The Factoid

            The latitude of a country is the elemental monitor of its climate. It is the latitude of the Philippines that makes it a tropical paradise with sunshine beating upon its land throughout the year. The archipelago of this country is located between the latitude of 13° North and the longitude of 122° East. The country’s capital city, Manila, lies on the latitude of 14° 35′ North. The Philippines’ position near the north of the equator indicates that the nation typically experiences a tropical rainforest climate throughout the year because the sun’s energy strikes the equator at a direct angle. Radiation in countries near the equator, such as the Philippines, is very intense and focused. Due to its location on the tropics, the sun can shine down completely on the land once or twice a year. That is the reason why hot temperatures are normal in the Philippines. On the other hand, the Sun’s heat is also used in vaporization and the creation of rain. Thus, that results in an abundant amount of annual rainfall and prevents the average temperature to go higher than 35°C. The Philippines also experiences winter because of the 23.5° tilt of the Earth. Alas, its latitude near the equator forces it to have a rainy winter instead of a snowy one. Nevertheless, this is just one side of the Philippines. A factoid is a trivial fact or an imprecise detail proposed by the press to seek publicity support. The description of the Philippines as a tropical paradise was once a fact, but now a factoid. Rainfall is a key feature of the Philippines’ climate. Excluding environmental problems rocking the nation today, like deforestation, the Philippines’s latitude near the equator can also prove that too much rain can sometimes spell trouble.

             The Philippines’ tropical climate possesses two characteristics. High temperatures and high humidity in the atmosphere can be used to describe the country’s weather. In addition, the people of the Philippines can almost always expect the country to provide rain due to its position on 14° North latitude. Since its latitude is near the equator, the concentrated focus of the Sun’s energy forces the air to be hot enough to create water vapor. The sun, in turn, transfers its heat and creates prolonged and extreme rain showers and thunderstorms. On average, the Philippines experiences an overpowering amount of rainfall from June to October. This is the period when monsoons happen mostly in the southwest. From December to May, however, the Philippines hardly experiences rain. The occurrence of strong rainfalls and typhoons is a major feature of the Philippines’ climate. They can affect the country’s environment profoundly. Major monsoons and floods are daily visitors to the local newspapers. Since the soil is so dense with water, crops can’t grow and landslides happen. The tragedies mainly occur in the southern island of the Philippines. The reason is that the area is closer to the equator than the northern part of the country. It receives more sunlight and the more severe heat creates the vapor in the air and eventually leads to heavy rainfalls. On the other hand, the Philippines’ latitude helps with balancing the temperature by producing refreshing rainfalls and prevents severe droughts that victimize other countries that don’t have much precipitation instead.

This chart shows the effects of rainfall on the land of countries in Southeast Asia. Notice that the rainy seasons help Philippines to earn good land for farming crops such as corns and rice.

            The amount of sunlight and rainwater in a country can determine the types of plants and animals living there and can also impinge on the lives of the citizens. Animals living in the Philippines are probably accustomed to the weather patterns. They would have already familiarized themselves with the amount of sunlight and rainfall the Philippines gets, due to its position near the equator. However, when the rainy season comes, flash floods can sometimes happen. Flash floods are when a monstrous amount of rain swathes over an area in a short period of time. This can pose a shock to the animals that are not prepared for these odd moments. In result, a part of the animal life will be destroyed because of the floods. Some of them may also suffer from the destruction of their food because of excessive rainfall. That is why some plants in the Philippines have grown to adjust to the country’s climate, in order to support the animals. The plants that grow in the Philippines and many other countries near the equator need hot temperatures and the sun’s high angle to cultivate. Their positions near the equator help them with that need. The rainforests in the Philippines have to also adapt to the annual rainfall. They have learned to absorb tremendous amount of water to balance the amount of sunlight they are getting. However, sometimes the perpetual downpour during the rainy season in the Philippines can prove to be too much for the soil. As a consequence, landslides happen and people who are mostly living in the poor, countryside areas will be hit by them. Soil erosions occur because of the excess of water and slowly but surely, the earth will begin to slide down and bury the houses beneath it. Many people have died over the years. Some, whose lives were spare, were met with injuries and had to endure hardship such as the loss of their shelters. Starvation then begins to take place because the overwhelming flood ruins the crops needed to feed the farmers and their families, along with the rest of the population. The farmers who lost their crops will eventually move to other vacant lands, in order to provide for their families and to avoid losing their jobs. This is the time when deforestation is committed as the farmers chop down trees to create more space for farming. In addition, it has been noted that waterborne diseases can rise up among the inhabitants of the Philippines when the rainy season arrives. These diseases include dengue, a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes and one of Philippines’ main health concerns. Dengue happens mostly on the rainy season because the atmosphere starts to become moist and wet; an environmental feature loved by all mosquitoes.

           59% of people die more because of flooding than any other forms of causes. 

            Heavy rainfall is created by the Philippines’ 14° N latitude near the equator. Subsequently, these rainfalls will transform into monsoons and floods. Then, animals, plants, and crops will be destroyed. People will lose their lives, homes, and jobs. Diseases will spread. These are not flattering observations for the tourism sector of the country. One tragedy leading to another can dampen tourists’ feeling to visit the Philippines. It is a fact that just by observing a country’s latitude; many implications can be made about its climate and the effects it has on the land and the people.

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