Philippines Profile

Geography

Area:
Philippines is an archipelago of 7,108 islands with a total land area of 300,000 km².
The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
( Luzon – 105,000 km², Mindanao – 94,600 km² )

Major cities:
Capital–Manila, Cebu, Davao

Terrain:
Islands, 65% mountainous, with narrow coastal lowlands.

Climate:
Tropical, astride typhoon belt.

People

Nationality:
Filipino.

Population (January 2008 estimate):
90.5 million.

Ethnic groups:
Malay, Chinese

Religions (based on 2000 census):

Roman Catholic 80.9%,
Muslim 5%,
Evangelical 2.8%,
Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%,
Aglipayan 2%,
other Christian 4.5%,
other 1.8%,
unspecified 0.6%,
none 0.1%.

Languages:
Filipino (based on Tagalog),
official national language; English, language of government
and instruction in education.

Eight Major Dialect:
Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo,
Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

Monetary Unit:
Peso

Industries:
textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products,
food processing, electronics assembly, petroleum refining,
fishing, farming.

Natural Resources:
timber, petroleum, nickel, colbalt, silver, gold, salt,
copper, oil.

Export:
electronic equipment, machinery & transport equipment,
garments, coconut products, mango, banana and etc.

Import:
raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals.

Major Trading Partners:
U.S, Jpan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia,
Netherlands, Germany, South Korea.

Government Type:
Republic

Independence:
1946

Constitution:
February 11, 1987

Branches:
Executive–president and vice president.
Legislative–bicameral legislature.
Judicial–independent.

Administrative subdivisions:
16 regions and Metro Manila (National Capital Region),
81 provinces, 136 cities.

Political parties:
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Nationalist People’s Coalition,
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Liberal Party, Aksiyon Demokratiko,
Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, and other small parties.

Suffrage:
Universal, but not compulsory, at age 18.

Economy GDP (2007):
$144.1 billion.

Annual GDP growth rate (2007):
7.3% at constant prices

GDP per capita (2007):
$1,624.