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March 6, 2026 - The Philippines
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The Philippines archipelago contains more than 7,100 islands scattered between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Most islands are small and uninhabited, with only about one third inhabited. Luzon and Mindanao are the two largest islands and, between the two, they contain about two-thirds of the total land area.
The islands are richly biodiverse, providing a home for hundreds of species of orchids and more than 200 species of mammals. Several species are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) while some, such as the Asian bear cat (binturong) are facing steep decline. For example, the Asian bear cat (binturong) is considered vulnerable and the tamaraw, a type of small water buffalo, is critically endangered.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the Philippines on March 5, 2026. The island of Luzon sits in the north and Mindanao is the large island in the south.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/5/2026
Resolutions:
1km (368.2 KB), 500m (887.4 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Philippines archipelago contains more than 7,100 islands scattered between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Most islands are small and uninhabited, with only about one third inhabited. Luzon and Mindanao are the two largest islands and, between the two, they contain about two-thirds of the total land area.
The islands are richly biodiverse, providing a home for hundreds of species of orchids and more than 200 species of mammals. Several species are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) while some, such as the Asian bear cat (binturong) are facing steep decline. For example, the Asian bear cat (binturong) is considered vulnerable and the tamaraw, a type of small water buffalo, is critically endangered.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the Philippines on March 5, 2026. The island of Luzon sits in the north and Mindanao is the large island in the south.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/5/2026
Resolutions:
1km (368.2 KB), 500m (887.4 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
