GEOGRAPHY
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the
Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total area: 300,000 sq km
land area: 298,170 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 36,289 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic
baselines
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to
100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late
1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China
Sea up to 285 nm in breadth
International disputes: involved in a complex dispute
over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam,
and possibly Brunei; claims Malaysian state of Sabah
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November
to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive
coastal lowlands
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt,
silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use:
arable land: 26%
permanent crops: 11%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 40%
other: 19%
Irrigated land: 16,200 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: uncontrolled deforestation in watershed
areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in Manila; increasing
pollution of coastal mangrove swamps which are important fish
breeding grounds
natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected
by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides,
active volcanoes, destructive earthquakes, tsunamis
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands
