Environmental issues in the Philippines Environmental issues in the Philippines The Philippines' evident risk to natural disasters is due to its location. Being a country that lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is prone to earthquake and volcanic eruptions. In addition, the country is surrounded by large bodies of water and faces the Pacific Ocean where 60% of the world's typhoons are made. One of the most devastating typhoons that hit the Philippines in 2013 was Typhoon Haiyan, or "Yolanda", that killed over 10,000 people and destroyed over a trillion pesos worth of properties and damage to various sectors. Other environmental problems that
Geography of the Philippines of mountain ranges in this region is called "Zamboanga Cordilleras", with the highest elevation at Mount Dapi, which is high. The southern coastline is irregular, featuring two smaller peninsulas, the Sibuguey and Baganian, extending southward to the Moro Gulf. To the north of the Diwata Mountains at northeast Mindanao lie Siargao island and the Dinagat group of islands. Southwest of the Zamboanga Peninsula is the Sulu Archipelago, a chain of islands which comprise the smaller archipelago provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the 81 provinces and 38