PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO

Land of The Storms

The Philippine archipelago lies in Southeast Asia in a position that has led to its becoming a cultural crossroads - a place where Malays, Hindus, Arabs, Chinese, Spaniards, Americans, and others had interacted to forge a unique cultural and racial blend. Only approximately 1,000 of its islands are populated, and fewer than one-half of these are larger than 2.5 square kilometers. Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine landmass, and two of these measure 105,000 square kilometers  and 95,000 square kilometers, respectively. The Philippines is broken up by the sea, which gives it one of the longest coastlines of any nation in the world.

The Philippines has a tropical climate dominated by a rainy season and a dry season, although certain locations have no dry season and certain higher-altitude areas can have a subtropical climate.

The Philippines has many plants and trees that are truly blessings to the Filipinos. Coconut trees are common in almost every island of the archipelago. This tree is called ‘The Tree of Life’ due to its great uses of its every part. Bamboos are also found here and are useful as typical wood for the national house of the Filipinos, the Bahay Kubo or Nipa Hut. The national tree of the Philippines is the Narra and the strength of its lumber is comparable to the strength of the citizens in whatever calamities in life. The national flower is the Sampaguita and its white petals and great fragrance symbolize the beauty of the Filipinas. Fruits are also everywhere. Mangoes (the national fruit), avocados, chicos, guavas, guyabanos and bananas are products in the country and are usually exported to European countries. The tropical climate of the country enables many plants and trees to grow well in the Philippines. Overall, the Philippine floras are greatly in abundance in the archipelago.