GeographyThe Philippine islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands lying
about 500 mi (805 km) off the southeast coast of Asia. The overall land
area is comparable to that of Arizona. Only about 7% of the islands are
larger than one square mile, and only one-third have names. The largest
are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the
south (36,537 sq mi; 94,631 sq km), and Samar (5,124 sq mi; 13,271 sq km).
The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by
mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m) on
Mindanao.