FACTS ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering
a land area of 115,739 sq. m. (299,764 sq. km.). Main
island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Capital
is Manila. Time Zone is GMT + 8 hours.
CLIMATE
March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy,
November to February is cool. Average temperatures:
78°F / 25°C to 90°F / 32°C; humidity
is 77%.
POPULATION
There are a total of 76.5 million Filipinos as of
the latest national census in May, 2000. Population
growth is estimated at 2.36 percent annually. Luzon,
the largest island group, accounts for more than half
of the entire population.
LANGUAGES
Two official languages --- Filipino and English. Filipino
which is based on Tagalog, is the national language.
English is also widely used and is the medium of instruction
in higher education.
Eight (8) major dialects spoken by majority of the
Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or
Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.
Filipino is that
native language which is used nationally as the language
of communication among ethnic groups. Like any
living language, Filipino is in a process of development
through loans from Philippine languages and non-native
languages for various situations, among speakers of
different social backgrounds, and for topics for conversation
and scholarly discourse. There are about 76 to 78
major language groups, with more than 500 dialects.
RELIGIONS
Some 80% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 15% are
Moslem. The rest are made up of smaller Christian
denominations and Buddhist.
UNIT OF MEASURE
The Metric System is used in most trade and legal
transactions.
ELECTRICITY
220 volts a/c is the common standard. 110 volts a/c
is also used, especially in major hotels.
CURRENCY
The Philippines' monetary unit is the peso, divided
into 100 centavos. Foreign currency may be exchanged
at any hotels, most large department stores, banks,
and authorized money changing shops accredited by
the Central Bank of the Philippines. International
credit cards such as Visa, Diners Club, Bank Americard,
Master Card, and American Express are accepted in
major establishments.
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