Mountain and river systems in the Philippines
There are three major mountain ranges in Luzon: the Caraballo del Sur, the Sierra Madre, and the Caraballo de Baler. The Caraballo del Sur extends from north to south and is formed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Norte. Its highest peak is at the intersection of the boundaries of Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan.
The Sierra Madre, also known as the Pacific Coast Range, begins in the town of Baler and runs through the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, and Quirino. The Sierra Madre is the longest continuous mountain range in the Philippines.
The Caraballo de Baler runs from Baler, the capital of Aurora, and ends at the San Bernardino Strait in far southeastern Luzon. In these ranges are the Mayon volcano in Albay and the Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon.
Also in Luzon are the smaller mountain ranges of Zambales and Tagaytay. The Zambales Range begins at Cape Bolinao in Pangasinan, runs south along the China Sea coast, and ends in the Bataan provinces of Cavite and Batangas. Mount Makiling, in Laguna, and Taal Volcano in Batangas, are located in the Tagaytay Mountain Range.
In the Visayan area, the island of Panay has a range that extends from north to south and separates the province of Antique from the provinces of Aklan, Iloilo and Capiz.
The major mountain ranges of Mindanao
• diwata mountains – It runs along the east coast of the island.
• Central Cordillera – extends throughout Mindanao following the western border of Agusans and Davaos.
• The mountain ranges that form the backbone of the Zamboanga peninsula and Misamis Occidental.
The highest peak in the Philippines is Mount Apo, in Davao del Sur, at 2,954 meters above sea level. The second highest is Mount Pulog on the Bicol Peninsula, at about 2,585 meters above sea level. Other notable mountain peaks in the Philippines are Makiling, Banahaw, and San Cristóbal, all in Laguna-Arayat in Pampanga, Mayon in Albay, Baco in Occidental Mindoro, Matalingajan in Palawan, and Makaturing in Lanao del Sur.
river systems
The main river systems of Luzon are as follows;
• Rio Grande de Cagayan – drains the Cagayan Valley
• Agno River – drains the Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Tarlac rivers.
• Abra River – Receives its tributaries from Cordillera and drains Lepanto, Bontoc and Abra.
• Pampanga River – drains the rich valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Bulacan
The largest river system in the Philippines is the Rio Grande de Mindanao. It is fed by the waters of two large lakes and drains the central basin of Mindanao.