PHILIPPINES | Facts, Geography, Tourism, Culture, Agriculture @AllThingsBrightB

Philippines is an island country of Southeast Asia in the Western Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets lying about 500 miles or 800 kilometers off the coast of Vietnam. Manila is the capital city but nearby Quezon is the country's most populous city. Both are part of the national capital region, Metro Manila, located on Luzon, the largest island. The second largest island of the Philippines is Mindanao in the southeast. Land. The Philippine archipelago is bounded by the The islands spread out in the shape of a triangle, with those south of Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the island of Mindanao outlining from west to east respectively, its southern base in the Bataan Islands to the north of Luzon forming its apex. Historically, the total number of islands in the archipelago was held to be 7,107. But in 2016, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority of the Philippines announced the discovery of more than 500 previously uncharted islands. The archipelago stretches about 1,150 miles or 1,850 kilometers from north to south, and its widest east-west extent at its southern base is some 700 miles or 1,130 kilometers. The island of Taiwan lies north of the Bataan group. The Malaysian portion of the island of Borneo is to the south of Palawan. The eastern islands of Indonesia lie to the south and southeast of Mindanao. Only about two-fifths of the islands and islets have names, and only some 350 have areas of 1 square mile or 2.6 square kilometers or more. The large islands fall into three groups. First, the Luzon group in the north and west consisting of Luzon, Mindoro, and Palawan. Second, the Visayas group in the center consisting of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar. And third, Mindanao in the south. Geography. Outstanding physical features of the Philippines include the irregular configuration of the archipelago, the coastline of some 22,550 miles or 36,290 kilometers, the great extent of mountainous country, the narrow and interrupted coastal plains, the generally northward trend of the river system, and the spectacular lakes. The islands are composed primarily of volcanic rock and coral, but all principal rock formations are present. The mountain ranges for the most part run in the same general direction as the islands themselves, approximately north to south. Volcanoes. Although volcanoes are a conspicuous feature of the landscape, there is relatively little volcanic activity. There are altogether about 50 volcanoes, of which more than 10 are known to be active. Mount Pinatubo on Luzon, once regarded as extinct, was in 1991 the site of one of the world's largest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. All gradations of volcanoes can be seen, from the almost perfect Cone of Mayon, which has been compared to Mount Fuji in Japan, to old, worn-down volcanic stocks, the present forms of which give little indication of their origin. The several distinct volcanic areas are in south-central and southern Luzon, and on the islands of Negros, Mindanao, Holo, and elsewhere. Tremors and earthquakes are common. Tourism. From buzzling cities to the stunning beaches and mountains, the Philippines has a lot to offer adventurous explorers. Tourism has been growing steadily, most international visitors come from South Korea, the United States, and Japan, but the number of Malaysians, Singaporeans, and residents of other Asian countries is increasing. Metro Manila and Cebu are among the most popular destinations, as are such resort areas as Boracay Islands, just off the northern tip of Panay. Climate. The climate of the Philippines is tropical and strongly monsoonal. In general, rain-bearing winds blow from the southwest from approximately May to October, and drier winds come from the northeast from November to February. Thus, temperature remain relatively constant from north to south during the year, and seasons consist of periods of wet and dry. Throughout the country, however, there are considerable variations in the frequency and amount of precipitation. The western shores facing South China Sea have the most marked dry and wet seasons. The dry season generally begins in December and ends in May. The first three months being cool, and the second three hot. The rest of the year constitutes the wet season. The dry season shortens progressively to the east until it ceases to occur. During the wet season, rainfall is heavy in all parts of the archipelago, except for an area extending southward through the center of the Visayan group of Central Mindanao, and then southwestward through the Sulu Archipelago. Rain is heaviest along the eastern shores facing the Pacific Ocean. November through February constitutes the most agreeable season. The air is cool and invigorating at night, and the days are pleasant and sunny. During the hot part of the dry season in most places, especially in the cities of Cebu, Davao, and Manila, the temperature sometimes rises as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Overall, temperatures decline with elevation. However, cities and towns located at higher elevations, such as Baguio in northern Luzon, Mahaihai in Lupon south of Manila, and Malaybalay in Central Mindanao, experience a pleasant climate throughout the year. At times, the temperatures in those places dips close to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or 4 degrees Celsius. The Philippines are inhabited by more than 200 species of mammals, including water buffalo or carabao, goats, horses, hogs, cats, dogs, monkeys, squirrels, lemurs, mice, pangolins or scaly anteaters, chevrotain or mouse deer, mongooses, civet cats, and red and brown deer, among others. The tamarow, a species of small water buffalo, is found only in Mindoro. Of more than 50 species of bats, many are peculiar to the Philippines. Fossil remains show that elephants once lived on the islands. Hundreds of species of birds live in the Philippines, either for all or part of the year. Prominent bird life includes jungle fowl, pigeons, peacocks, pheasants, doves, parrots, hornbills, kingfishers, sunbirds, tailor birds, weaver birds, herons, and quails. Many species are endemic to the island of Palawan. The endangered Philippine eagle is limited mainly to isolated areas in Mindanao and in Sierra Madre in Luzon. People and ethnic groups. The ethnically diverse people of the Philippines collectively are called Filipinos. The ancestors of the vast majority of the population were of Malay descent and came from the Southeast Asian mainland, as well as from what is now Indonesia. Contemporary Filipino society consists of nearly 100 culturally and linguistically distinct ethnic groups. Of these, the largest are and the Cebuano of the Visayan Islands, each of which constitutes about one-fifth of the country's total population. Other prominent groups include the Ilocano of northern Luzon and the Hiligaynon-Ilongo of the Visayan Islands of Panay and Negros, comprising roughly one-tenth of the population each. The Waray-Waray of the islands of Samar and Leyte in the Visayas and of the Bicol Peninsula together account for another one-tenth. Filipino mestizos and the Kapampangan-Pampango of south-central Luzon each make up small proportions of the population. Daily life and customs. Life in the Philippines generally revolves around the extended family, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins up to several times removed, and other relatives. For Catholic families, godparents, those to whom care of children, is entrusted should the parents die or otherwise be incapacitated, also figure prominently in the kinship network. Members of the extended families typically gather for major life events such as baptisms and confirmations for Catholic Filipinos, circumcisions for Muslim Filipinos, and marriages, as well as for major religious and other national holidays. Among the religious holidays officially observed in the Philippines are Christmas and Easter, as well as Id-Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Other major holidays include New Year's Day, Labor Day, May 1st, and Independence Day, June 12. Whether festival, fair, or everyday food, major meals in most Filipino societies are billed around boiled or steamed rice or rice noodles. Small amounts of meat including chicken, pork, goat, fish complement the rice or noodle core, along with an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Balut, a parboiled embryonic duck still in an egg, is a popular street food in Manila. Languages. Estimates of the total number of native languages and dialects spoken in the Philippines differ, but scholarly studies suggest that there are some 150. Most of the country's languages are closely related, belonging to one of several sub-families of Austronesian, more specifically Western Malayo-Polynesian languages. The major languages of the country generally corresponds to the largest ethnic groups. Tagalog is the most widespread language of the Central Philippine sub-family, with the bulk of its native speakers concentrated in Manila. Central and South Central Luzon and the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque. The national language of the Philippines, Filipino also called Filipino, is based on Tagalog and shares a place with English as an official language and medium of instruction. Tagalog, including Filipino, has the most extensive written literature of all Philippine languages. Cebuano, also a Central Philippine language, is used widely in Cebu, Bohol, Eastern Negros, Western Leyte, and parts of Mindanao. Ilocano is the most commonly spoken language of the Northern Luzon sub-family, and its speakers constitute the third largest language community in the Philippines. Education. The Department of Education ensures that all school-aged children and youths receive a basic high-quality education that will allow them to function as productive, socially responsible citizens. Elementary education in the Philippines is compulsory. It starts at age 5 and lasts for 7 years, 1 year of kindergarten and 6 years of primary education. Secondary education begins at age 12 and lasts for an additional 6 years. Undergraduate college instruction typically is 4 years. Vocational schools offer specialized training for 1 to 3 years, some in collaboration with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, an organization formed through the merger of several government agencies in the mid-1990s. The Bureau of Alternative Learning System offers opportunities to attain a basic education outside of the formal school system. Filipino is the medium of instruction in all elementary school subjects except science, mathematics, and English language, which are taught in English. The medium of instruction at secondary and tertiary levels typically is English. Religion. Some four-fifths of the Filipinos profess Roman Catholicism. During the 20th century, the religion gained strength through growth in the number of Filipinos in the church hierarchy. Construction of seminaries, and especially after 1970, increased involvement of the church in the political and social life of the country. Christianity constitute roughly one-tenth of the population. The Philippine Independent Church, or the Aglipayans, established in 1902 in protest against Spanish control of the Roman Catholic Church has several million members. The indigenous church called Iglesia Ni Cristo, also founded in early 20th century, has a smaller but nonetheless significant following. Islam was brought to the Philippines in the 15th century from Brunei and Bruneo to the west. The religion was already well-established in the Sulu archipelago in Mindanao by the time of European contact, and it had a growing following around Manila. Contemporary Muslim Filipino communities, collectively known as Moros, are largely limited to the southern islands and account for about 5% of the population. Demographic Trends The population density of the Philippines is high, but the distribution of the population isn't even. Parts of Metro Manila have a population density that is more than 100 times than that of some outlying areas, such as the mountainous area of northern Luzon. The country's birth rate remains significantly higher than the world average, as well as the average for the Southeast Asian region. Economy The Philippines is largely an agricultural country. Its economy is based on free enterprise. Individual and non-governmental entities are free to participate in its development and management, sometimes with the aid of government credit. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing The agricultural sector is a major component of the Philippine economy. Although it contributes only about one-seventh of gross domestic product, crops can be grown throughout the year in the country's rich and fertile soils. And the sector employs nearly one-third of the total workforce. The principal farm products are sugarcane, rice, coconuts, bananas, corn, and pineapples. Additional products include mangoes, citrus, papayas, and other tropical fruits, coffee and tobacco, and various fibers such as abaca, manila hemp, and mugweed, which are used mainly to make rope. A wide variety of vegetables are raised for domestic consumption. Rice The principal staple crop is grown especially in the Central and North Centralazon, South Central Mindanao, Western Negros, and Eastern and Central Panay. About one-fourth of the total farmland is used for rice growing. Since the early 1970s, rice production in the Philippines has improved considerably, and in some years, there has been enough of a surplus that rice can be exported. Factors contributing to this increase in output include the development and use of higher-yielding strains of rice, the construction of feeder roads and irrigation canals, and the use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Use of scientific farming techniques in the Philippines has had its drawbacks, however. The newer strains of rice have required the application of expensive chemicals that generally must be imported, and improper application of those substances has caused serious soil degradation in some areas. The Philippines is one of the world's largest producers of coconuts and coconut product, and these are important export commodities. The area devoted to coconut production rivals that used for rice and corn. Sugarcane is cultivated widely in Central and North Centralazon, Western Negros, and on Panay. Abaca is grown extensively in Eastern Mindanao, Southeastern Luzon, and on Leyte and Samar. Both sugarcane and abaca are important agricultural exports. Fish provides a significant proportion of the protein in the Filipino diet, and fisheries have been growing slowly but steadily since the early 1990s. Canned tuna is the principal fish exported. Commercial fishing is carried on primarily off Palawan, Negros, Mindanao, and Panay. Among the most important commercial fishes are milkfish, a herring-like fish, sardines, anchovies, tuna, scad, mackerel. Fish are raised in ponds in some provinces of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Sulu Archipelago is known for its pearl farms. At one time, about half of the Philippines' total land area was covered with forest. Of this area, a large part abounded with trees of commercial value, especially nara and other tropical hardwoods and pines. Heavy logging and inadequate reforestation measures, however, have reduced considerable amount of forested land. A ban on the export of hardwoods has been in effect since mid-1980s, but there is evidence that much hardwood timber continues to leave the country illegally. Trees from the Philippine forest continue to provide wood for lumber, veneer, plywood, furniture, wallboards, resins, and green paper, and light building materials, both for domestic and international consumption.