Philippines: Quick Facts

Note: This page is dedicated to a Portuguese friend who asked me a most basic question about the Philippines: “what is the population of your country?” For the life of me, I couldn’t give him an answer because I just didn’t know! Shame, shame. So here are some quick facts about Pinas that you (that means me) may find useful.:)

Philippines: Quick Facts

current population: projected at 92.23 million (source: National Statistics Office)

capital : Manila

land area : 299,000 sq km

population : The vast majority of Filipinos are descendants of Malays, Chinese, and Muslim minorities. More than 100 cultural minorities are scattered all over the country.

language : Filipino and English, with 10 other languages and 87 dialects

religion : Predominantly Roman Catholic. Others: Protestant,, Muslim, and Buddhist

government : republic

currency : Philippine peso

geography : The Philippines is an archipelago located between the Philippine sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam, and north of Sabah and Borneo. It spans 1,900 kilometers from north to south, 1110 from east to west.

climate : March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy. November to February is cool. Average temperatures: 78F/ 32C; humidity: 77%

environment : The Philippines is rich in biodiversity, with around 12,000 plant species, 1100 land vertebrate species, and at least 500 species of coral. Total forest area is around 18%; coastal ecosystem reaches around 20,000 km.

time : GMT + 8 hours

MORE INFORMATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

Philippines Information Basics:

Comprising 7, 107 islands, some so small that they disappear underwater at high tide, and strung out on a north-south line, the Philippines archipelago lies slightly above the equator. This accident of geography has placed the Philippines at the confluence of the moisture laden winds from the Western Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea in the second half the year and in the path of cold dry winds from China and Siberia in the first half.

These winds account for the two pronounced seasons the year round–the dry, generally from December to May, is brought about by the amihan or the northeast monsoon, and the wet, from June to November, by the habagat or the southwest monsoon–with slight variations attributable to the local weather patters. As a rule, the monsoons dictate the pace and rhythm of life in the islands, be it in agriculture, in commerce, in industry, in governance or in travel.

Administrative Capitol

Manila, the primary city, has been the seat of political power since the colonial times. Here resides the Malacanaung Palace, the President’s official residence. This is also where the Supreme Court Panay and the Bataan-Zambales Mountain Range, and the Lumad of Mindanao: the Subanen, the Manobo, the Mansaka and the T’boli, among others. About 80 percent of the population is Christian; the rest is mostly Muslim, who dominate in southern Philippines.

Metro Manila is the biggest population center with close to 12 million people. Other centers of population are Metro Angeles in central Luzon, Metro Cebu in central Vizayas and Metro Davao in southern Mindanao.

Languages

Filipino and English are the two official languages. But close to 100 other languages, not just dialects as popularly believed, are spoken throughout the islands. Indeed, most of the major languages like Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, Ilongo, Bicoano and Waray have their own dialects. But a Philippine Traveler will not find it difficult to move about because many Filipinos still retain a handy comprehension of English.

Electricity

220 volts at 60 cycles, although serious voltage fluctuation is experienced in some provinces during peak demand hours. Power is generated from thermal, geothermal, hydropower and coal-fired plants. Recently, gas turbines were added to the grid. In some remote locations, solar collectors and small wind turbines provide power.

Transportation

Air-Manila is connected to the rest of the country by regular flights of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Asian Spirit and Seaair. Chartered flights and air taxi services are also available in some provincial centers.

Water-Although a lot of improvements have been introduced in inter-island shipping, only recently has the industry began to graduate from its infancy. It is now possible to sail without competing with cattle, pigs, goats and chickens for deck space. Regular, passenger only traffic is now available via WG&A, Negros Navigation and a few other shipping lines. Cebu, a maritime hub, now has modern all-passenger catamarans and hovercrafts.

Land-Numerous bus companies ply the Manila-to-points-north and to-points-south routes. The major ones have fleets of modern air-conditioned buses and maintain terminals on Edsa in Pasay and in Cubao. One bus company even has a regular schedule run as far as Cagayan De Oro City and Davao City in Mindanao.

Communications

The countries communications companies have installed the most recent in digital technology, so travelers can avail themselves both International Direct Dialing (IDD or National Direct Dialing (NDD). Telex and, fax and internet are now standard services of most hotels and places of lodging. Cellular (GSM) phones are likewise common accessory of even the ordinary Filipino-with international access, global roaming and SMS readily available from any of the local network providers.

Some Important Telephone Numbers: (24-Hour Hotline)

Police & Fire: 757 or 116

Emergence No.: 501- 650 or 501- 728

Directory Assistance: 114

National Operator: 109

International Operator: 108

Direct Dialing Assistance: 112

Security

Regular peace and order is handled by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Most barangays(or barrios) also have organized police deputies called tanods.

source: Department of Tourism