Before we start describing the island of Luzon, let's talk a little about the state of the Philippines. It is located in the southeastern part of Asia. It is a cluster of many islands. It is located in the Pacific Ocean between Taiwan and Indonesia. The capital of the Philippines is the city of Manila (location - the island of Luzon). The population for 2015 exceeded 102 million people. The state covers an area of about 300 thousand km22.
Philippines 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 - a little less than one thousand kilometers. It is conventionally divided into three groups:
- the first, called Luzon, is in the north;
- second, central, occupied by the Visayas;
- third - southern group - Mindanao.
It should be noted that notall Philippine islands are inhabited. Of the total, only less than half are inhabited by people.
The archipelago is washed by the seas on all sides: in the west - the South China, in the south - Sulawesi, in the east - the Philippine. The coastline has a length of almost 40 thousand km. The total area of the territory was almost 300 thousand km2. In the north, the Philippine Islands are adjacent to Taiwan. They are separated from each other by the Bashi Strait. The predominant relief is mountains. Most of the islands are volcanic in origin. Even now, there is a zone of high seismic activity.
Luzon is an island in the Philippine archipelago
The island of Luzon is the largest. Part of the Philippine archipelago. Its area is about 110 thousand km2. On the southeast side is about. Mindoro. They are separated from each other by the Verde Strait. In the southern part of Luzon is the Bicol Peninsula. This piece of land has an elongated narrow shape. Its coastline is quite indented. There are many bays and coves here. From about. Luzon is cut off by the Isthmus of Tayabas. In addition to Bicol, there are two other small peninsulas - Bondok and Karamoan. On the south side, the island of Luzon (Philippines) borders on about. Samar, separated from it by the San Bernardino Strait.
The title of the largest was given to him not only in terms of the size of the occupied territory, but also in terms of population. More than 46 million people live in Luzon. It is the 17th largest in the world.
Geographic location
Luzon Island is located in the Pacific Ocean. Its western and eastern sides are washed by the South China and Philippine seas. In order 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 and Taiwan Islands are separated from it by the Luzon Strait. Administratively belongs 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. This is Mount Pulog. The rest of the relief formations are mostly of medium height.
In the northwestern part of the island is one of the largest mountain systems - the Central Cordillera. It occupies one sixth of Luzon (more than 18 thousand km2). This mountainous area is quite well populated. Lives here 2% of the total population of the Philippines. This is more than one million inhabitants.
The Sierra Madre is a mountain range located in the eastern part of the largest of the islands of the Philippine archipelago. It is separated from the Cordillera massif by a river valley. Sambales are the lowest mountain formations located closer to the south.
There is a plain in Luzon. It is called Central Luzon. Located between the massifs of Sambales and Sierra Madre. The plain covers an area of 11,000 km2. It is in this area that the most fertile lands of the Philippines are located. In the middle of the plain there is another mountain - Arayat.
Inland water resources
The coastline of the island is heavily indented. Thanks to this, there are many bays and bays. Most of them are concentrated in the western and southern sides. Lingayen Bay and Manila Bay are considered the largest.
Any area dominated by mountainous terrain has a lot of rivers. Luzon is no exception. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
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 Manila Bay. It has a large number of ponds and irrigation canals.
The Cagayan River is the largest waterway in the Philippine archipelago. Its channel runs along the northeastern part of the island. The length is about 500 km. It originates in the mountains of Caraballo. It flows into the Babuyan Strait. It is thanks to this river that residents have the opportunity to grow crops. The soil in the valley is very fertile, so rice, bananas, citrus fruits and cereals grow well here.
An equally important waterway is the Pasig River. It is relatively small in size, the channel 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. Flows into Manila Bay.
Besides rivers, there are also lakes on the island. The largest is Laguna de Bai. And it is not only the largeston the island, but throughout Southeast Asia. Its area reaches almost 1,000 km2. Another large body of water located in Luzon is Lake Taal. It was formed in the crater of an extinct volcano.
Climatic features
Typhoons dominate the island of Luzon. Within one year, their number can reach 20. The climate is subequatorial monsoon. The division of seasons here is not the same as on the mainland. Locals divide it into three periods:
- From March to May - summer. At this time, the highest temperatures are observed.
- From June to November, the highest amount of precipitation falls. This period is called the rainy season.
- December, January, February are considered winter months.
More than 2,000 mm of precipitation falls annually. On the territory of the island of Luzon, from May to October, the southwest monsoon blows, and from November to April, dry air masses prevail. The average annual temperature is +26°С.
City of Vigan
This city is a landmark of the Philippine Islands. The population here is almost 10,000 people. Vigan is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Buildings from the time of Spanish colonization have been preserved on the territory of the city. There are a lot of unique architectural structures here. The most impressive is the Cathedral of St. Paul. Mena Crisologo Street brought world fame to the city. Currently on itbuildings of the 16th-17th centuries have been preserved.
Pinatubo Volcano
The volcano is currently active. 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. The volcano is located near the capital of the Philippines - Manila. This distance is almost 90 km. As a result of its eruption in 1991, almost 1,000 people died. An air force base and a US naval base were destroyed. This earthquake was recognized as the strongest and most destructive in the twentieth century. It reached 6 on the Richter scale.
Pinsal Falls
The island of Luzon can also be proud of one of the most famous sights - Pinsal waterfalls. These turbulent water flows are surrounded by many myths and legends. At their top there are several reservoirs that have the shape of a human foot. According to local legend, the lakes were formed at the time when the giant Angalo passed through these places.
This place with waterfalls is surrounded by unique scenic surroundings. The beauty of the cascades is simply mesmerizing. The waters of the stream fall from a height of 85 feet. There is a source of hot water next to them.
