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Background
The Philippines were ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. They attained their independence in 1946 after being occupied by the Japanese in World War II. The 21-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986 when a widespread popular rebellion forced him into exile. In 1992, the US closed down its last military bases on the islands. The Philippines has had two electoral presidential transitions since Marcos' removal by "people power." In January 2001, the Supreme Court declared Joseph ESTRADA unable to rule in view of mass resignations from his government and administered the oath of office to Vice President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO as his constitutional successor. The government continues to struggle with ongoing Muslim insurgencies in the south.
Geography
Location
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates
13 00 N, 122 00 E
Area
total: 300,000 sq km
land: 298,170 sq km
water: 1,830 sq km
slightly larger than Arizona slightly smaller than Maryland
Border countries
None
Climate
tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
Natural resources
timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 16.67%
other: 64.33% (2005)
People
Population: 89,468,677 (July 2006 est.)
Population growth rate
1.8% (2006 est.)
Birth rate
24.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate
5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
22.81 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.21 years
male: 67.32 years
female: 73.24 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Nationality
noun: Filipino(s)
adjective: Philippine
Ethnic groups
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 census)
Religions
Roman Catholic 80.9%
Evangelical 2.8%
Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%
Aglipayan 2%
other Christian 4.5%
Muslim 5%
other 1.8%
unspecified 0.6%
none 0.1% (2000 census)
Languages
two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English, eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.6%
male: 92.5%
female: 92.7% (2002)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines
conventional short form: Philippines
local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas
local short form: Pilipinas
Government type
republic
Capital
Manila
Independence
12 June 1898 (from Spain)
National holiday
Independence Day (from Spain), 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 4 July 1946 is the date of independence from the US
Economy
Overview
In 1998 the Philippine economy - a mixture of agriculture, light industry, and supporting services - deteriorated as a result of spillover from the Asian financial crisis and poor weather conditions. Growth fell to about -0.5% in 1998 from 5% in 1997, but recovered to about 3% in 1999 and 3.6% in 2000. The government has promised to continue its economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace of development in the newly industrialized countries of East Asia. The strategy includes improving infrastructure, overhauling the tax system to bolster government revenues, moving toward further deregulation and privatization of the economy, and increasing trade integration with the region.
GDP by sector
agriculture: 14.3%
industry: 32.1%
services: 53.7% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
40% (2001 est.)
Inflation rate
6.6% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 48.1 million (2000 est.)
agriculture 36%
industry 16%
services 48% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate
8.4% (2006 est.)
Communications
Telephones: 3,437,500 (2004)
Mobile Phones: 32.81 million (2005)
Radios: 11.5 million (1997)
Televisions: 3.7 million (1997)
Internet users: 7.82 million (2005)
Transportation
Railways: total: 492 km
Highways: total: 200,037 km
Waterways: 3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m)
Airports: 256 (2006)
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