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GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Southeastern
Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China
Sea, east of Vietnam |
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Geographic
Coordinates:
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13
00 N, 122 00 E |
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Map
References:
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Southeast
Asia |
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Area:
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total:
300,000 sq km
land: 298,170 sq km
water: 1,830 sq km |
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Area
- Comparative:
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slightly
larger than Arizona |
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Land
Boundaries:
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0
km |
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Coastline:
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36,289
km |
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Maritime
Claims:
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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 |
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Climate:
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tropical
marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon
(May to October) |
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Terrain:
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mostly
mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands |
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Land
Use:
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arable
land: 19%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 19% (1993 est.) |
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Irrigated
Land :
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15,800
sq km (1993 est.) |
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Natural
Hazards:
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astride
typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six
cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive
earthquakes; tsunamis |
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Environment
- Current Issues:
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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 |
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Environment
- International Agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification |
