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The Philippines is an archipelago comprising some 7,100 islands with a total land area of almost 300,000 square kilometres. The Philippines is bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei to the south, China and Taiwan to the north, Vietnam to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Three main island groups divide the country: Luzon in the north, the Visayas in the centre, and Mindanao in the south. Communications and getting around the Philippines is easy as most Filipinos understand and speak English.
This overview is written based on the latest information available during the time of writing, thus it is subject to revision without prior knowledge or notice.
Official Name: Known officially as Republic of the Philippines, or commonly the Philippines.
Capital city: Manila, the Capital of the Philippines, is located on the Eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the Western portion of the National Capital Region, in the Western side of Luzon.
Location: The Philippines is located in Southeastern Asia, and is an archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam.
Size: The total land area of the Philippines is 300,000 square kilometers and this ranks 79th globally. It is slightly larger than Arizona in the USA.
Climate: The Philippines has a tropical marine climate, generally characterized by a dry season and a rainy season. The dry season starts in March until early July, temperature can reach as high as 32°C. The coldest period in the Philippines is from November to early January, where the temperature can reach as low as 16°C. The Philippines is tortured by typhoons every year. Typhoons usually occur from June to November.
Population: Philippines has an estimated population of 33.5 million people and ranks 39th globally. There is a population growth rate of 0.817%.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for Filipinos is 71.09 years, ranking at 133rd globally. Females have a longer average life span at 74.15 years, while Males average at 68.17 years from birth.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines is approximately 0.1%, placing 145th globally. This means that around 8,300 people are living with the disease in the country.
Major Illnesses: The risk of major infectious disease in the Philippines is high. Food or waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, Hepatitis A and Typhoid fever have been reported. Other major diseases also include Vectorborne diseases such as Dengue Fever, Malaria, and Japanese Encephalitis and the water contact disease Leptospirosis.
Ethnic Groups: The Philippines has a diverse ethnic background. The country is comprised of mainly Tagalog at 28.1%. Other ethnic groups include Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4% and other 25.3%.
Languages: The Philippines is a bilingual country. The official languages in the Philippines are Filipino and English. Filipino is a language derived from the Tagalog language of central and southern Luzon. There are also eight major dialects including Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan.
Religion: There are various religions in the Philippines. The major religion is Roman Catholic, accounting for 80.9% of the population. Other religions include Islam 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6% and none 0.1%.
Government: The Government of the Philippines operates within the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. The President functions as the head of state and head of government, and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The political system works under 3 individual and interdependent branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
Head of State: The Head of State in the Philippines is the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. President is elected by popular vote for a single six-year term.
Head of Government: The Head of Government in the Philippines is the President Gloria Macapagal-Arryo.
Military: The Philippines military is divided into three branches. Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps and Coast Guard) and Air Force. The suitable age for compulsory and voluntary military service is 18-25 years of age (for officers 21-29 years old). Applicants must be single male or female Filipino citizens.
Economy: The economy of the Philippines is largely agriculture-based, given the tropical climate, heavy rainfall and naturally volatile volcanic soil. Most important crops include sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, pineapples, and mangoes. The agricultural sector employs over a third of the country’s population.
The Filipino economy has some strength in its manufacturing sector, particularly in automotive parts, food processing, electronics, garments, and textiles. Mining is potentially one of the biggest industries in the Philippines as the country is rich in chromite, copper and nickel. In addition to this, coal and natural gas deposits have also been discovered in the Philippines.
The economy in the Philippines has remained weak since 1984 and there are lack of opportunities in the country, Filipinos have sought work elsewhere. Remittances from overseas Filipino workers (overseas contract workers) are estimated to contribute close to 10% of the National GDP. Filipinos are to be found across North America, the Middle East, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
GDP: The Philippines has a purchasing power parity of US$ 320.6 billion, ranking at 38th in the world. The official growth rate is about 4.6%, which ranks 98th globally.
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