THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE PHILIPPINES

by

Nancy Isberg

April 30, 1999

Introductory Question
Introduction
Objectives
Materials
Procedures
    Part 1
    Part 2
    Part 3

Attachments
    Required Material for Part 1
    Required Material for Part 2

1. Introductory Questions
   

A. What are the geographic features of the Philippines and where are they located?

B. How is the population density distributed and how does that distribution affect the cultures?

C. What are monsoons and how do they affect the Filipino cultures?

2. Introduction
   

"Geographers study the locations and distributions of features on the earth’s surface. These features may be the landmarks of human occupation or the properties of the natural environment, or both."

(Blij, 2)

Geography plays a key role in the understanding of a culture. The environment and physical geography shape a culture’s traditions and daily activities. In order to survive, a culture must adapt to its environment. This lesson examines the geographical features of the Philippines in order for the students to understand why a culture must adapt to their environment, and how these features can affect their location.

Part 1 of the lesson introduces the geography of the Philippines, by comparing the basic traits to those of the U.S. It also gives the student the opportunity to study the physical geography using an atlas. Students will locate a number of geographical features, and cities on a map. Students will be quizzed on the map they have compiled.

Part 2 of the lesson allows students to study the population density of the Philippines in comparison to that of the U.S. This lesson helps students understand where people are located in the Philippines.

Part 3 of the lesson focuses on monsoons. The students will learn what a monsoon is and how monsoonal climatic changes affect peoples in the Philippines.

3.   Objectives

1. Cognitive Objectives

1. To learn how to read several types of maps

2. To see connection between the environment and culture

3. To analyze geographical features by comparisons

4. To organize information in order to be quizzed and then maintain the information.

1. IV. Materials
   

Color map for introduction to the region
Handout #1, Geographical Features of the Philippines, one per person
Handout #2, Blank map of Identification of Features, one per person
Handout #3, Map Quiz, one per person
Handout #4, Comparable Geographic Features, one per person
Map quiz answer sheet for teacher
Population density map of Southeast Asia, can be made into a transparency
Population density map of the United States, can be made into a transparency
A world map

V. Procedure

A. Part 1

1. Explain to the students that this lesson will introduce them to the Philippines. They will be identifying geographic features as well as comparing general facts to those of the U.S. (or Chicago area).

2. Explain to the students that this project will involve some outside work to construct a map of the Philippines. Tell them you will be passing out a blank map, and they are required to locate specified features on their map. These features can be found in an Atlas. Also, explain that they will be quizzed on the map.

3. Begin the lesson by showing the map of the world. Point out the general location of the Philippines. Show relationship to China, India, Japan and the U.S. Then put up the map of the Philippines. Point out the obvious features first, such as the surrounding waterways, mountain ranges, and the country’s capital.

4. Pass out the "Geographic Features" handout. This will allow the students to follow along as well as visualize the numbers you want to compare.

5. Point out the temperature difference between Manila, Baguio City and Chicago. Point out comparisons between land area and population. This tropical climate allows for crop production like rice, sugar, bananas, coconut, and pineapple. This is generally found in the lower altitudes. The highlands have a more temperate climate, similar to that of Chicago.

6. Briefly explain what the "Ring of Fire" is and show that the Philippines lies on the western edge of that ring. This results in many volcanic eruptions as well as earthquakes. This implies that the mountains in the region are young, rugged and also changing. The highest point is Mt. Apo, on the island of Mindanao, which is 9,690 ft. above sea level.

7. Point out the area differences between the two countries. Make a note that the Philippines is made up of over 7,1000 islands, and that 92% of the total land area comes from the 11 largest islands. This fact shows how small the other islands actually are.

8. Lastly, read through the rest of the comparison chart, for those who need things spoken to them.

9. After a reasonable amount of time, such as a week, administer the map quiz, to grade how well the students located the features as well as their map reading skills.

B. Part 2

1. Explain to students that this lesson combines their knowledge of the map quiz information with the statistics. This lesson will analyze how geography affects the location of people. Looking at two types of population density maps will help students understand.
   
2. Begin by explaining to the students how a population density is calculated. This number is how many people there are in each square mile. A general population density can be found by dividing the total number of people by the total square area. The students have enough information to find the general population density of both the U.S. and the Philippines. They may proceed with this project, if they need more examples to understand the concept.
   
3. The next step would be to explain what each map shows. The map of Southeast Asia uses a choropleth style map. This shows the population densities in levels, where each level is represented by a different shade of red. As population density decreases, the shade becomes lighter.

The other style of map, shown with the U.S. map, is called a dot density map. This style uses a dot to represent a specific density. Where that density occurs, a dot is placed. Thus, where there are a lot of people, several dots will be placed. In this specific case, one dot represents 10,000 people.

4. Begin the explanation, by showing the U.S. map. Point out how sparse the population is in the mountainous region. It is also sparse in the desert southwest and the cold northern plains. In the U.S., like many other countries in the world, we tend to avoid harsh climates. We locate in areas where the environment is easier to live in. We also live where we have easy access to trade; for example, the population is higher along the coasts and major water routes.
   
5. As a contrast, put up the Southeast Asia map. This map shows how the people have adapted to the land. There are two cultures in the Philippines, one along the coasts, and a highland culture in the mountains. Students can clearly see this by looking closely at this map. In the highlands of Luzon, for example, there is a lower population density, but there still is a distinct population, unlike the U.S. where the mountains are barren.
   
6. In conclusion, hold a class discussion as to why the people of the U.S. have basically used urbanization and cold-weather technology as adaptations to their environment, while many people in the tropical Philippines have adapted well to their environment in other ways.

Some points that could lead the discussion:

1. The U.S. has an extensive roadway system that is very costly to build through the mountains. This transportation network is vital to our society and communication. So, without roads in the mountains, access to the larger society is more limited.
   
2. The Philippines is a country of islands, thus, they are small and surrounded by water. An island environment traditionally has placed some limits on population mobility. Many people even today have little choice but to move into the fragile ecosystem of the highlands. The U.S., in contrast, is a big and expansive country and people have lots of options as to where to live--factors also influenced by the higher average income in the U.S.

C. Part 3

1. This is a brief section that tells a non-technical definition of a monsoon. Begin by asking the students if anyone can define a 'monsoon'.
   
2. Explain to the students this definition. A monsoon derives from the Arabic term mansin, which means seasonal wind. A monsoon climate is one that is dominated by seasonal winds that blow for half of the year in one direction and then reverse themselves. In Southeast Asia, 'monsoon' refers to the wet season. It is a long period or season of rains. The monsoons supply the water that is critical for survival during the dry season. Rainfall is the dominant climatic variable in Southeast Asia, since tropical temperatures in the lowland equatorial region are fairly similar throughout the year. Unless irrigation water from underground springs or rivers is available, the rice crop -- which sustains the region's population as a staple food -- is normally limited to the rainy season.
   
3. Explain to the students how the Philippines is affected by the Asian monsoon. It affects the western coastal regions from June to September, while the eastern coastal regions are affected between December and February.
   
4. Because this is when the majority of the rain falls, agriculture is dependent on the monsoon. It is also the key to the success of the highland forests, as well as human populations, as everyone must have drinking water.
   
5. On average, Manila receives 81" of rain per year, while the Luzon highlands, in particular, Baguio City, receives 164" of rain per year.
   
6. The success of a culture is dependent on these rains and every year they vary. In some years, they may have a drought; and in others, the rain is an unstoppable torrent for days on end. This is another way that some Filipino cultures have learned to adapt to its environment. Filipinos have created a successful series of agricultural systems, some of which are geared to receiving rain only a few months of the year, while others receive heavy rain for long periods.

 

COMPARABLE GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES

	The Philippines	The United States
Area	115,831 sq. mi.	3,618,770 sq. mi.
Population	68,424,000 (1999 est.)	260,341,000 (1999 est.)
Life Expectancy	66.13 years	76.13 years
Literacy	94 percent	97 percent
Official Name	Republic of the Philippines	United States of America
Government Type	Republic of the Philippines --democratic	Federal Republic --democratic
Head of State	President Joseph Estrada	President William Clinton
Agricultural Products	Rice, sugar, coconut,	Wheat, corn, beef, pork,
	pineapple	poultry, dairy products,
		forest products, other
		grains, fruits and
		vegetables
Climate	Mostly tropical	Mostly temperate
	Temperate in highlands	Tropical in Florida and
		Hawaii
		Arctic in Alaska
		Arid in Southwest
		Semi-Arid in Great Plains
Average Temperature	Manila (Lowland) 80.2F	Chicago (Temperate) 47.3F
	Baguio (Highland) 64.8F
Languages	Pilipino and English	English
		Spanish (spoken by a
		sizeable minority)

 

GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF THE PHILIPPINES

Identify the following features on the blank map of the Philippines:

Cities	Manila
	Quezon City
	Baguio City
	Davao
	Zamboanga
Islands	Sulu Archipelago	Cebu
	Mindanao	Mindoro
	Panay	Palawan
	Samar	Negros
Waterways	Sulu Sea
	South China Sea
	Philippine Sea
	Celebes Sea
	Manila Bay
	Davao Bay
	Balabac Strait
Other Features	Philippine Trench	Sierra Madre Mountains
	Cordillera Central (Mountains)	Mt. Apo

 

Map Quiz – Philippines

Fill in the corresponding number for the listed feature on a blank map of the Philippines.

1. Zamboanga __________

2. Negros __________

3. Sierra Madre __________

4. Manila __________

5. Quezon City __________

6. South China Sea __________

7. Panay __________

8. Cebu __________

9. Sulu Archipelago __________

10. Davao __________

11. Mt. Apo __________

12. Sulu Sea __________

13. Baguio City __________

14. Manila Bay __________

15. Palawan __________

16. Davao Bay __________

17. Mindanao __________

18. Cordillera Central __________

19. Balabac Strait __________

20. Samar __________

21. Philippine Trench __________

22. Celebes Sea __________

23. Mindoro __________

24. Philippine Sea __________

Bonus Question (Extra Credit – Spelling counts!)

25. What is the capital city of the Philippines?

 

Map Quiz – Answer Key

 

1.    7
2.    11
3.    2
4.    3
5.    10
6.    18
7.    8
8.    21
9.    12
10. .  14
11. .  15
12. .  22
13. .  20
14. .  24
15. .  5
16. .  23
17. .  19
18. .  13
19. .  4
20. .  16
21. .  9
22. .  6
23. .  17
24. .  1
25. .  Manila

 

Reference:

I. On the U.S.:

www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/us.html

www.ci.chi.il.us/WM/PlanAndDevelop/ChgoFacts/Geo.html

II. On the Philippines:

Dori, John T. and Richard D. Fisher, Jr., eds. U.S. and Asia Statistical Handbook. 1998-1999 edition, p. 82.

Ulack, Richard and Gyula Pauer. Atlas of Southeast Asia. New York, 1989. pp. 62, 64.

Recommended References:

Blij, H.J. De and Peter O. Muller. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. Seventh ed. New York: 1994. p. 2.

Ulack, Richard and Pauer Gyula. Atlas of Southeast Asia. New York: 1989.