The Best of Islands Philippines
THE PHILIPPINES stands at the crossroads of the
developed western world and the Orient. It lies in the
heart of Southeast Asia, stretching more than 1,840
kilometers. Composed of 7,107 islands, the Philippines
is readily accessible to the different capitals of the
world. Its three main islands are Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao.
The South China Sea washes its western shores. Taiwan,
China and Hong Kong are northern neighbors and further
north is Japan. To the west lie Southeast Asian
countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. An
arm of the archipelago reaches out towards Borneo and at
its feet stands the chain of Indonesian islands. To the
east and south, the waters of the Pacific Ocean sweep
its headlands, looking out towards Micronesia and
Polynesia.
Its unique location has made the Philippines the
commercial, cultural and intellectual hub of Asia from
the dawn of history.
Tourism Highway
BEING an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands
scattered over 114,000 square kilometers is no obstacle
to travel in the Philippines. The country's geographical
structure and makeup has, in fact, proven to be an
advantage to the traveler, particularly the adventurous,
daring and enterprising.
Traveling overland the entire length of the Philippines
is now possible through the Pan Philippine Highway. Also
known as the Maharlika Highway, the road network runs
from Manila to Laoag City via Cagayan Valley in northern
Luzon and from Manila to Davao in Mindanao via Bicol in
southern Luzon and Samar and Leyte in eastern Visayas.
Twenty-six areas in Luzon and seven areas in the Bicol
region, the Visayas and Mindanao have been designated as
Scenic Highways, all with great amenities for the
traveller.
The Philippines in the World
THE PHILIPPINES is readily accessible from the travel
capitals of the world. Traveling time to Manila from
Hong Kong is an hour and 50 minutes; Singapore, 3 hours
and 10 minutes; Bangkok, 3 hours and 50 minutes; Tokyo,
4 hours and 15 minutes; Sydney, 10 hours and 20 minutes;
London, 20 hours and 45 minutes; Paris, 21 hours and 15
minutes; Frankfurt, 19 hours and 40 minutes; San
Francisco, 16 hours and 15 minutes; Los Angeles, 15
hours and 20 minutes; and New York, 25 hours and 20
minutes
