Our Land

The Philippines primary source of livelihood is its fertile land. Rich, wide plains suitable for
farming are found in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, South western Bicol, Panay,
Negros, Davao, Cotabato, Agusan and Bukidnon. The country s six major crops
are rice, corn, sugarcane, coconut, abaca and tobacco. Except for rice and corn, all these
products are exported, along with bananas and pineapples.

Our Forests
The Philippines also boasts of wide tracts of lush, green forests. In fact, almost half of the
countrys total land area is forested. Sixty percent of these forests are found in Mindanao.

Mineral resources
Except for petroleum and a number of metals, mineral resources abound in Philippine soil.
The countrys mineral deposits can be classified into metals and non-metals. Our metal
deposits are estimated at 21.5 billion metric tons, while non-metal deposits are projected at
19.3 billion metric tons. Nickel ranks first in terms of deposits and size, it is found in Surigao
del Norte, Davao, Palawan, Romblon and Samar. Iron is found in Ilocos Norte, Nueva Ecija,
Camarines Norte and Cotabato. While copper in Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro, Panay and
Negros. Among non-metal deposits, the most abundant are cement, lime, and marble.
Other non-metals include asbestos, clay, guano, asphalt, feldspar, sulfur, talc, silicon,
phosphate, and marble.

Fishery Resources
With its territorial waters measuring as much as 1.67 million square kilometers and located
in the worlds fishing center, the Philippines is definitely rich in marine resources. Of the
2,400 fish species found in the country. 65 have good commercial value. Other marine
products include corals, pearls, crabs and seaweeds. Some of the countries best salt water
fishing areas are found in Sintangki Island in Sulu Estancia in Bohol, Malampaya in
Palawan, Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, San Miguel lake in Camarines Norte, Bantayan
Channel in Cebu, and the seas of Quezon and Sorsogon.

On the other hand, among our biggest fisher water fishing areas are Laguna de Bay,
Bombon Lake in Batangas, Bato Lake in Canmarines Sur, Naujan Lake in Mindoro and Mainit
lake in Agusan del Norte. Continue to Early Filipinos