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My country, the Philippines {fil'-uh-peenz}

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Welcome to the Philippines' Websites!

The Office of the President	Dir. of Phil. Embassy Worldwide
A Country Study	Want to Marry a Filipina?
National Statistics Office	Marriage & Engagement Issues
The Dept. of Foreign Affairs	The Philippine Daily Inquirer
The Visiting Forces Agreement	The Manila Bulletin
Securities and Exchange Com.	The Philippine Star
Department of Tourism	ABS-CBN Network
Social Security System	GMA Quest Interactive
Philippine Information Agency	Phillippine Search Engine
Dept. of Trade & Industries	The Philippine Music
Bureau of Immigration	Starapple Computers
Bureau of Customs	Global Pinoy
Hotel & Lodging	Mary Help of Christians Parish
Philippine Useful Links	Filipino Recipes
Weather News	Business World
Manila Telephone Directories	Manila Guide

The Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas) is an archipelago consisting of some 7,107 islands and islets lying about 500 miles of the southeast coast of Asia. Four (4) seas surrounding the Philippines are: Philippine Sea, Luzon Sea, Sulu Sea, and Mindanao Sea.

The total land area of the Philippines is 115,800 square miles (300,000 square kilometers). Manila, the national capital is located on Luzon, the largest island, which has a land area of 40,240 square miles. The large islands fall into three groups: (1) the Luzon group in the north and west, consisting of luzon, Mindoro, and Palawan; (2) the Visayan group in the centre, consisting of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, panay, and Samar; and (3) Mindanao in the South.

The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century. Because my country was under Spanish rule for 333 years and under U.S. tutelage for a further 48 years, the Philippines has many cultural affinities with the West. In many ways Filipino society is composed of paradoxes, perhaps the most apparent being the great extremes of wealth and poverty in the nation.

The climate of the Philippines is tropical and is strongly affected by monsoon (rain-bearing) winds, which blow from the southwest from approximately May to October and from northeast; from November to February. Temperatures remain relatively constant from north to south during the year, and seasons consist of periods of wet and dry. 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 consists of wet season.

The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Our ancestors, who were of Malay stock, came from the southeastern asian mainland as well as from what is now Indonesia. Spanish-Filipinos and Filipino-Americans may be distinguished by their fairer complexion, taller stature, and aquiline nose structure. A small percentage of Chinese nationals also live in the country.

Pilipino (also called) Filipino), is the national and most widely spoken language of the Philippines, based on Tagalog. There are 70 estimated total number of native languages and dialects spoken in my country. The 8 major linguistic groups are: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilongo, Bicol, Waray-waray, Pampango and Pangasinan. Pilipino and English are the two official languages and mediums of instructions.

The great majority of Filipinos are Roman Catholic, Muslims, Buddhist, Aglipayans, animists and Protestants (Iglesia ni Kristo). Over 1,000 religious sects are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Manila.

Since World War II, population has tended to move from rural areas to towns and cities. Our population is now about 82,841,518 as of December 2002 with a birth rate of 1.5 million annually. A large number of skilled and semiskilled workers have taken temporary overseas assignments, mainly in the Middle East, Taiwan, United States, Japan, Guam and Canada.

At one time, about half of the Philippines total land area was covered with forest but with heavy logging and inadequate reforestration measures, have reduced considerably the amount of reforested area. My country is rich in mineral resources. Varieties of fish no fewer than 2,000 are in the seas surrounding the islands and in lakes, rivers, estuaries and fish ponds.

The Philippines is chiefly an agricultural country. Rice, the principal staple crop is grown everywhere. Much of the total farmland is used for rice growing. My country is one of the world's largest producers of coconuts and a major exporter of coconut products.

Educationally, my country is among the most advanced of Asian countries, having a high literacy rate. Elementary education lasts for 6 years, secondary education for 4 and college courses for 4 to 9 years. Vocational schools offer specialized training for one to two years. Many foreign students study annually in my country.

Philippine Society is an incongrous blend of diversity and homogeneity. The Christian churches built by the Spaniards and the mosques in the Muslim areas provided a spiritual anchor, while the educational system established by the United States and expanded by the Filipinos became a strong factor for socioeconomic progress. Traditionally, Filipinos have strong family ties. The Philippines has been strengthening its Asian ties without abandoning its Western Cultural acquisitions. Filipinos performed appropriate songs and dances to celebrate courtship, marriage, the harvest, and other occassions.

For more informations about my country, please follow the available links in this homepage.

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