Eric Colaneri, age 13, of Nashua, N.H., for his question:
HOW MANY ISLANDS ARE IN THE PHILIPPINES?
Republic of the Philippines is the full name of the island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. There are more than 7,000 in the country although people live on only about 730 of them. About 4,300 islands do not have names.
The Philippines lies just north of the equator and stretches 1,152 miles from north to south. The northernmost islands are only about 330 miles from the mainland of Asia.
The islands range in size from 41,765 square miles to small patches of swampland or jagged rock. Luzon is the name of the largest island and it is here that you'll find Manila, the nation's capital and largest city.
Only 463 of the more than 7,000 islands cover more than one square mile.
The country includes three main island groups. The Luzon group in the northern Philippines consists of Luzon, Mindoro and other nearby islands. The Visayan group include Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Palawan, Pinay, Samar and other small islands in the central Philippines. The Mindanao group consists of Mindanao and the islands of the Sulu Archipelago.
Luzon is a little larger than the state of Kentucky. Rugged mountains cover most of the island but the largest lowland area of the Philippines lies between Manila Bay and Lingayen Gulf in central Luzon. Farmers grow two fifths of the country's rice crop on this fertile plain. Mines in the mountains of northern Luzon provide gold, iron and chromate.
Mindanao is the second largest island. It is a little larger than the state of Indiana. Products of the island include lumber, pineapples, copra, corn and rice.
The jagged Philippine coastline is 14,400 miles long. It has many excellent bays and harbors. In many places, especially in the central and southern Philippines, coral reefs make some of the harbors dangerous for ships.
The Philippines has a warm, humid climate similar to that of Central America. There is little seasonal variation in temperature because the country lies in the tropics. In Manila, average temperatures range from 75 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 82 degrees Fahrenheit in June.
From 50 to 180 inches of rain falls every year. The lowlands receive less than the uplands because the high mountains block winds that carry rain bearing clouds from the ocean.
Most of the rain falls between June and November.
Family life in the Philippines is more like that in the United States or Canada than that of other Asian lands. The husband treats his wife as an equal. Ties are strong among family members, including grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.
About 70 of every 100 persons make their living from agriculture, the country's chief industry. About seven of every 100 are employed in manufacturing. The rest work at such occupations as mining, forestry and fishing.