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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
83% of Filipinos are Catholic. About 5% 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.
Related
Articles About the Republic of the
Philippines:
courtesy
of the Official Websites of the Philippine
Department of Tourism
please visit www.wowphilippines.com.ph and
www.tourism.gov.ph for more information
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