COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course presents comprehensive coverage of the major tourist

destinations in the Philippines. Major discussions will be on political
structures and subdivisions, geographical characteristics, major attractions,
gastronomy, culture, and traditions of the various regions of the country
leading to the realization of the potential of the Tourism industry of the
Philippines. Students will also have comprehensive knowledge about the
mechanism, logistics, operations, and management of the tourism network
system in the Philippines with its inherent physical and cultural resources as
seen in the various provinces of the country.
COURSE OUTLINE
Module 1 – OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY AND ITS TOURISM
NETWORK

Module 2 – PHILIPPINES ACCORDING TO ITS POLITICAL STRUCTURE,

SUBDIVISIONS, AND, THE MAJOR DESTINATIONS AND ATTRACTIONS PER
REGION

Module 3 – CULTURAL ELEMENTS OF EACH REGION /PROVINCE

MODULE 1
OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY AND ITS
TOURISM NETWORK

1.1 LOCATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

1.2 PHILIPPINES PHYSICAL RESOURCES AND CHARACTERISTICS
1.3 PHILIPPINES’ HUMAN AND CULTURAL RESOURCES AND CHARACTERISTICS
1.4 PHILIPPINE TOURISM NETWORK
MODULE 1
LEARNING OUTCOME

Understand the overview of Philippine geography

and its tourism network
MODULE 1 LESSON 1
LOCATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

-GEOGRAPHY
-PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
-PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY
-PHILIPPINE TIMEZONE
-PHILIPPINE CLIMATE
GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY
GEOGRAPHY is
the spatial study of the
earth’s surface (from
the Greek geo, which
means “Earth,” and
graphein, which means
“to write”).
GEOGRAPHERS study
the earth’s physical
characteristics, its
inhabitants and
cultures, phenomena
such as climate, and
the earth’s place within
the universe.
 GEOGRAPHY

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION refers to a “position on the earth”. Your absolute geographic location is defined by
two coordinates, longitude and latitude. These two coordinates can be used to give specific locations independent
of an outside reference point.
GEOGRAPHY
The first known use of the word
geography was by Eratosthenes of
Cyrene (modern-day Libya in North
Africa), an early Greek scholar who lived
between 276 and 194 BCE.

He devised one of the first systems of

longitude and latitude and calculated the
earth’s circumference. Additionally, he
created one of the first maps of the world
based on the available knowledge of the
time.

Around the same time, many ancient

cultures in China, southern Asia, Polynesia,
and the Arabian Peninsula also developed
maps and navigation systems used in
geography and cartography.
 GEOGRAPHY
Both LONGITUDE and LATITUDE
are angles measured with the
center of the earth as an origin.
Longitude is an angle from the prime
meridian, measured to the east (longitudes
to the west are negative).

Latitudes measure an angle up from the

equator (latitudes to the south are
negative).

A grid system called the GRATICULE divides the earth by

lines of latitude and longitude that allow for the
identification of absolute location on the earth’s surface
through geometric coordinates measured in degrees.
Twenty-four time zones are set at 15-degree intervals
each and organized time intervals around the world.
GEOGRAPHY
 GEOGRAPHY
The discipline of
geography can be broken
down into two main areas
of focus:

• PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

These two main areas are

similar in that they both
use a spatial perspective,
and they both include the
study of place and the
comparison of one place
with another.
 GEOGRAPHY
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
is the spatial study of natural
phenomena that make up the
environment, such as rivers,
mountains, landforms, weather,
climate, soils, plants, and any
other physical aspects of the
earth’s surface. Physical
geography focuses on geography
as a form of earth science. It tends
to emphasize the main physical
parts of the earth—the
lithosphere (surface layer), the
atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere
The PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE is the term used to describe the natural terrain at any one
(water), and the biosphere (living place on the planet. The natural forces of erosion, weather, tectonic plate action, and
organisms) water have formed the earth’s physical features.
 GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
is the study of human activity and its
relationship to the earth’s surface. Human
geographers examine the spatial
distribution of human populations,
religions, languages, ethnicities, political
systems, economics, urban dynamics, and
other components of human activity.
They study patterns of interaction
between human cultures and various
environments and focus on the causes
and consequences of human settlement
and distribution over the landscape.
While the economic and cultural aspects
of humanity are the primary focuses of
human geography, these aspects cannot GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUE is a tool used by geographers to illustrate, manage, and
be understood without describing the manipulate spatial data. Cartography is the art and science of making maps, which
landscape on which economic and illustrate data in a spatial form and are invaluable in understanding what is going on at
cultural activities take place. a given place at a given time.
 GEOGRAPHY
REGIONS GEOGRAPHY
A region is a basic unit of study in
geography—a unit of space
characterized by a feature such as a
common government, language,
political situation, or landform.

Cultural regions can be defined by

similarities in human activities,
traditions, or cultural attributes.
Geographers use the regional unit to
map features of particular interest,
and data can be compared between
regions to help understand trends,
identify patterns, or assist in
explaining a particular phenomenon.
 GEOGRAPHY
REGIONS GEOGRAPHY
Regions are traditionally
defined by internal
characteristics that provide a
sense of place. Their
boundaries vary with the type
of region, whether it is:
1. FORMAL
2. FUNCTIONAL
3. VERNACULAR
A REGION is the basic unit of study in geography. Three main types of
Each type has its meaning and defined boundaries define a region: formal, functional, and vernacular. World
purpose. regional geography is the study of a particular group of world regions or
realms as each compares with the rest of the world.
 GEOGRAPHY
REGIONS GEOGRAPHY
FORMAL REGION has a governmental, administrative, or political boundary and can have political as well as
geographic boundaries that are not open to dispute or debate. Formal boundaries can separate states, provinces, or
countries from one another. Physical regions can be included within formal boundaries, such as the Rocky Mountains
or New England. An official boundary, such as the boundary of a national park, can be considered a formal boundary.
School districts, cities, and county governments have formal boundaries.

FUNCTIONAL REGIONS have boundaries related to a practical function within a given area. When the function of an
area ends, the functional region ends and its boundaries cease to exist. For example, a functional region can be
defined by a newspaper service or delivery area. If the newspaper goes bankrupt, the functional region no longer
exists. Church parishes, shopping malls, and business service areas are other examples of functional regions. They
function to serve a region and may have established boundaries for limits of the area to which they will provide
service. An example of a common service area—that is, a functional region—is the region to which a local pizza shop
will deliver.

VERNACULAR REGIONS have loosely defined boundaries based on people’s perceptions or thoughts. Vernacular
regions can be fluid—that is, different people may have different opinions about the limits of the regions. Vernacular
regions include concepts such as the region called the “Middle East.”
 PHILIPPINES
LOCATION IN THE
WORLD (AND ASIA)
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)

There are 195 universally recognized countries (193 members of the UN plus two non-member observer states
the Vatican and Palestine). Places like Kosovo and Taiwan are partially recognized which increases the count.
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
The widely recognized 7 CONTINENTS are listed by size below, from
biggest to smallest.

1. ASIA includes 50 countries, and it is the most populated continent,

60% of the total population of the Earth live here.
2. AFRICA comprises 54 countries. It is the hottest continent and
home to the world's largest desert, the Sahara, occupying 25% of
the total area of Africa.
3. NORTH AMERICA includes 23 countries led by the USA as the
largest economy in the world.
4. SOUTH AMERICA comprises 12 countries. Here is located the
largest forest, the Amazon rainforest, which covers 30% of South
America's total area.
5. ANTARCTICA is the coldest continent in the world, completely
covered with ice. There are no permanent inhabitants, except
scientists maintaining research stations in Antarctica.
6. EUROPE comprises 51 countries. It is the most developed
economically continent with the European Union as the biggest
economic and political union in the world.
7. AUSTRALIA includes 14 countries. It is the least populated
continent after Antarctica, only 0.2% of the total Earth population
live here.
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
The GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS
of the world can be divided into ten
regions: Africa, Asia, Central America,
Eastern Europe, European Union, Middle
East, North America, Oceania, South
America, and the Caribbean.

1. AFRICA
2. ASIA
3. CENTRAL AMERICA
4. EASTERN EUROPE
5. EUROPEAN UNION
6. THE MIDDLE EAST
7. NORTH AMERICA
8. OCEANIA
9. SOUTH AMERICA
10. THE CARIBBEAN
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
WORLD REGIONS
One approach to organizing information about the world is to
divide it into regions, which are " broad geographic areas
distinguished by similar features" (Merriam-Webster 2019).
While this approach often requires creating arbitrary artificial
borders where the boundaries are ambiguous or debatable,
is it still useful for a variety of applications in business,
government, and the military.

1. ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS are "created by laws, treaties,

or regulations" and are usually associated with the
government, military, or business control or operation.
2. FORMAL REGIONS (uniform regions) are areas that each
have a common set of physical or social characteristics.
3. FUNCTIONAL REGIONS (nodal regions) are focused on a
central point, with diminishing influence the further you
go away from that central point.
A REGION is an area of land that has common features. A region can be
4. VERNACULAR REGIONS (perceptual regions) are areas
defined by natural or artificial features. Language, government, or religion
that are socially defined by shared history and common can define a region, as can forests, wildlife, or climate.
identities. Accordingly, the boundaries of these regions
are ambiguous and fluid.
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)

ASIA, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a
geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and the use of the term to describe such a vast area always carries the potential of
obscuring the enormous diversity among the regions it encompasses.
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
ASIAN REGIONS
There are various approaches to the regional
division of Asia. The following subdivision into
regions is used, among others, by the UN statistics
agency UNSD. This division of Asia into regions by
the United Nations is done solely for statistical
reasons and does not imply any assumption about
political or other affiliations of countries and
territories.

1. CENTRAL ASIA (THE 'STANS)

2. EAST ASIA (FAR EAST)
3. NORTH ASIA (SIBERIA)
4. SOUTH ASIA (INDIAN SUBCONTINENT)
5. SOUTHEAST ASIA (EAST INDIES AND
INDOCHINA)
6. WESTERN ASIA (THE MIDDLE EAST OR
NEAR EAST)
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
SOUTHEAST ASIA
1. BRUNEI
2. CAMBODIA
3. CHRISTMAS ISLAND
4. COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS
5. EAST TIMOR
6. INDONESIA
7. LAOS
8. MALAYSIA
9. MYANMAR
10. THE PHILIPPINES
11. SINGAPORE
12. THAILAND
13. VIETNAM
This subregion can be further subdivided into two
smaller subregions: Mainland Southeast Asia
(Indochinese Peninsula) and Maritime Southeast
Asia (Malay Archipelago).
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
ASEAN
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

ASEAN is an international organization that has

10 member countries in Southeast Asia:
1. BRUNEI
2. CAMBODIA
3. INDONESIA
4. LAOS
5. MALAYSIA
6. MYANMAR
7. PHILIPPINES
8. SINGAPORE
9. THAILAND
10. VIETNAM
ASEAN’s purpose is to promote economic and cultural
exchange among its member countries, maintain
peace and stability in Southeast Asia, and establish
relationships with foreign powers with similar aims.
PHILIPPINES LOCATION IN THE WORLD (AND ASIA)
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
The Ring of Fire also referred to as the Circum-Pacific
Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized
by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. The
majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take
place along the Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire also referred to as the Circum-Pacific

Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized
by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Its
length is approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900
miles). It traces boundaries between several tectonic
plates—including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos,
Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and
Philippine Plates.

Seventy-five percent of Earth’s volcanoes—more than

450 volcanoes—are located along the Ring of Fire.
Ninety percent of Earth’s earthquakes occur along its
path, including the planet’s most violent and dramatic
seismic events.
 PHILIPPINE
GEOGRAPHY
PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY
The PHILIPPINES officially the Republic of the
Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is an
archipelagic country in Southeast Asia that is broadly
categorized under three main geographical divisions
from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
LUZON is the biggest island in the Philippines with
109,965 km2 (42,458 sq. mi) with a population of
64,260,312. It is the 15th largest island and the 4th
most populated island in the world.
DAVAO CITY has a total land area of 2,444 sq.km.,
making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms
of land area.
The next largest island is MINDANAO at about 95,000
square kilometers (36,680 sq mi).
QUEZON CITY has the largest population at 2.16
million, followed by Manila at 1.67 million, and
Caloocan City at 1.23 million.
PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY
It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of about 7,641
islands with a total land area of approximately 300,000 square
kilometers (116,000 sq mi). The archipelago is around 800 kilometers
(500 mi) from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan
and Borneo.
It is the world's fifth-largest island country.
The Philippines is broken up into many islands by the sea. This gives
it the fifth-longest coastline of 36,289 kilometers (22,549 mi) in the
world.
A global remote sensing analysis suggested in 2018 that there were
2,126 km2 (821 sq mi) of tidal flats in the Philippines and is therefore
ranked as the 15th country in terms of how much tidal flat occurs

Historically, the total number of islands in the archipelago was held to be 7,107, but in 2016 the
National Mapping and Resource Information Authority of the Philippines announced the discovery
of more than 500 previously uncharted islands.
PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY
The Philippines is bounded by

• THE SOUTH CHINA SEA TO THE

WEST.
• THE PHILIPPINE SEA TO THE EAST,
• THE CELEBES SEA TO THE
SOUTHWEST,
• SHARES MARITIME BORDERS WITH
TAIWAN TO THE NORTH,
• JAPAN TO THE NORTHEAST,
• PALAU TO THE EAST AND
SOUTHEAST,
• INDONESIA TO THE SOUTH,
• MALAYSIA AND BRUNEI TO THE
SOUTHWEST,
• VIETNAM TO THE WEST,
• CHINA TO THE NORTHWEST.
PHILIPPINE GEOGRAPHY
The Philippines lies
between the LATITUDE of
14° 34' 59.99" N and a
LONGITUDE of 121° 00'
0.00" E. The latitude of
the Philippines expresses
the country’s location
relative to the equator.
That said, the Philippines
is above the equator and
part of the northern
hemisphere.

The Philippines is a country in

Asia at latitude 11°48′10.80″
North, longitude 122°33′46.80″
East.
 REGIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
As of 2019, the Philippines is divided into 17 REGIONS:
1. Region I – ILOCOS REGION
2. Region II – CAGAYAN VALLEY
3. Region III – CENTRAL LUZON
4. Region IV-A – CALABARZON
5. MIMAROPA Region
6. Region V – BICOL REGION
7. Region VI – WESTERN VISAYAS
8. Region VII – CENTRAL VISAYAS
9. Region VIII – EASTERN VISAYAS
10. Region IX – ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA
11. Region X – NORTHERN MINDANAO
12. Region XI – DAVAO REGION
13. Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
14. Region XIII – CARAGA
15. NCR – NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
16. CAR – CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
17. BARMM – BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO
 REGIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
TYPES OF REGIONS
ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (16)
An administrative region is a grouping of
geographically adjacent LGUs that may be
established, disestablished, and modified by the
President of the Philippines based on the need to
formulate coherent economic development policies,
more efficiently provide national government
services, and coordinate activities beneficial to the
development of larger area beyond the province
level.

AUTONOMOUS REGION (1)

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao and its predecessor, the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao, have been approved by
voters in plebiscites held in 1989, 2001, and 2019.
PHILIPPINE
TIMEZONE
 PHILIPPINE TIMEZONE

A TIME ZONE is an area that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between
countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.
 PHILIPPINE TIMEZONE
PHILIPPINE STANDARD TIME
Philippine Standard Time (PST or PhST
Filipino: Pamantayang Oras ng Pilipinas),
also known as Philippine Time (PHT), is the
official name for the time zone used in the
Philippines.
The country only uses a one-time zone, at
an offset of UTC+08:00, but has used
daylight saving time for brief periods in the
20th century.

GEOGRAPHIC DETAILS
Geographically, the Philippines lies within 116°53′ and 126°34′ east of the Prime Meridian and is physically located
within the UTC+08:00 time zone. Philippine Standard Time is maintained by the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The Philippines shares the same time zone with China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Western Australia, Brunei,
Irkutsk, Central Indonesia, and most of Mongolia.
PHILIPPINE
CLIMATE
 PHILIPPINE CLIMATE

The Climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. It is similar in many respects to the climate
of the countries of Central America. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are discussed hereunder, are the most important elements of the country's weather and climate.
PHILIPPINE CLIMATE
Based on the average of all-weather stations in
TEMPERATURE the Philippines, excluding Baguio, the mean
annual temperature is 26.6o C.

The coolest months fall in January with a mean

temperature of 25.5oC while the warmest
month occurs in May with a mean temperature
of 28.3oC.
Latitude is an insignificant factor in the variation
of temperature while altitude shows greater
contrast in temperature.

Thus, the mean annual temperature of Baguio

with an elevation of 1,500 meters is 18.3oC.
This makes the temperature of Baguio
comparable with those in the temperate climate
and because of this, it is known as the summer
capital of the Philippines.
 PHILIPPINE CLIMATE
HUMIDITY
Humidity refers to the moisture content of the
atmosphere. Due to high temperatures and the
surrounding bodies of water, the Philippines has
high relative humidity.
The average monthly relative humidity varies
between 71 percent in March and 85 percent in
September. The combination of warm
temperature and high relative and absolute
humidities give rise to high sensible temperature
throughout the archipelago. It is especially
uncomfortable during March to May when
temperature and humidity attain their maximum
levels.
RAINFALL
Rainfall is the most important climatic element in the
Philippines. Rainfall distribution throughout the
country varies from one region to another,
depending upon the direction of the moisture-
bearing winds and the location of the mountain
systems.
The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies
from 965 to 4,064 millimeters annually. Baguio City,
eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive the
greatest amount of rainfall while the southern
portion of Cotabato receives the least amount of
rain. At General Santos City in Cotabato, the average
annual rainfall is only 978 millimeters.
 PHILIPPINE CLIMATE
THE SEASONS

Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be divided into two major seasons:

(1) the rainy season, from June to November

(2) the dry season, from December to May. The dry season may be subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, from
December to February; and (b) the hot dry season, from March to May.
PHILIPPINE CLIMATE TYPE
 END
MODULE 1
LESSON 1