Bay, Bombon
Lake in Batangas, Bato Lake in Canmarines Sur, Naujan Lake in Mindoro and Mainit lake in
Agusan del Norte. Continue to Early Filipinos
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