Rich Geography of the Philippines

Continent Region Coordinates Area Asia Southeast Asia 1300'N 12200'E Ranked 73rd 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi) 99.38% land 0.62 % water None Mount Apo 2,954 m (9,691 ft) Philippine Sea 0 m/0 ft (sea level) Cagayan River Laguna de Bay

Borders Highest point Lowest point Longest river Largest lake

The Philippines is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000 km2. The 11 largest islands contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 km2. The next largest island is Mindanao at about 95,000 km2. The archipelago is around 800 km from the Asian mainland and is located between Taiwan and Borneo. The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands include Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate and Batanes Islands. The Visayas is the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and Tawi-Tawi.

Culture of the Philippines

Way of Life: About two-fifths of the Philippines live in urban areas, while three-fifths of the people live in rural areas, although the proportion of people living in towns and cities is steadily increasing. The majority of the people follow age-old traditions as well as contemporary lifestyles and trends Superstitions: Before the arrival of the Spaniards, and the introduction of Roman Catholicism and Western culturein the 16th century, the indigenous Polynesian people of what is now called the Philippines were adherents of a mixture of Animism, Islam, Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism. Indigenous gods and goddesses include "Araw" (Sun) and "Buwan" (moon), who are people who appear to remove tumors and diseased tissue by sticking their hands into a patient's body and extracting human flesh and blood, but leaving the patient scar free. Some see this performance as a sleight of hand false interpretation. Believers accept it as true, and accept it as an alternative healing method, and a way to take advantage of the placebo effect. Architecture The Nipa hut (Bahay Kubo) is the mainstream form of housing. It is characterized by use of simple materials such as bamboo and coconut as the main sources of wood. Cogon grass, Nipa palmleaves and coconut fronds are used as roof thatching. Most primitive homes are built on stilts due to frequent flooding during the rainy season. Regional variations include the use of thicker, and denser roof thatching in mountain areas, or longer stilts on coastal areas particularly if the structure is built over water. The architecture of other indigenous tribes may be characterized by an angular wooden roofs, bamboo in place of leafy thatching and ornate wooden carvings and sea shells. Some furniture in the Philippines include windows made from Capiz shells, decorations made from sea shells such as chandeliers, native wood carvings and Spanish-style cabinets and sofas. In almost every town in the Philippines, is a Neo-Baroque style Spanish Church. Some are made from stone, wood and coral. As well as Baroque churches, there are many colonial style houses and buildings in lots of towns. Some of these towns include Vigan and Intramuros, both with Baroque churches and cathedrals, and old town centers with Spanish colonial style buildings and cobble stone streets. The Coconut Palace is an example of Philippine Architecture. Contemporary architecture has a distinctively Western style although pre-Hispanic housing is still common in rural areas. American style suburban-gated communities are popular in the cities, including Manila, and the surrounding provinces.

Filipinos have a rich culture that is very family oriented. We all love and care for one another, and have a huge amount of respect for our elders. There are a few customs and greetings that would show a sign of respect upon meeting someone, such as a "mano" which is when one holds another person's(typically elder) person's hand to their forehand. This is a sign of great respect. However, this gesture isn't often seen as much in the US, but some Filipinos still uphold that tradition. Often, if not also giving "mano", we kiss the cheek of our elder/aunt/uncle/parents upon greeting them. This is also a sign of respect that is very common, which is used more often in the States than the "mano" gesture. The Filipino people have a wide variety of dishes not found anywhere else which some people say is fattening, but so good! Yes, rice is our staple, but it's our way of protein and completing every meal. It's not a Filipino meal without it. I don't want to start another stereotype, but a common characteristic upon entering a Filipino household is being fed, and being fed well :) It is a crime to our nanays(mothers) if you leave our home hungry!

History of the Philippines

The Philippines' aboriginal inhabitants arrived from the Asian mainland around 25,000 BC They were followed by waves of Indonesian and Malayan settlers from 3000 BC onward. By the 14th century AD , extensive trade was being conducted with India, Indonesia, China, and Japan. Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain, explored the Philippines in 1521. Twenty-one years later, a Spanish exploration party named the group of islands in honor of Prince Philip, who was later to become Philip II of Spain. Spain retained possession of the islands for the next 350 years. The Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1899 by the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War. Meanwhile, the Filipinos, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, had declared their independence. They initiated guerrilla warfare against U.S. troops that persisted until Aguinaldo's capture in 1901. By 1902, peace was established except among the Islamic Moros on the southern island of Mindanao. The first U.S. civilian governor-general was William Howard Taft (19011904). The Jones Law (1916) established a Philippine legislature composed of an elective Senate and House of Representatives. The Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934) provided for a transitional period until 1946, at which time the Philippines would become completely independent. Under a constitution approved by the people of the Philippines in 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines came into being with Manuel Quezon y Molina as president. On Dec. 8, 1941, the islands were invaded by Japanese troops. Following the fall of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces at Bataan and Corregidor, Quezon instituted a government-in-exile that he headed until his death in 1944. He was succeeded by Vice President Sergio Osmea. U.S. forces under MacArthur reinvaded the Philippines in Oct. 1944 and, after the liberation of Manila in Feb. 1945, Osmea reestablished the government. The Philippines achieved full independence on July 4, 1946. Manuel A. Roxas y Acua was elected its first president, succeeded by Elpidio Quirino (1948 1953), Ramn Magsaysay (19531957), Carlos P. Garca (19571961), Diosdado Macapagal (1961 1965), and Ferdinand E. Marcos (19651986). Under Marcos, civil unrest broke out in opposition to the leader's despotic rule. Martial law was declared on Sept. 21, 1972, and Marcos proclaimed a new constitution that ensured his role as president. Martial law was officially lifted on Jan. 17, 1981, but Marcos and his wife, Imelda, retained broad powers. In an attempt to resecure American support, Marcos set presidential elections for Feb. 7, 1986. With the support of the Catholic Church, Corazon Aquino declared her candidacy. Marcos was declared the official winner, but independent observers reported widespread election fraud and vote rigging. Anti-Marcos protests exploded in Manila, Defense Minister Juan Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos defected to the opposition, and Marcos lost virtually all support; he was forced to flee and entered the U.S. on Feb. 25, 1986. The Aquino government survived coup attempts by Marcos supporters and other right-wing elements. Legislative elections on May 11, 1987, gave pro-Aquino candidates a large majority. Negotiations on renewal of leases for U.S. military bases threatened to sour relations between the two countries. Volcanic eruptions from Mount Pinatubo, however, severely damaged Clark Air Base, and in July 1991, the U.S. decided to abandon it. In elections in May 1992, Gen. Fidel Ramos, who had the support of the outgoing Aquino, won the presidency in a seven-way race. In Sept. 1992, the U.S. Navy turned over the Subic Bay naval base to the Philippines, marking the end of U.S. military presence. Meanwhile, the separatist Moro National Liberation Front was fighting a protracted war for an Islamic homeland on Mindanao, the southernmost of the two main islands. The Philippine

army also battled another rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In Aug. 2001, both rebel groups signed unity agreements with the Philippine government. Frequent and violent clashes with these and other terrorist groups have continued, however. Abu Sayyaf, a small group of guerrillas that has been fighting since the 1970s for an independent Islamic state and reportedly has links to Osama bin Laden, gained international notoriety throughout 2000 and 2001 with its spree of kidnappings and murders. Two leaders of Abu Sayyaf were killed in late 2006 and early 2007, dealing a serious blow to the group. The Philippine military has also battled the New People's Army, a group of Communist guerrillas that have targeted Philippine security forces since 1969. International officials reported in June 2003 that Jemaah Islamiyah, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, was training recruits in Mindanao, in the southern Philippines. About 120,000 people have died in the conflicts with rebel groups, and more than 3 million have been displaced. In May 1998, 61-year-old former action-film star Joseph Estrada was elected president of the Philippines. Within two years, however, the Philippine Senate began proceedings to impeach Estrada on corruption charges. Massive street demonstrations and the loss of political support eventually forced Estrada from office. Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal, became president in Jan. 2001. In May 2004 presidential elections, President Arroyo narrowly defeated film star Fernando Poe. Arroyo faced a political crisis in the summer of 2005, after admitting to calling an election official during 2004's presidential race. A taped phone conversation between Arroyo and the official seemed to suggest that she had tried to use her power to influence the outcome. She survived an impeachment motion in July. Arroyo declared a state of emergency in February, saying the government had foiled an attempted coup by the military. She also banned rallies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. Some observers dismissed the report of the coup attempt as political maneuvering to gain support and weaken the opposition. On June 24, President Arroyo met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, where she announced that the Philippines was abolishing the death penalty. In Sept. 2007, former president Joseph Estrada was convicted of corruption and sentenced to life in prison. The government said in Nov. 2007 that it had reached a deal with the separatist Moro National Liberation Front that set boundaries for a Muslim homeland on the southern island of Mindanao. The deal fell apart in Aug. 2008 when fighting broke out between the rebels and government troops following a ruling by the Supreme Court that blocked the agreement. More than 160,000 Filipinos fled their homes and sought refuge from the violence. Peace talks resumed in Dec. 2009. The government declared a state of emergency in November 2009 in the southern province of Maguindanao on the island of Mindanao following the massacre of a group of 57 people who about to fill out election nomination forms for a local leader who was challenging rival Andal Ampatuan, Jr., in the race for provincial governor. Officials and relatives of the victims blame Ampatuan's father, Andal Ampatuan, Sr., for organizing the attack. Ampatuan, himself a a former provincial governor, is an ally of President Arroyo. In February 2010, police arrested nearly 200 people, including both Ampatuans, in connection with the attack. In elections in May 2010, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, a senator and the son of former president, Corazon Aquino, was elected president. He won about 40% of the vote. Former president Joseph Estrada placed second in the race, with about 25%. Aquino campaigned on a promise to crack down on corruption, which he said would help to reduce poverty.