Rice Terraces of Banaue
The Rice Terraces of Banaue are perhaps
the most well know attraction in the Philippines, and no list of the Seven
Wonders of the Philippines would be complete without them.. Located in central
Luzon, they have been carved by local Ifugao people over the last 3,000
thousand years. When you visit, you can see terraces still being built today.
The locals often describe the terraces as the largest man made structure
created without forced labor. If each terrace were laid end to end, they would
stretch almost 14,000 miles. They were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in
1995 and placed on the endangered list in 2001.
Tubbataha Reef
Chocolate Hills
The Chocolate Hills are located on the
Island of Bohol. They are over 1,200 hills, covering over 50 km² and get their
name because the grass which covers the hills turns brown during the dry
season. The hills are almost all conical in shape and made of limestone. Many
people have believed that they were human creations. Geologists are not
entirely sure how they were created. Theories include erosion of limestone,
volcanic uplift, and accretion of limestone around basalt fragments from a volcanic
eruption. The government of the Philippines has declared it one of their
flagship tourist destinations. The Chocolate Hills are so central to the people
of Bohol, they appear on the flag of the province.
Taal Volcano
Taal volcano has a unique distinction in
the world. It contains the largest island, inside of a lake, which is on an
island, which is inside a lake, which is on an island. (got that?) Taal is a
very active volcano which has killed over 5,000 people in recorded history. It
has been named one of 16 decade volcanoes in the world worthy of special study.
Inside the Taal caldera is Lake Tall, which is a 25km across. The lake is know
for its high sulfur content and is also home to many endemic species of
freshwater fish. Taal is only 50km from the city of Manila.
Mayon Volcano
Mayon volcano is perhaps the most
perfectly shaped conic volcano in the world. It has been called by some the
“Filipino Mount Fuji”. Located in south east Luzon, it is one of the most
active volcanoes in the world. It has erupted close to 50 times since the year
1600, with the most recent eruption occurring in 2006. 77 people were killed in
an eruption in 1993 and 75,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes
during an eruption in 1984. It rises 2462 m over Legazpi City in the province
of Albay.
Underground River of Puerto Princessa
The Underground River is not only a
UNESCO World Heritage site, but was named as one of the Earth’s New7Wonders of
Nature. The Underground River is the longest subterranean river in the world,
extending 8.2km underground. Over 2km is accessible to the public. The
surrounding National Park includes many species including monitor lizards, the blue-naped parrot
and macaque monkeys. The park is located 50km north of the city of Puerto
Princessa on the island of Palawan.
Boracay
Boracay
is a small island approximately 200 miles south of Manila and is very close to
the major island of Panay. Its white sand beaches and direct flights from all
over Asia, have made it one of the Philippines most popular tourist
destinations. White Beach is the longest beach on Boracay and extends 4 km on
west side of the islands.
Honorable
Mention
El
Nido
Located
on the northern tip of the island of Palawan, El Nido is known for its
distinctive limestone islands and inlets. El Nido consistently scores high in
surveys of top eco-tourist destinations in the world. Forbes magazine rated the
wreck dives off the island of Coron as some one of the top 10 dive sites in the
world. Archeological evidence of human habitation dating back 22,000 years has
also been found in El Nido.
Batanes
The
Province of Batanes is the northern most, and smallest province in the
Philippines. It is located almost halfway between is island of Luzon and
Taiwan. The culture of the Ivatan people is unique in the Philippines. Crime in
Batanes is almost unknown as many police officials have complained of nothing
to do with zero crimes reported and no one in the jails.
Mall
of Asia
It
may be surprising to some, but one of the largest malls in the world is in
Manila. The SM Mall of Asia is third largest mall in the world in terms of
gross leaseable area, surpassed only by two malls in China (neither of which is
anywhere near capacity). The Mall of Asia consists of four separate buildings
connected by open air walkways. It is 50% larger than the Mall of America and
10% larger than the West Edmonton Mall. It addition to the standard mall fare,
it also is host to an Olympic sized ice skating rink.
Source
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment