Philippines overview

General information:

Official Name: Republika ng Pilipinas short form: Pilipinas int'l long form: Republic of the Philippines int'l short form: Philippines ISO Country Code: ph Time: Local Time = UTC +8h Actual Time: Fri-Nov-6 15:10 Country Calling Code: +63 Capital City: Manila (pop. city proper 1 654 761 (1995) 9.9 million in metropolitan area) Other Cities: Quezon City (2 million), Davao City (1.2 million); Cebu City (0.7 million) Government: Type: Republic Independence: 12 June 1898 (from Spain) Constitution: 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987

Geography: Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam. Area: 300,000 km² (115 739 sq m) Terrain: Mountains on the smaller islands, larger islands have mountains with fertile river valleys in the interior and narrow to extensive coastal plains. Climate:

Tropical, March to May is hot and dry, rainy season from June to October, November to February moderate. Average temperatures: 78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C People: Nationality: Noun--Filipino(s). Adjective--Philippine. Population: 100 million (in 2014) Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population. Ethnic Groups: Malay, Chinese. Religions: Catholic 80%, Moslem 15%, Christian denominations and Buddhist. Languages: Filipino and English (official). Filipino which is based on Tagalog, is the national language. English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education. Literacy: 92% Natural resources:

Timber, limited offshore petroleum, extensive mineral deposits of copper, gold, silver, nickel, lead, and chromium. Agriculture products:

Rice, coconuts, corn, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, pork, eggs, beef, fish. Industries:

Electronics assembly, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing. Currency:

Philippine Peso (PHP)