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Philippines
In 2005, the Philippines'
population stood at 87,850,000 These numbers
are spread unevenly throughout the Philippines with
a large portion of the country being uninhabited.
Roughly 40 percent of the nation was urban during
the late 1980s. In 1990, Manila's entire
population (greater) was 7,948,398 with 1,601,234 in
Manila proper. As of 1998, the population of Metro
Manila was approximately 10 million
The
Philippine Languages
Filipino
(formerly Pilipino) is based on Tagalog and is the
official language of the Philippines. In spite
of being the national language, only about 55
percent of Filipinos speak the language. In addition
to Filipino are about 111 distinct indigenous
languages and dialects, of which only about 10 are
important regionally.
English
is generally used for educational, governmental and
commercial purposes and is widely understood since
it is the medium of instruction in schools.
The Philippines are the third largest group of
English speaking people in the world, after the
United States and the United Kingdom.
Since
English is widely spoken in the Philippines, it is
common to hear Filipinos use a mixture English and
Filipino words or phrases, known as "Taglish"
(a mixture of English and Tagalog), in their
everyday conversations.
A
steadily dwindling minority still speak Spanish,
which had at one time been an official language.
Geography
of the Philippines
 A
democratic republic located in the Western Pacific
Ocean, the Republic of the Philippines is made up of
the Philippine Islands and is the island group at
the northernmost part of the Malay Archipelago.
The
Philippines is situated about 1,210 km (about 750
mi) east of the coast of Vietnam and is separated in
the north from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel.
Bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea (and
Pacific Ocean), on the south by the Celebes Sea, and
on the west by the South China Sea, the archipelagic
state comprises about 7,100 islands. Resulting
from this situation are great variations in climate,
geography and vegetation.
The total area
of the Philippines has a total area of about 300,000
sq km (about 115, 830 sq mi). About 298,170 of
the total area is land area with the remaining 1,830
being the total water area. The capital and
largest city of the Philippines is Manila.
Religion/Philosophy
in the Philippines
Roman
Catholics comprise 84% of the Philippine population
with other Christian denominations (such as
Protestants) making up only 10%.
The first
outside religion introduced to the Philippines is
Islam which came with the expansion of Arab
commercial ventures in the 14th century. The 16th
century brought Christianity to the Philippines by
Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Protestantism was
brought with the American soldiers in 1899 by the
Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries that came
with them.
Also included
in the count are the Aglipayans, the Philippine
Independent Church founded in 1902, and the Iglesia
Ni Kristo (Church of Christ) which was
founded in 1914. Landmarks in most Philippine
major cities, the churches for the Iglesia Ni Kristo
have unique architecture which makes them stand out.
About 4% of
the population are Muslims and they are mainly
located in the southern areas of the Philippines. 
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