There are three major mountain ranges in Luzon: the Caraballo del Sur, the Sierra Madre and the Caraballo de Baler. The Caraballo del Sur stretches from north to south and is formed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Norte. Its highest peak is at the intersection of the limits of Abra, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan.
The Sierra Madre, also known as the Cordillera de la Costa del Pacífico, begins in the city of Baler and crosses the provinces of Cagayán, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya and Quirino. The Sierra Madre is the longest continuous mountain range in the Philippines.
The Caraballo de Baler stretches from Baler, the capital of Aurora, and ends at the San Bernardino Strait at the southeastern tip of Luzon. In these ranges are the Mayon Volcano in Albay and the Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon.
Also in Luzon are the smaller mountain ranges of Zambales and Tagaytay. The Zambales Mountain Range begins at Cape Bolinao in Pangasinan, runs south along the coast of the China Sea and ends in Bataan’s Cavite and Batangas provinces. Mount Makiling, in Laguna, and the Taal volcano in Batangas, are located in the Tagaytay Range.
In the Visayan area, Panay Island has a range that extends from north to south and separates Antique province from Aklan, Iloilo and Capiz provinces.
The major mountain ranges of Mindanao
• Diwata Mountains – runs along the east coast of the island.
• Central range – extends throughout Mindanao following the western boundary of Agusan and Davaos.
• The mountain ranges that form the backbone of the Zamboanga peninsula and Misamis Occidental.
The highest peak in the Philippines is Mount Apo, in Davao del Sur, 2,954 meters above sea level. The second highest is Mount Pulog on the Bicol peninsula, at about 2,585 meters above sea level. Other notable Philippine mountain peaks are Makiling, Banahaw, and San Cristóbal, all at Laguna-Arayat in Pampanga, Mayon in Albay, Baco in Occidental Mindoro, Matalingajan in Palawan, and Makaturing in Lanao del Sur.
River systems
The main river systems of Luzon are as follows;
• Rio Grande from Cagayan – drains the Cagayan valley
• Agno River – Drains the rivers of Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Tarlac.
• River abra – It receives its tributaries from Cordillera and drains Lepanto, Bontoc and Abra.
• Pampanga River – drains the rich valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Bulacan
The largest river system in the Philippines is the Rio Grande de Mindanao. It is fed by the waters of two large lakes and drains the central Mindanao basin.
