The Philippine archipelago lies in a strategic position in South-East Asia. The largest islands are Luzon in the North and Mindanao in the South. They, together with the Visayas Islands that separate them, represent the three principal regions of the archipelago. The archipelago is located in the Philippine plate, which is squeezed between the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates. Close breaking points in the earth's crust leave their mark in the Philippines as volcanoes and earthquakes.
Strong earthquakes are fairly rare, but there are light tremors from time to time.
The most famous volcano, Mt. Pinatubo, is located less than 100 kilometers from the capital city of Manila. Makati City is the main business center of the Philippines. Although road density is relatively high in the whole Philippines, the traffic situation in Metro Manila is worsening fast, because of inadequate public transportation and the rapidly growing number of private vehicles. Public transportation consists largely of private-owned jeepneys, buses and the Light Rail Transit system. The export capital, the domestic cargo hub and one of the tourism centers of the Philippines, Cebu, is located in the center of the Visayas Islands, which makes it virtually typhoon-free.