Climate

The climate of the Philippines is tropical and strongly monsoonal (i.e., wet-dry). In

general, rain-bearing winds blow from the southwest from approximately May to
October, and drier winds come from the northeast from November to February.
Thus, temperatures remain relatively constant from north to south during the year,
and seasons consist of periods of wet and dry. Throughout the country, however,
there are considerable variations in the frequency and amount of precipitation. The
western shores facing the South China Sea have the most marked dry and wet
seasons. The dry season generally begins in December and ends in May, the first
three months being cool and the second three hot; the rest of the year constitutes the
wet season. The dry season shortens progressively to the east until it ceases to occur.
During the wet season, rainfall is heavy in all parts of the archipelago except for an
area extending southward through the centre of the Visayan group to central
Mindanao and then southwestward through the Sulu Archipelago; rain is heaviest
along the eastern shores facing the Pacific Ocean.

From June to December tropical cyclones (typhoons) often strike the Philippines.

Most of these storms come from the southeast, their frequency generally increasing
from south to north; in some years the number of cyclones reaches 25 or more.
Typhoons are heaviest in Samar, Leyte, south-central Luzon, and the Batan Islands,
and, when accompanied by floods or high winds, they may cause great loss of life and
property. Mindanao is generally free from such storms.

November through February constitutes the most agreeable season; the air is cool
and invigorating at night, and the days are pleasant and sunny. During the hot part
of the dry season in most places—especially in the cities of Cebu, Davao, and Manila
—the temperature sometimes rises as high as 100 °F (38 °C). Overall temperatures
decline with elevation, however, and cities and towns located at higher elevations—
such as Baguio in northern Luzon, Majayjay and Lucban south of Manila, and
Malaybalay in central Mindanao—experience a pleasant climate throughout the year;
at times the temperature in those places dips close to 40 °F (4 °C).

Plant and animal life

Luzon, Philippines
Although many of the mountain regions and some of the lowlands remain heavily
forested, the country’s forests have been shrinking rapidly for decades. Between the
mid-20th century and the early 21st century, the country’s forestland was reduced by
more than half—largely a result of logging, mining, and farming activities—and now
accounts for less than one-fourth of the country’s total land area. Where forests
remain in northern Luzon, the principal mountain tree is pine. In other areas, lauan
(Philippine mahogany) often predominates.

Most of the Philippines’ vegetation is indigenous and largely resembles that

of Malaysia; the plants and trees of the coastal areas, including the mangrove
swamps, are practically identical with those of similar regions throughout the Malay
Archipelago. Himalayan elements occur in the mountains of northern Luzon, while a
few Australian types are found at various altitudes. The islands are home to
thousands of species of flowering plants and ferns, including hundreds of species of
orchids, some of which are extremely rare. Tall, coarse grasses such
as cogon (genus Imperata) have arisen in many places where the forests have been
burned away.
Philippines: Asian water buffalo
The Philippines are inhabited by more than 200 species of mammals,
including water buffalo (carabao), goats, horses, hogs, cats, dogs, monkeys, squirrels,
lemurs, mice, pangolins (scaly anteaters), chevrotains (mouse deer), mongooses,
civet cats, and red and brown deer, among others. The tamarau (Anoa mindorensis),
a species of small water buffalo, is found only on Mindoro. Of more than 50 species
of bats, many are peculiar to the Philippines. Fossil remains show that elephants
once lived on the islands.