an island in the southern part of the Philippine Archipelago; the second largest island (after Luzon) in the Philippines, with an area of 94,600 sq km. The terrain consists of volcanic massifs rising to 2,954 m and lowlands; the Apo volcano is the country’s highest peak. Mindanao has an irregular shape, with many large bays and narrow peninsulas jutting far into the ocean. The island is composed of shale, sandstone, limestone, and basalt, and it has active volcanoes. Coastal lowlands and large intermontane valleys are frequently marshy. There are deposits of coal, iron ores, and nonferrous metals.
The climate is subequatorial and monsoonal, except in the south, where it is equatorial. Throughout the year the temperature on the plains ranges from 25° to 28°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 1,000 to 4,000 mm. The chief rivers are the Mindanao and its tributary, the Pulangi (about 550 km long), and the Agusan. There are many lakes, of which the largest is Lake Lanao. The island’s tropical and monsoonal forests consist of dipterocarps, pandanuses, and nipa palms, and other species. Mangrove forests are found in places along the coast. The chief economic activity is farming, and the most important crops are coconuts, rice, Manila hemp, and pineapples. Population, 7.3 million (1970, estimate). The principal cities are Davao and Zamboanga.
IU. K. EFREMOV
an interisland sea in the southern part of the Philippine Archipelago, lying between the islands of Siquijor, Bohol, and Leyte in the north and Mindanao in the south. It opens to the Pacific Ocean in the east and to the Sulu Sea in the west. The maximum depth is 1,975 m, and the average annual water temperature exceeds 28°C. Salinity is approximately 34 parts per thousand. Currents generally flow westward and have speeds of up to 2 km per hr. Tides are irregular and semidiurnal, rising more than 2 m. There are many coral formations along the coasts.