History of the Philippines
The Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines or Republika ng Pilipinas, is the second largest archipelago in the world. It is situated approximately 500 miles off Southeast Asia due east of Vietnam and due north of Indonesia. The Philippines contain 7,107 coral fringed; sun drenched tropical islands which are separated into three regional island groups, LUZON in the north, MINDANAO in the south and the VISAYAS in the central region. These three regions are represented by the 3 stars on the Philippine flag.
The Philippines, was settled mostly by the Malay people. The first arrival from the west was in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan who officially discovered the Philippines. The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and an American territory at the beginning of the 20th century. The revolution of 1896, led by the indigenous Filipino rebels, the Katipunan, won the Philippines their independence from Spain in 1898. A later US occupation of the Philippines during the Spanish American war led to the outbreak of the Filipino American war. The Philippines gained its independence, this time from the USA, in 1946 via the treaty of Manila. Martial law was declared in 1972 by President Ferdinand Marcos. The assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr. led to the people power revolution of 1986 that over threw authoritarian rule. Periods of political upheaval and corruption scandals alternated with peaceful periods since the restoration of democracy in the Philippines tumultuous past. The current president of the Philippines is Gloria Arroyo.
The Philippines has a land area of 115,860 square miles which is slightly larger than the state of Arizona. Despite the small land mass, they are the 12th most populous country in the world with approximately 96,034,000 people. The capital city of Manila has a population of 11,200,000 and is the 12th largest city in the world.
The Philippine Islands are of volcanic origin. They lie within a region called the Pacific Ring of Fire and have approximately 50 active volcanoes. The tallest volcano is Mt. Apo on the island of Mindanao at 9,690 feet. Other major active volcanoes are Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Mayon. Due to the volcanic origin of the islands, the soil is extremely fertile. This is a major reason for the vast biodiversity.
The Philippines has many similarities with the western world, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America and the USA. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion with a small following of Islam. Spanish was the official language of the Philippines until 1973. Since then the two official languages are, Filipino and English but there are more than 180 languages and dialects spoken.
Filipinos value a well rounded education and 96.3 per cent of the adult population is literate. It is mandatory that children attend school between the ages of 6 and 12. From the ages of 13 to 16 school is optional with an enrollment of 85 per cent. College age starts at 16 years of age. Thirty percent of the adult population is college eligible.
The Philippines has a coastline that stretches some 23,000 miles, more than twice that of the USA. The coastal waters of the Philippines contain some of the earth’s richest and diverse marine environments. The greatest ocean depths in the world lie off the east coast of the Philippines. The Galathea Deep trench reaches a staggering 34,580 feet deep. The seas off the Philippines are also home to over 2400 species of fish, the highest diversity in the world. Philippine waters produce 80% of all aquarium fish worldwide. There are also approximately 800 known coral species worldwide, 577 of these are found in Philippine waters.
The Philippines has a tropical marine climate that is dominated by two major seasons, a dry season and a wet season. The climate produces a rain forest that yields prime habitat for 14,500 plants including 1000 species of orchids, 9,500 flowering plants and 54 species of Bamboo.
There are 1,674 species of butterflies, more than anywhere else on earth. The Philippines are home to 576 species of birds and 192 species of mammals, one being the Tarsier monkey, the smallest primate in the world.
Major agricultural crops produced are Bananas, Corn, Sugar Cane, Coconut, Mango, Pineapple, Rice and Tobacco. Major natural resources include Timber, Nickel, Silver, Gold, Cobalt, Copper and Salt.