Luzon Island: geographical location, climate. Philippine Islands

Before starting the description of the island of Luzon, let's talk a little about the state of the Philippines. It is located in the south-eastern part of Asia. It is a cluster of many islands. Located in the Pacific Ocean between Taiwan and Indonesia. The capital of the Philippines is the city of Manila (location - Luzon Island). The population in 2015 exceeded 102 million people. The state covers an area of about 300 thousand square kilometers.

Philippine archipelago: brief description

The Philippine archipelago includes more than 7,000 islands. The largest of them are Luzon, Panay, Negros and others. The archipelago is located in the Pacific Ocean. Its length is more than 2,000 km from north to south, and from west to east - just under one thousand kilometers. It is conditionally divided into three groups:

• The first, called Luzon, is in the north;
• The second, the central, occupy the Visayas Islands;
• The third is the southern group - Mindanao.

It is worth noting that not all the Philippine Islands are inhabited. Of the total, only less than half are inhabited by people.

The archipelago is washed on all sides by the seas: in the west by South China, in the south by Sulawesi, in the east by Philippine. The coastline has a length of almost 40 thousand km. The total area of the territory was almost 300 thousand km ² . In the north, the Philippine Islands coexist with Taiwanese islands. They are separated from each other by the Bashi Strait. The prevailing relief is the mountains. By origin, all the islands are mostly volcanic. Even now, there is a zone of high seismic activity.

Luzon - island of the Philippine archipelago

Luzon Island is the largest. It is part of the Philippine archipelago. Its area is about 110 thousand km ² . From the southeast side is Fr. Mindoro. Between them they are separated by the Verde Strait. In the southern part of Luzon there is the Bicol peninsula. This section of the land has an elongated, narrow shape. Its shoreline is quite rugged. There are many bays and coves here. From about. Luzon he was cut off by the isthmus of Tayyabas. In addition to Bikola, there are two smaller peninsulas - Bondock and Karamoan. On the south side, the island of Luzon (Philippines) is bordered by Fr. Samar, separated from him by the Strait of San Bernardino.

The title of the largest is given to him not only by the size of the occupied territory, but also by the number of the population. More than 46 million people live in Luzon. In the world, it ranks 17th in size.

Geographical position

Luzon Island is located in the Pacific Ocean. Its western and eastern sides are washed by the South China and the Philippine Seas. To find Luzon on the map, you can use the following coordinates: 16 ° 04'30 "north latitude and 121 ° 00'11" east longitude.

The Ryukyu Islands and the Taiwan Islands are separated from it by the Strait of Lusonia. Administratively refers to the state of the Philippines.

Relief

Like many other large islands of the Philippine archipelago, Luzon has a mountainous terrain. On its territory there are a lot of active and extinct volcanoes. The highest point of the island reaches almost 3 000 m. It is the Pulog mountain. The remaining relief formations generally have medium heights.

In the north-western part of the island is one of the largest mountain systems - the Central Cordillera. It occupies one-sixth of Luzon (more than 18 thousand km ² ). This mountainous region is quite well populated. Lives here 2% of the total population of the Philippines. This amounts to more than one million inhabitants.

Sierra Madre is a mountain chain that is located in the eastern part of the largest island of the Philippine archipelago. From the Cordillera massif it is separated by the valley of the river. Sambales - the lowest mountain formations, located closer to the south.

Luzon has a plain. It is called the Central Luzonskaya. Located between the Sambales Massif and the Sierra Madre. The plain covers an area of 11,000 square kilometers. It is in this area that the most fertile lands of the Philippines are located. In the middle of the plain there is one more mountain - Arajat.

Inland water resources

The coastline of the island is heavily indented. Due to this, there are many bays and coves here. The largest number is concentrated in the western and southern sides. The largest are Lingen Bay and Manilsky Bay.

Any terrain where mountainous terrain predominates has many rivers. Luzon is no exception. On some of them let us dwell in more detail.

The Pampanga River flows in the province of the same name. Its length is 260 km. It originates in the Sierra Madre mountain range, flows into the Manil bay. It is built a large number of ponds and irrigation canals.

The Cagayan River is the largest water artery in the Philippine archipelago. Its channel runs along the north-eastern part of the island. The length is about 500 km. Its origin takes in the mountains of Caraballo. It flows into the Babuyansky strait. It is thanks to this river that people have the opportunity to grow crops. The soil in the valley is very fertile, so here it is good to grow rice, bananas, citrus and grain species.

Another important waterway is the Pasig River. It is relatively small in size, the bed has a length of only 25 km. However, despite this, it plays an important role for the state, as it passes through the central part of the capital. It originates in Laguna de Bai. It flows into the Manila Bay.

In addition to rivers, there are also lakes on the island. The largest is the Laguna de Bai. And it is the largest not only on the island, but in all of South-East Asia. Its area reaches almost 1,000 km ² . Another large reservoir, located on Luzon, is Lake Taal. It was formed in the crater of an extinct volcano.

Climatic features

The territory of the island of Luzon is dominated by typhoons. Within one year, their number can reach 20. The climate is subequatorial monsoon. Seasoning here is not the same as on the mainland. Local residents divide it into three periods:

• From March to May - summer. At this time, the highest temperatures are observed.
• From June to November, the greatest amount of precipitation falls. This period is called the rainy season.
• The winter months are December, January, February.

Over a year, more than 2 000 mm of precipitation falls. On the territory of the island of Luzon, from May to October, the south-west monsoon blows, and from November to April, dry air masses predominate. The average annual temperature is + 26 ° C.

Vigan

This city is a landmark of the Philippine Islands. The population here is almost 10,000 people. Wigan is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On the territory of the city, buildings have been preserved since the time of Spanish colonization. There are a lot of unique architectural buildings. The most impressive is the Cathedral of St. Paul. The city of the city was brought to the world by the street of Mena Krizogo Street. At present, the buildings of the 16th-17th centuries are still preserved on it.

The Pinatubo Volcano

The volcano currently refers to the current. The last time the eruption was recorded 25 years ago. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that for 600 years it was considered extinct. Until 1991, its height was about 1,800 m, but at the moment it has decreased and is almost 1,500 m. A volcano is located near the capital of the Philippines - Manila. This distance is almost 90 km. As a result of its eruption in 1991 nearly 1,000 people died. The air force base and the US naval base were destroyed. This earthquake was recognized as the strongest and most destructive in the 20th century. On the Richter scale it reached 6 points.

Pinsal Waterfalls

Luzon Island can also be proud of one of the most famous landmarks - Pinsal waterfalls. These turbulent water streams are surrounded by many myths and legends. On their top are several reservoirs, which have the shape of a human foot. According to the local legend, the lakes were formed at the time when the giant Angalo was passing in these places.

This place with waterfalls is surrounded by unique picturesque surroundings. The beauty of the cascades is simply enchanting. The waters of the stream drop from a height of 85 feet. Next to them is a source of hot water.