How Many Islands in The Philippines? The Philippines are east of Vietnam and north of Indonesia. They are made up of 7,641 islands that can be put into three main groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Some islands, like the capital Manila, Cebu, and Davao, have grown into big, busy cities with people from all over the world. Some, like Siargao and Leyte, are more remote and tropical, with something for every kind of traveler.
The Philippines are the place to go if you want to see beautiful nature. With our large mountain ranges, most diverse reef system, 600 bird species, and more than 15,000 kilometers of coastline, there is a lot to discover.
Filipinos are mostly Malay, but they also have some Chinese, Spanish, and Arab blood in them. There are more than 100 different cultural minority groups all over the country. The Philippines is now the third-largest English-speaking country in the world, and Forbes magazine called it one of the friendliest cities in the world.
How Large Are The Philippines Based on Their Total Area?
As you might expect from a country made up of a lot of islands, the Philippines are pretty big. When you add in the bodies of water that are inside the Philippines, the total area of the country comes to about 115,831 square miles. If you change the number of miles to kilometers, you’ll find that the Philippines are about 300,000 square kilometers in size.
The Philippines have a coastline that is 22,549 miles (36,289 km) long. The Philippines have the fifth-longest coastline in the whole world because of this. Only Canada, Norway, Indonesia, Russia, and the Philippines have longer coasts than the Philippines. It’s important to note, though, that it’s hard to figure out how long a coastline is.
Weather and Climate
The Philippines have a subtropical climate with two seasons. From June to November, it rains, and from December to May, it’s dry.
Our dry season is further divided into the “cool dry season,” which runs from December to February. This is the Philippines’ “winter,” and it’s a great time to visit if you want to travel somewhere cooler. The average temperature is between 22°C and 28°C, and there is little rain and mostly sunny, dry weather.
And the “hot dry season” lasts from March to May. This is the “summer” in the Philippines, when it can get as hot as 40°C in the middle of the day in May.
Visit The Cities
Cebu City
Cebu City is one of the best places to visit in the Philippines for both foreign and local tourists because it has the best of both island life and city life. It is also the oldest city in the Philippines and one of the places where Christianity began there. Just outside the city, tourists can swim with a variety of species off the coast of the island, or they can try more adventurous things like canyoneering at Kawasan Falls.
Davao City
Davao City is the capital city of the Davao region and the largest city in the Philippines. It is a great place to get away. Popular places to go include Eden Nature Park, a mountain resort where you can relax, Malagos Garden Resort, a 12-hectare nature theme park with the Philippines’ first chocolate museum, and Jack’s Ridge (a dining destination with a spectacular view of the city).
Davao City is also home to Mount Apo, which is the highest mountain in the Philippines and a climber’s dream. Its highest point is 2,954 meters above sea level (9,692 feet). The Philippine Eagle, which is also called the “monkey-eating eagle” and is the national bird of the Philippines, lives in Davao. This bird is critically endangered and is also known as the “monkey-eating eagle.”
Below is a detail of the largest Philippine islands.
1. Bohol Island
The island is the main island of the province of Bohol. It is in the southern part of the Visayas region. Bohol is the tenth largest island in the Philippines. It is 3,269 km2 in size.
The island is known for the Chocolate Hills, which are a unique geological formation. This natural wonder is a National Geological Monument and draws people from all over the country and the world. The Philippine Tarsier, a small primate that only lives in the Philippines, is another thing to see in Bohol.
2. Ifugao Rice Terraces Island
The Ifugao Rice Terraces are another example of beautiful scenery. You can find it all over the Philippines. Since thousands of years ago, rice has been grown on terraced fields in the hills of the Ifugao province. The rice terraces are not only beautiful to look at. But they also show how industry and nature can work together.
3. Cebu Island
Cebu Island is the largest island in the Visayas region and is called the “Queen of the South.” It is also the 126th largest island on Earth. From top to bottom, this sunny island is more than 120 miles long and has a lot to offer: dramatic coastlines, beautiful beaches, limestone hills, and beautiful coral atolls just off the coast.
The tropical island of Cebu is home to more than 3.5 million people. It has large areas of development, especially in and around Cebu City, which has an interesting mix of Spanish colonial and modern history. The rest of the island is mostly undeveloped. Cebu island and hundreds of smaller islands make up the province of Cebu, which was once the country’s capital in the 17th century.
4. Leyte Island
Leyte is a Philippine island in the Visayas group. The island is split into two provinces for political purposes: (Northern) Leyte and Southern Leyte. Southern Leyte Province is made up of the island of Panaon, which is to the south of it. Biliran Island is north of Leyte Island. It used to be a part of Leyte, but now it is its own province, called Biliran Province. The two biggest cities on Leyte are Tacloban City, which is on the island’s east coast at the northwest corner of Leyte Gulf, and Ormoc City, which is on the island’s west coast.
The geothermal electric power plants near Ormoc are a big deal on Leyte today. But Leyte is best known for its role in World War II’s retaking of the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur came ashore on Leyte on October 20, 1944, and said, “I have returned.” But the Japanese didn’t give up so easily, as the Battle of Leyte showed. When naval forces met in the Gulf of Leyte, the largest naval battle in history took place over four days.
5. Mindoro Island
The island of Mindoro is the seventh largest in the Philippines. It is between the islands of Luzon and Palawan. The island has a total land area of 10,572 km2. It is split into two provinces: Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
White Beach is in the town of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro. Many Filipinos from Metro Manila like to go there on the weekends because it is close to Luzon. Mindoro is also known for the tamaraw, a water buffalo-like animal that only lives on the island. It is now thought to be on the verge of extinction.
6. Panay Island
The island of Panay is the most western of the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines. It is shaped like a triangle. It has nearly 4.5 million people, making it the fourth most populated island in the huge group of islands. To put it in perspective, that’s 4.4% of the total population of the country.
Even though Panay island is beautiful and has many mysterious caves and rivers, it is often only used as a way to get to the more popular Boracay and its famous White Beach.
7. Manila Island
Manila is the capital city of the country. It is known as the “Pearl of the Orient.” This busy, old city is full of places to see and things to do, like museums, parks, theaters, shopping malls, and lots of restaurants. The Philippines is becoming a popular place for foodies to visit, and Manila is known for its wide range of cuisines and street food markets, such as the Legazpi Sunday Market, Quiapo Market, and Binondo, the Philippines’ own Chinatown.
8. Palawan Island
Palawan Island is the biggest island in the Philippines’ Palawan Province. The island’s northern coast is on the South China Sea, and its southern coast is part of the northern edge of the Sulu Sea. This island is very traditional and hasn’t changed much. Many people visit places with lots of wildlife, jungle mountains, and white sand beaches.
National Geographic Traveler magazine named Palawan, the only Philippine island mentioned, the best place to visit on an island in East and Southeast Asia in 2007 and the 13th best island in the world “beautiful seascapes and landscapes made by nature. One of the most biologically diverse islands in the Philippines, both on land and water.
Since the early 1990s, the island has been a Biosphere Reserve, which shows that people there care about conservation and sustainable development “. On the island is Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, one of the seven places where the Bureau of Corrections works. In April 2013, a fishing boat full of animals that had been taken illegally ran aground on a coral atoll near Palawan Island.
9. Chocolate Hills
The famous Chocolate Hills on the island of Bohol look like they came from another world because they seem to fall down one after another as far as the eye can see. The beautiful landscape is made up of natural features that slowly formed over millions of years.
People say that in the summer, when the more than 1,200 rounded and pointed mounds aren’t covered in green plants, they look like, you guessed it, chocolate. The Chocolate Hills are so beautiful that the Philippines has made them a National Geological Monument.
10. Negros Island
The island of Negros was established on May 29, 2015, and it occupies an area of 5,139 square miles. Most of the 4,414,131 people who live in Negros are also from Negros. Negros is close to the Visayan Sea, the Bohol Sea, the Sulu Sea, the Panay Gulf, the Guimaras Strait, and the Taon Strait.
The Kanlaon Volcano, which is still active, is the highest point on the island. Electricity is made on the island by using the power of its volcanoes. The city of Bacolod and the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental make up the island. The island’s main source of income is the production of sugar, as well as the production of hardwood, cotton, and gamefowl.
11. Samar Island
Samar island is the most easterly of the Visayas islands in the central Philippines. It is surrounded by the Samar Sea, the Philippine Sea, and the San Bernardino Strait.
Samar Island is made up of at least three provinces and is connected to Leyte by the San Juanico Strait. About a third of its land is protected by Samar Island Natural Park, which is the Philippines’ largest connected area of old-growth forest. Even though it doesn’t have the famous mountains that the rest of the island chain is known for, it is still mostly hilly with beautiful coastal plains and flood lands.
12. Mindanao Island
Mindanao is an island that is about 37,657 square miles in size. Most of the island is made up of mountains, and Mount Apo, which is 9,692 feet above sea level, is the tallest mountain in the country. Mindanao is in the Philippines. It is north of the Mindanao Sea, east of the Philippine Sea, west of the Sulu Sea, and south of the Celebes Sea.
Some of the islands that make up the larger group of Mindanao islands are Sulu, Samal, Basilan, and Dinagat. Mindanao is home to about 21,968,174 people, and Davao City is where most of them live. Mindanao makes up 14% of the country’s GDP, and its main economic sectors are farming, fishing, manufacturing, service, and forestry.
13. Calauit Island
The water around Calauit Island is known for being very clear, and eco-tourists can swim with dugongs there. People think that stories about mermaids came from these animals, which are related to manatees. Locals on Calauit Island lead tours that are good for the environment and teach tourists about dugongs and what they can do to help them stay alive.
14. Luzon Island
Luzon is the biggest island in the Philippines. It has a land area of 104,688 km2. It is the largest island in the Luzon group of islands. The is in the north of the archipelago. There are 30 provinces of the Philippines on the island of Luzon. The capital city of the country, Manila, is also here.
The Mayon Volcano in the province of Albay is one of the most impressive sights on the island. It is an active volcano that is known for its perfect cone shape.
Luzon is also home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Hispanic Town of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur and the Rice Terraces in Batad and Bangaan in the region of Ifugao. The Walled City of Intramuros in the capital city of Manila and the town of Donsol in the province of Sorsogon, which is known as the best place to swim with whale sharks, are also popular destinations.
Why It’s More Fun In The Philippines?
You can go to the Philippines for a lot of different reasons. There are 7,641 islands in this magical part of the world. They are known for their powder-white sands, turquoise waters, and beautiful coral reefs, but there is so much more to find. If you look past the great diving and dream beaches, you’ll find a country with a unique culture and a lot of differences.
Find lush green rice fields, busy and stylish cities, volcanoes that are still erupting, amazing underground rivers and caves, amazing wildlife, and, most importantly, friendly and fun-loving people.
The Philippines is the best place to visit for your money if you want to do water sports, learn about the culture, or just relax on a beautiful beach. It has something for every kind of traveler.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about How Many Islands in The Philippines?
What are the 4 main islands of the Philippines?
There are three main island groups in the Philippines: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Luzon and Mindanao are both named after the biggest island in their groups. The Visayas, which are also called the Visayan Islands, are a group of islands that are joined together.
Do the Philippines have 7100 islands?
The Philippines are made up of more than 7,100 islands spread out over an area of nearly 300,000 square kilometers. The South China Sea is to the west, and the Philippine Sea is to the east. About 65% of the country’s total land area is on Luzon and Mindanao, the two largest islands in the chain.
What is the oldest city in the Philippines?
Cebu City, which is 365 miles south of Manila, is the capital of the province of Cebu Island. Cebu is the Philippines’ oldest city and first capital. It has a population of 2.5 million people.
Which country has the most islands?
The website worldatlas.com says that Sweden has the most islands in the world, with 221,800. Most of these islands are uninhabited, though. Even Stockholm, the capital, is built on a group of 14 islands connected by more than 50 bridges.
What is the oldest place in the Philippines?
Cebu is said to be the oldest city in the country. It was the first place the Spanish lived and the first capital of the Philippines. The city is also thought to be where Christianity first started in the Far East.
What is the 7th largest island in the Philippines?
The island of Mindoro is the seventh largest in the Philippines. It is between the islands of Luzon and Palawan. The island has a total land area of 10,572 km2. It is split into two provinces: Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
What is the largest province in the Philippines?
Palawan is a province on an island in the MIMAROPA area of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Puerto Princesa, and it has the most land area of any province in the country. From Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the southwest, Palawan is made up of many islands.
What is the heart of the Philippines?
Marinduque is called “The Heart of the Philippines” because of its shape, which looks like a human heart. Its place in the arrangement of the islands is also a lot like where the heart is in the human body.
How many cities are in the Philippines?
As of September 7, 2019, the Philippines have 146 cities. Thirty-three of these are highly urbanized cities (HUC), five are independent component cities (ICC), and the rest are component cities (CC) of their own provinces.
[…] READ: How Many Islands in The Philippines? […]