All You Need To Know About The Philippines

Philippine facts….  Population – 84.6 million  Area – 300 square kilometres  Capital – Manila  Language – Tagalog (mainly)  Religion – Christian, with a small percentage of Muslims and Buddhists  Currency - Peso

The Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of Philippines, is an island nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippines reflects diverse indigenous Austronesian cultures from its many islands, as well as European and American influence from Spain, Latin America and the United States.

History Archaeological and paleontological theory suggests that Homo sapiens existed in Palawan about 50,000BC. The Negros were thought to have arrived in the area that is now the Philippines more than 30,000 years ago, perhaps via land bridges that connected the area to the Asian continent during an ice age.

Sailing for the Spanish, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first Europeans to arrive in the archipelago in Magellan was killed by indigenous warriors in Mactan Island while being involved with political conflicts with Lapu-Lapu. The beginnings of colonization came when the King Philip II of Spain (for whom the Philippines is named) ordered a follow-up expedition. The conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi arrived from Mexico in 1565 and formed the first Spanish settlements in Cebu. In 1571 he established Manila as the capital of the new Spanish colony.

The Spanish-American War began in Cuba in 1898 Aguinaldo declared the independence of the Philippines on June 12, 1898, and was proclaimed head of state. By 1899, the Philippine-American War ensued between the United States and the Philippine revolutionaries, which continued the violence of the previous years.

Politics and Government The Philippines has a presidential-unitary form government, where the President functions as both head of state and head of government, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a six- year term, during which they appoint and preside over the cabinet. The Philippines is a founding and active member of the United Nations since its inception on October 24, 1945 and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Administrative Divisions The Philippines is divided into three geographical areas: Luzon Visayas, and, Mindanao These are divided into seventeen regions, eighty-one provinces, 118 cities, 1,510 municipalities, and 41,994 barangays.

Geography Lying on the North Western fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities. About 20 earthquakes are registered daily in the Philippines, though most are too weak to be felt. The last great earthquake was the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The climate in the Philippians is hot, humid and tropical.

Economy The Philippines is a newly industrialized country with an agricultural base, light industry, and service-sector economy. It has been listed in "Next Eleven" economies. Despite the growing economy, the Philippines will have to address several chronic problems in the future. Income inequality remains persistent; about 30 million people lived on less than $2 per day in In 2006, the Philippines experienced its lowest budget deficit in 8 years.

Culture There are significant amounts of spanish, such as names of streets, towns and provinces. Literature, folk music, folk dance, language, food, art and religion are main parts of the Philippino culture. Basketball and Billiards are commonly played in the Philippines. There is also a big American influence on the Philippino culture, such as the love of fast food and movies. Traditional Filipino Martial Arts, such as Eskrima, had secretly been banned by the Spanish during the three- hundred year colonial period, but have been revived through an interest in learning Pre-Hispanic culture.