<P> The Philippine archipelago lies in Southeast Asia in a position that has led to its becoming a cultural crossroads - a place where Malays , Hindus , Arabs , Chinese , Spaniards , Americans , and others had interacted to forge a unique cultural and racial blend . The archipelago numbers some 7,641 islands , and the nation claims an exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ) of 200 nautical miles ( 370 km ) from its shores . The Philippines occupies an area that stretches for 1,850 kilometers ( 1,150 mi ) from about the fifth to the twentieth parallels north latitude . The total land area is 343,448 square kilometers ( 132,606 sq mi ) . Only approximately 1,000 of its islands are populated , and fewer than one - half of these are larger than 2.5 square kilometers ( 1 sq mi ) . Eleven islands make up 95 percent of the Philippine landmass , and two of these -- Luzon and Mindanao -- measure 105,000 square kilometers ( 40,541 sq mi ) and 95,000 square kilometers ( 36,680 sq mi ) , respectively . They , together with the cluster of islands in Visayas in between them , represent the three principal regions of the archipelago that are identified by the three stars on the Philippine flag . The Philippines is broken up by the sea , which gives it one of the longest coastlines of any nation in the world . </P>
where does the philippines lie in term of latitude
from about the fifth to the twentieth parallels north latitude