The origin of most of the lakes in the Philippines is closely related to
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plat ...
and
tectonic
Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents ...
activity. A number of smaller lakes occupy the
craters of
extinct volcanoes. Some
lake basins are developed by
subsidence
Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...
due to
tectonic
Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents ...
or volcanic activity. Others owe their existence to obstruction of drainage courses by
landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environmen ...
s,
lava flow
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...
s and by fragmental
volcanic ejecta.
Among the lakes which are known in the Philippines only three, namely,
Laguna de Bay
Laguna de Bay ( Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the ...
in Luzon,
Taal Lake in Luzon, and
Lake Lanao
Lake Lanao ( Maranao: ''Ranao'' or ''Ranaw'') is a large ancient lake in the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake in Mindanao, and the second largest lake in the Philippines and counted as one ...
in Mindanao, stand out prominently because of their size or economic importance.
List
The following is a partial alphabetical listing of permanent lakes (''excluding
flood plains
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
'') in the Philippines.
Gallery
Largest and deepest lakes
File:LagunaCaldera04.jpg, Laguna de Bay
Laguna de Bay ( Spanish for "Lagoon/Lake of Bay"; tl, Lawa ng Bay, ), also known as Laguna Lake, is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the ...
, the largest lake in the Philippines
File:Lake Lanao zoom.jpg, Lake Lanao
Lake Lanao ( Maranao: ''Ranao'' or ''Ranaw'') is a large ancient lake in the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake in Mindanao, and the second largest lake in the Philippines and counted as one ...
, second
File:Taal View from Tagaytay 2010.JPG, Taal Lake, third
File:Lake Mainit Surigao del Norte sunset.JPG, Lake Mainit
Lake Mainit is the fourth largest lake in the Philippines, having a surface area of . The lake is also the deepest lake in the country with maximum depth reaching . It is located in the northeastern section of Mindanao and shared between the p ...
, fourth, and the second deepest
File:Crater lake Pinatubo.jpg, alt=, Lake Pinatubo is one of the youngest lake in the Philippines.
See also
*
Geography of the Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago that comprises 7,641 islands with a total land area of . It is the world's fifth largest island country. The eleven largest islands contain 95% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon ...
*
Outline of the Philippines
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Philippines:
General reference
*Pronunciation:
*Abbreviations: PH or PHL
*Common English country name: Philippines, the Philippines
*Official English country ...
*
References
{{Asia topic, List of lakes of
Lakes
*
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
Lakes