Philippines
Physical. The Philippines is an archipelago located in Southeastern
Asia between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. It is slightly larger
than Arizona. The country has a tropical marine climate with a northeast monsoon
(November to April) and a southeast monsoon (May to October). Mountains make up
a large part of Philippine terrain with some narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands. Natural resources include timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver,
gold, salt, and copper.
People. Almost 89.5 million people live in the Philippines. Both
Filipino and English are their official languages with eight major dialects in
use. The ethnic groups are: Roman Catholic (81%), Evangelical (3%), Iglesia ni
Kristo (2%), Aglipayan (2%), other Christian (5%), Muslim (5%) and other (2%)
(2000 census).
Government. The country is officially known as the Republic of the
Philippines. Its capital, Manila, is located on the northernmost island, Luzon.
The country won its independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, and from the U.S.
on July 4, 1946. Its constitution was put into effect on February 11, 1987. The
president and vice president are elected by popular vote to 6-year terms.
Economy. Although the Philippines was one of the countries most
affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, it has since recovered fairly well.
The government has promised to continue reforms in hope that the country can
match the pace of development in newly industrialized countries in East Asia.
Current annual growth is 5.1%, while industrial production has picked up by six
per cent after several years of decline. Foreign aid, including a $100 million
subvention from the USA in 2002, has helped the country's finances, a blessing
at a time when the budget deficit has been growing quickly. Its gross domestic
product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (15%), industry (32%) and services
(54%).
Areas of Concern. Uncontrolled deforestation, soil erosion, air and
water pollution in Manila, and the pollution of coastal mangrove swamps are the
nation's primary environmental concerns. There are also ongoing Muslim
insurgencies in the south.
For more information on the Philippines, you may write to the chancery at
1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036; check the U.S. State
Department or World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the
Internet using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Philippines statistics
Geography
Area: 300,000 sq km
Capital: Manila (1,581,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution;
coral reef degradation; pollution of coastal mangrove swamps (important fish
breeding grounds)
Geographical features: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands
Climate: tropical marine with northeast monsoon (November to April) and
southwest monsoon (May to October)
People
89,469,000 (July 2006 est.) Tagalog (28%), Cebuano (13%), Ilocano (9%), Bisaya/Binisaya
(8%), Hiligaynon Ilonggo (8%), Bikol (6%), Waray (3%) other (25%) (2000 census)
Annual growth rate: 1.8% (2006 est.)
There are two official languages: Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English along
with eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo,
Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Religions: Roman Catholic (81%), Evangelical (3%), Iglesia ni Kristo (2%),
Aglipayan (2%), other Christian (5%), Muslim (5%), other (2%) (2000 census)
Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 67; female 73
Infant mortality: 22.81 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 40% (2001 est.)
1 physician to 849 people
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
92.6% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 7-12; free (2004)
Communication and transportation
3,437,500 (2004) main telephone lines in use
7.82 million (2005) Internet users
200,037 km of roadways
897 km railroads
256 (2005) airports
2,050,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
The Philippines is a republic. The chief of state and head of the government
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (since 20 January 2001).
Universal suffrage 18 years of age
Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product 0.9% (2005
est.).
Current disputes: dispute over certain of the Spratly Islands;
Economy
Currency: Philippine peso
Per capita GDP: $5,100 (2005 est.)
GDP: $451.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 5.1% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 7.9% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (36%), industry (16%) and services (48%) (2004)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Agriculture: sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples,
mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish
Industry: electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals,
wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing
Exports: $41.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $42.66 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/philippines
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/phtoc.html