The Republic of the Philippines (Pilipinas in Filipino) includes more than 7600 islands stretching over 1750 km (1100 mi) of the western Pacific and separating the Philippine Sea on the east from the South China Sea on the west. The largest islands are Luzon at the northern end of the country and Mindanao at the southern end. As of 2020 the population of the country was about 109 million. The archipelago was a Spanish colony until the Spanish-American War of 1898, which brought the islands under U.S. administration. Japan occupied the islands during World War II (1942-45) and the country became independent shortly thereafter (1946). Mindanao, the second largest island of the Philippines, occupies the southern end of the archipelago. The island is very irregular in shape; the largest portion is very roughly elliptical extending northeast to southwest and there is also a long curved extension, the Zamboanga Peninsula, on the west. The small islands of the Sulu Archipelago stretch from the end of the Zamboanga Peninsula towards Borneo. The population of the island is about 27 million. The Philippines is divided into 17 regions and subdivided into 81 provinces. This page lists lighthouses of the Northern Mindanao Region, a region traditionally known as Misamis that occupies the central third of the north coast of the island. Lighthouses of the western third of the north coast are listed on the Zamboanga and Sulu page and those of the eastern third are listed on the Caraga Region page. Filipino and English are official languages in the Philippines. In Filipino a lighthouses is called a parola; an island is an isla or pulo. Many English maritime terms have been adopted into Filipino, including cape, bay, and port, and the names of historic lighthouses are often retained in their Spanish forms. Lighthouses in the Philippines are maintained by the Marine Safety Services Command of the Philippine Coast Guard. Many Philippine lighthouses are not well known so better information and photos are always needed. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. PCG numbers are the Philippines Light List numbers, where known. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Bohol | East: Northeast Mindanao | West: Zamboanga and Sulu
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Posted July 24, 2005. Checked and revised January 21, 2025. Lighthouses: 29. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.