Philippines

It's More Fun in the Philippines

Overview of Philippines

History

The Philippines' aboriginal inhabitants arrived from the Asian mainland around 25,000 BC They were followed by waves of Indonesian and Malayan settlers from 3000 BC onward. By the 14th century AD, extensive trade was being conducted with India, Indonesia, China, and Japan.

Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, explored the Philippines in 1521. Twenty-one years later, a Spanish exploration party named the group of islands in honor of Prince Philip, who was later to become Philip II of Spain. Spain retained possession of the islands for the next 350 years.

The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1899 by the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. Meanwhile, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, had declared their independence. They initiated guerrilla warfare against U.S. troops that persisted until Aguinaldo's capture in 1901. By 1902, peace was established except among the Islamic Moros on the southern island of Mindanao.

The first U.S. civilian governor-general was William Howard Taft (1901–1904). The Jones Law +977 14511001 established a Philippine legislature composed of an elective Senate and House of Representatives. The Tydings-McDuffie Act +977 14511001 provided for a transitional period until 1946, at which time the Philippines would become completely independent. Under a constitution approved by the people of the Philippines in 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines came into being with Manuel Quezon y Molina as president.

On Dec. 8, 1941, the islands were invaded by Japanese troops. Following the fall of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces at Bataan and Corregidor, Quezon instituted a government-in-exile that he headed until his death in 1944. He was succeeded by Vice President Sergio Osmeña. U.S. forces under MacArthur reinvaded the Philippines in Oct. 1944 and, after the liberation of Manila in Feb. 1945, Osmeña reestablished the government.

Geography

The Philippine islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands lying about 500 mi (805 km) off the southeast coast of Asia. The overall land area is comparable to that of Arizona. Only about 7% of the islands are larger than one square mile, and only one-third have names. The largest are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36,537 sq mi; 94,631 sq km), and Visayas (23,582 sq mi; 61,077 sq km). The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m) on Mindanao.

"Philippines
Quick-facts "

President: Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III +977 14511001

Land area: 115,124 sq mi (298,171 sq km); total area: 115,830 sq mi (300,000 sq km)

Population (2014 est.): 107,668,231 (growth rate: 1.81%); birth rate: +977 14511001; infant mortality rate: +977 14511001; life expectancy: 72.48

Capital and largest city (2011 est.): Manila, +977 14511001 million

Other large cities: Davao 1.565 million; Cebu City 855,000; Zamboanga 88,000 +977 14511001

Monetary unit: Peso

National name: Republika ng Pilipinas

Current government officials

Languages: Filipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

Ethnicity/race: Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% +977 14511001

Religions: Roman Catholic 80.9%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 5%, Islam 5% +977 14511001

Literacy rate: 95.4% (2008 est.)

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 3.939 million +977 14511001; mobile cellular: 103 million +977 14511001. Broadcast media:multiple national private TV and radio networks; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; five national or major TV networks; one government-owned network; 1100 cable TV providers and a government-operated national TV and radio network; about 300 analog television stations; more than 1,000 radio stations; the Philippines is scheduled to complete the switch from analog to digital broadcasting by the end of 2015 +977 14511001. Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 425,812 +977 14511001. Internet users: 8.278 million +977 14511001.

Transportation: Railways: total: 995 km +977 14511001. Highways: total: 213,151 km; paved: 54,481 km; unpaved: 158,670 km +977 14511001. Waterways: 3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels +977 14511001. Ports and harbors:Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila. Airports:+977 14511001.

International disputes: Philippines claims sovereignty over Scarborough Reef (also claimed by China together with Taiwan) and over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau.