THE PHILIPPINES 71 



2nd. type In the eastern portion no pronounced dry season 

 a pronounced rainy season in winter. 



3rd. type In the central part no pronounced maximum 

 rain period and with a short dry season of from one to three months. 



The first type is due to the southwest cyclonic winds. The second 

 is caused by the northeast trade winds and cyclonic winds. The 

 northeast trade wind is generally known as the northeast monsoon. 



The third type prevails in the central portion of the archipelago 

 including the Yisayan Islands or where there is no pronounced 

 cordillera. 



The range of temperature in the lowlands is from 19 to 32 C. 

 The mean annual temperature is 25 C. In the highlands, like 

 those of the north central portion of Luzon, the temperature is 

 much like that of the temperate zone. 



The mean annual precipitation in the archipelago is 159mm. 

 and the greatest known rainfall for a 24-hour period was 879.8 mm. 

 at Baguio, North Central Luzon on July 14, 1911. 



One unpleasant feature of Philippine weather is the prevalence, 

 particularly, in the summer months of typhoons which, however, 

 are not as violent as the Gulf hurricanes of America. This class 

 of storms usually sweeps across Luzon and rarely across Mindanao 

 from SE to NW. Snow and ice more than a temporary film even 

 on the highest mountains are practically unknown. A thickness of 

 1 cm of ice is reported by Elmer D. Merrill, Director of the Bureau 

 of Science, from western part of the Mountain Province, Luzon. 



4. THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES. 



The population of the Philippines according to Beyer l ) was in 

 1916 about nine and a half million persons distributed as follows: 



Christians 8.413.347 



Mohammedans 315.980 



Pagans 618.637 



Miscellaneous 150.000 



The Census of 1918 gives it as 10.350.730. 



Christians 9.463.731 



Non-Christians 886.999 



There are some 43 ethnic groups recognized, of which the 

 Visayans are the most numerous, the Tagalogs second and the 



1) Beyer, H. Otley. The Population of the Philippines, Philippine Educa- 

 tion Co. (1916) Manila. 



