Philippines' Central Cordillera Range: High Plateaus, Rice Terraces & Watersheds

The Central Cordillera Range in northern Luzon is a massive mountainous region (~150 km wide, ~500 km long) whose high plateaus are famed for:

• Rice production: The iconic Ifugao rice terraces—UNESCO-listed—cling to these slopes.
• Energy: Hydroelectric and geothermal potential from volcanic peaks.
• Watershed services: Critical recharge zones sustaining lowland ecosystems and agriculture.

The range's highest summit, Mount Pulag, reaches 2,926 m (9,600 ft). The Cordilleras are both a cultural heartland for Indigenous Igorot peoples and an ecological backbone for the Philippines.