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About the Philippines |
| View History |
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National name: |
Republika ng Pilipinas |
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Government: |
Democratic |
- President: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001)
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Geography |
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The Philippine Islands are an archipelago of over 7,000 islands lying about 500 mi (805 km) off
the southeast coast of Asia. The overall land area is comparable to that of Arizona. Only about
7% of the islands are larger than one square mile, and only one-third have names. The largest
are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36,537 sq mi;
94,631 sq km), and Samar (5,124 sq mi; 13,271 sq km). The islands are of volcanic origin, with
the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m)
on Mindanao. |
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Land Area: |
115,124 sq mi (298,171 sq km); |
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Total Area: |
115,831 sq mi (300,000 sq km) |
| Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Manila, 10,677,000 (metro. area), 1,581,082 (city
proper) |
| Other large cities: Quezon City (2000 est.), 1,669,776 (part of Manila metro. area); Cebu
(2003 est.), 761,900 |
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Monetary Unit: |
Peso |
| Languages: |
Filipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense |
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Ethnicity/race: |
Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%,
Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000) |
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Religions |
Roman Catholic 81%, Evangelical 3%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2%, Aglipayan 2%, other
Christian 5%, Islam 5% (2000) |
| Literacy rate: |
96% (2003 est.) |
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Economic summary |
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GDP/PPP |
(2005 est.): $451.3 billion; per capita $5,100. |
| Real growth rate: |
4.6% |
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Inflation: |
7.9% |
| Unemployment |
12.2% |
| Arable Land: |
19% |
| Agriculture: |
sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish. |
| Labor Force: |
36.73 million; agriculture 36%, industry 16%, services 48% (2004 est.). |
| Industries: |
electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood
products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing. Natural resources: timber, petroleum,
nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper. |
| Exports: |
$41.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): electronic
equipment, machinery and transport equipment, garments, optical instruments, coconut
products, fruits and nuts, copper products, chemicals. |
| Imports |
$42.66 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.):
raw materials, machinery and equipment, fuels, vehicles and vehicle parts, plastic, chemicals,
grains. |
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Major Trading Partners: |
Japan, U.S., Netherlands, Hong Kong, China, Singapore,
Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea (2004). |
| Communications |
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Telephones |
main lines in use: 6.98 million (2001); mobile cellular: 11.35
million (2001). |
| Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 366, FM 290, shortwave 5 (2002). Radios: 11.5
million (1997). |
| Television broadcast stations: |
75 (2000). |
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Televisions: |
3.7 million (1997). |
| Internet Service Providers: |
33 (2000). |
| Internet users |
4.5 million (2002). |
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Transportation |
| Railways: |
total: 897 km (2002). |
| Highways: |
total: 201,994 km; paved: 42,419 km; unpaved: 159,575 km (2000). |
| Waterways |
3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m) vessels. |
| Ports and Harbors |
Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Guimaras Island, Iligan, Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Manila, Masao, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic Bay, Zamboanga. |
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Airports |
257 (2002). |
| International Disputes |
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involved in complex dispute over Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia,
Taiwan, Vietnam and possibly Brunei; claimants in November 2002 signed the “Declaration on
the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,” a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short
of a legally binding “code of conduct”; Sultanate of Sulu granted Philippines Government power
of attorney to pursue its sovereignty claim over Malaysia's Sabah State but Malaysia rejects claim. |
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| View History |
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