Island (pop., 2000: 37,909,589), Philippines .
The country's largest island, with an area of 40,420 sq mi (104,688 sq km), it is the site of Quezon City and Manila , the nation's capital. Located in the northern Philippine archipelago, it is bounded by the Philippine Sea, the Sibuyan Sea, and the South China Sea , and it is separated from Taiwan by the Luzon Strait . It represents one-third of the country's land area and half of its population. It is largely mountainous; in 1991 the eruption of Mount Pinatubo altered the island's geography. It is the country's leader in both industry and agriculture.