THE 



National Geographic Magazine 



Vol. IX JUNE, 1898 No. 6 



THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 

 By F. F. Hilder 



To the southeast of the continent of Asia lies a vast archipelago, 

 of which a considerable portion is occupied by the group called 

 the Philippine islands, or, in Spanish, Islas Filipinas. The num- 

 ber of islands included under this denomination is not definitely 

 known, and this uncertainty has given rise to some rather wild 

 guessing. Some English authorities state the number as six hun- 

 dred, while a late consular report issued by the Department of 

 State places the number at two thousand, but this may perhaps 

 be intended to include the Marianas, or Laclrones, the Carolines, 

 and the Pelevv islands, as all of these are included under the juris- 

 diction of the governor-general of the Philippines. Some of the 

 Philippines are mere islets, too small for occupation, but others 

 are important in size and resources and are very populous. The 

 principal islands rank according to size in the following order : 

 Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan, Samar, Panay, Mindoro, Ley to, Ne- 

 gros, Cebu, Bejol, and Maskato. The northern island, Luzon, on 

 which Manila, the capital, is situated, is the largest, having an 

 area of about 41,000 square miles, corresponding in size to the 

 State of Ohio. Mindanao, the southernmost island, contains 

 about 37,500 square miles. As no accurate survey of even the 

 larger islands has ever been made, it is impossible to make a 

 definite statement as to the aggregate land area of the group, but 

 the most reliable estimate is 114,356 square miles, which is equal 

 to the combined area of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 and Maryland. 



The islands are situated directly on the line of volcanic energy 

 which extends from Japan to Java, and volcanic forces have 



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