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The Philippines is composed of over 7,000
islands and islets stretching almost a thousand
miles from North to South; with a land surface
of 114,830 square statute miles criss-crossed
with mountains and volcanic origin. It has
10,850 statute miles of irregular coastline
twice as long as that of continental United
States. It lies within the Pacific seismic
belt, had a history devastating earthquakes
at intensity 8 (Mindanao Aug. 17,1976). It
was believed that this islands west of the
Pacific surfaced by movements of the thin
Pacific plates and continuous volcanic eruptions;
to date, the country has 7 active volcanoes;
Mayon Volcano is the most active, erupted
30 times since 1615; Taal Volcano resting
in the middle of serene lake in its name,
is the smallest active volcano in the world,
erupted 33 times. The great mountain ranges
and river systems made the islands suitable
for farming; plains farming products such
as rice, corn (maize), and sugar cane are
the main produce; in some dry northern provinces,
tobacco is extensively produced. The southern
provinces grows coconut extensively as main
product, rice and varieties of tropical fruits.
The cosmopolitan and metropolitan areas are
rapidly urbanized in the advent of modern
industries
The Philippines has a rich history combining
Asian, European, and American influences.
Prior to Spanish colonization in 1521, the
Filipinos had a rich culture and were trading
with the Chinese and the Japanese. Spain's
colonization brought Christianity to the islands
dominated by Islam; applying the principles
of "divide et empire", the colonization was
completed half a century after rediscovery.
Scattered settlements were gathered "bajo
el son las campanas" to be easily administered
and facilitate missionary works, from these,
towns and cities were built according to construction
plans as mandated by " La Ley de las Indias";
defenses were built to protect this cities,
like that of Fort Santiago inside the walled
City of Intamuros in 1571, comprised of European
buildings and churches, replicated in the
different parts of the archipelago. In 1898,
with the help of the Americans as a result
of the Spanish-American War after 350 years
and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos under the
leadership of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo declared
independence from the Spanish rule.
The Philippine-American War came about when
it was perceived that the United States has
no immediate plan of giving the Filipinos
their independence, other incident that followed
aggravated the situation to become a full
blown War for Independence, which the Americans
call The Philippine Insurrection being its
colony after winning over and buying it from
Spain. It became the first and only colony
of the United States in the Asia -Pacific
region. Following the Philippine-American
War, the United States brought widespread
education to the islands. Filipinos fought
alongside Americans during World War II, particularly
at the famous battle of Bataan and Corregidor
which delayed Japanese plan of conquest in
Asia -Pacific region. The indomitable spirit
of the freedom loving Filipinos waged a guerilla
war against the Japanese from 1941 to 1945.
The Philippines finally gained its independence
from the Americans on July 4,1946.
Filipinos are a freedom-loving people, having
waged two peaceful, bloodless revolutions
against what were perceived as corrupt regimes.
The Philippines is a vibrant democracy, as
evidenced by 12 English national newspapers,
7 national television stations, hundreds of
cable TV stations, and 2,000 radio stations.
General Information
The Philippines is made up
of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 115,739
sq. m. (299,764 sq. km.). Main island groups
are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Capital
is Manila. Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.
Climate
March to May is hot and dry. June to October
is rainy, November to February is cool. Average
temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F
/ 32°C; humidity is 77%.
Population
There will be a total of 86 million Filipinos
by the end of 2005. Population growth is estimated
at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon, the largest
island group, accounts for more than half
of the entire population.
Languages
The Philippines is the world's third-largest
English-speaking country next to the United
States and the United Kingdom. There are over
100 regional dialects. The national language
is Pilipino.
Religions
Some 80% of Filipinos are Catholic. About
15% are Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller
Christian denominations and Buddhist. Historically,
the Filipinos have embraced two of the great
religions of the world - Islam and Christianity.
Islam was introduced during the 14th century
shortly after the expansion of Arab commercial
ventures in Southeast Asia. Today, it is limited
to the southern region of the country.
Christianity was introduced as early as the
16th century with the coming of Ferdinand
Magellan in 1521.
Protestantism was introduced by the first
Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries who
arrived with the American soldiers in 1899.
Two Filipino independent churches were organized
at the turn of the century and are prominent
today. These are the Aglipay (Philippine Independent
Church) and the Iglesia Ni Kristo (Church
of Christ) founded in 1902 and 1914, respectively.
Recently the Aglipay signed a covenant with
the Anglican Church. The Iglesia ni Kristo
has expanded its membership considerably.
Its churches, with their unique towering architecture,
are landmarks in almost all important towns,
provincial capitals, and major cities. The
Mormons likewise are becoming more prominent
in the countrysides
Unit
of Measures
The Metric System is used in most trade and
legal transactions
Electricity
220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110
volts a/c is also used, especially in major
hotels.
Currency
The Philippines' monetary unit is the peso,
divided into 100 centavos. Foreign currency
may be exchanged at any hotels, most large
department stores, banks, and authorized money
changing shops accredited by the Central Bank
of the Philippines. International credit cards
such as Visa, Diners Club, Master Card, and
American Express are accepted in major establishments.
Mode of Transportation
Like any other modern countries in the
world, you can practically travel anywhere
in the Philippines in a combination
of land, sea, and air transfers; from
ordinary to the best possible accommodations
that transport vehicles can provide.
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