The Philippines has 7641 islands – making it one of the largest archipelagos globally. Surprisingly, more than 5,000 of these islands remain unnamed.
The people of the Philippines are very social and always try to be in touch with all the important people in their lives. This habit of theirs has made the entire country’s annual text message count jump up to a whopping 142 billion.
The Philippines have the third-largest population of Catholics in the world, right after Brazil and Mexico. With about 80% of their population being Roman Catholic, this religion is deeply ingrained in the daily lives of the common people of the country.
The Philippines Basketball Association was started after the NBA, the National Basketball Association of North America. Also it happens to be the second oldest basketball association in the whole world.
The Philippines have 5 of the largest shopping malls in the world. The malls are - SM Seaside City Cebu, SM City North, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, and SM City Cebu.
Jeepneys are a mode of everyday transportation for people in the capital city of Manila and other places in the Philippines. What is interesting is that these jeepneys were made out of all the army jeeps that the U.S Military left after World War II.
The Philippines has also served as a spot for the world’s largest volcanic eruption that took place in the past 50 years! The eruption of Mount Pinatubo, on the 15th of June, 1991 was the most horrid experience in the history of time.
The people of the Philippines celebrate Christmas not just as a day but as a holiday season that starts from the month as early as September. Christmas is the longest holiday in the Philippines and the people love to start shopping and decorations in September. The shopping bazaars and sites are crowded with people.
The country of the Philippines has its capital as the Metropolitan Manila, also called the National Capital Region (NCR). Metropolitan Manila is one of the hippest and happening cities to travel and stay at.
Yo-Yo was Invented by a Filipino Businessman. Yo-yo toy is the second oldest toy which dates its origin back to 440 BC. According to recent studies, the person who patented the invention of the toy was Pedro Edralin Flores, a Filipino businessman. The name yoyo comes from the Filipino language which means ‘ come back’
The Administrative Region of Cordillera is the least populated region of the Philippines. The rice terraces of this region were made more than 2000 years ago. They are listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The islands of the Philippines were discovered by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan who sailed on the behalf of Spain. He found the islands while looking for Spain, and claimed the islands of the Philippines in the name of Spain. The archipelago of the islands thus got its name from King Philip II of Spain.
Along with being the world’s largest exporter of coconuts, it also is the world’s largest supplier of nurses. It is found that 25 % of all the overseas nurses working in other countries are native to the Philippines.
Camiguin, an island province in the archipelago Philippines, has more volcanoes than the number of towns the region has. The region has 7 volcanos and just 5 towns. None of the volcanoes has erupted since the 1950s.
The Philippines has the longest snake in the world. Already a second World record here; the Reticulated Python is the longest in the World, reaching up to 29 feet. The snake also doubles as the longest reptile. Luckily, as with all pythons, they are non-venomous
The Philippines are the only nation in Asia that is over 85% Christian. The majority of that percentage being Roman Catholic.The second highest religious group is Muslim, with 5.7%.
The Philippines have had 16 species discoveries in the past decade (300total). That makes them the highest in the World. Some findings include the new sea slugs, sea stars, Patelomera, and countless new coral species.
The Philippines have a duck egg dish –Balut, also known as a boiled fertilized duck egg, is an interesting dish that is popular in the Philippines. The embryo is a common street food and is considered to be an aphrodisiac.
Large Pearls – In 1934, a Filipino diver discovered a 14-pound pearl in the Palawan Sea. The pearl is more than 9 inches long and known as the ͞Pearl of Allah͟. It is rumored to be over 600 years old and worth over $40 million..
Bangka Boats – Bangka boats are outriggers that are also referred to as Banca or paraw. It is a double-outrigger with very narrow main hulls. There are many variations of the boat available and can be utilized in an impressive amount of ways.
The Philippines is the only country in the entire World that has two different flags for peace and wartime. When the country is at peace, the red portion will be at the bottom of the flag. The opposite indicates the country is at war.
Volcanoes and Earthquakes – With a total of 37 volcanoes in the Philippines, there are 22 active. Being located in the ͞Pacific Ring of Fire͟ there are roughly four earthquakes per day.
Chicken Adobo – This is hands down the national dish! A great tasting simple Ilocano cuisine that includes pepper, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and vinegar. You can swap the chicken out for seafood, beef or pork. It is simply delightful.
Tingling and Sigil – These are names of two of the Philippines traditional folk dances. These dances are unique and are being preserved by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk-Dance Company. When performing during special occasions, Filipinos dress in national garb.
The Philippines is the 12th most populated country on Earth, with a population of over 100 million. The country has a rich and diverse culture that’s influenced by Malay, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and American culture. This has led to a diverse culture with many different beliefs and traditions.
Filipino and English are the official languages in the Philippines. Filipino is a standard language which is based on Tagalog. The Philippines has more than 1,000 dialects and more than 100 languages, such as Bikol, Pangasinense, Cebuano or Wara.
There are over 250 active volcanoes in the Philippines. Taal Volcano is an active volcano in Batangas province on Luzon Island that only last erupted in 2012.
The Philippine eagle is also known as the monkey-eating eagle. It was last seen in 2013 and is considered extinct.
The Philippine giant monitor lizard is an endemic species. It means the reptile is only found in the Philippines.
Manila is the capital city of the Philippines. It is one of the ten largest island countries in the world and is slightly larger than the state of Arizona/USA or about the size of Italy.
The Philippines was occupied by Spanish colonists for 333 years. The country was free from Spanish rule in 1898.
After Spanish rule, America settled in the Philippines. In 1898, Spain gave up the Philippines to the US. American colonization then lasted for at least 48 years.
When the Japanese came to the Philippines, the Americans waged a war together with the Filipinos to fight against the Japanese forces from 1941 to 1945. Finally, the Americans recognized the independence of the country in 1946.
The Philippines became an independent nation on July 4, 1946. This day is now known as Republic Day. But The Philippines actually has two days of independence to celebrate. First on June 12, when they gained independence from Spanish domination. Independence from America occurred on July 4, the same day as American Independence Day, but some Filipinos consider June 12 to be their legitimate day of independence
There are three main island groups in the Philippines. They are Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas.
The largest island of the Philippines is Luzon and is the northernmost island. It is also the most populated island of the Philippines.
The Philippines longest river is the Rio Grande or Cagayan River on Luzon island. It’s length is 505 km/ 314 miles.
The highest mountain is Mount Apo with 2,954 m/ 9,692 ft. This is a volcano located on Mindanao island.
Football, volleyball, tennis, basketball, and martial arts are popular sports in the Philippines. The national sport is called Arnis, a martial arts sport which includes stick-fighting.
About 48% of the country’s people live in urbanized areas or near the coast, where a lot of agricultural produce is grown. About 25% work in rural agricultural areas to produce sugar cane and other crops. Most produce grown are vegetables, coconuts, sugar cane and more.
The rainforests of the Philippines house over 500 species of birds, more than a third of the bird species are not found anywhere else in the world. There are also about 100 mammal species that can only be found in the Philippines.
There are about 13,500 plant species with over 8,500 species of flowering plants. Over 3,000 plant species are only found in the Philippines. The Sampaguita (Jasmine flower) first became the National Flower of the Philippines in 1934.
The Philippine cuisine is very varied and consists of rice and vegetable dishes as well as many dishes containing fish, seafood, chicken, pork or beef and include spices such as ginger and garlic as well as soy sauce or fish sauce and rice vinegar.
Due to the large volume of text messages sent throughout the country, the Philippines has earned its nickname as the "text capital of the world."
An iconic symbol of the country is the jeepney, the colorfully painted buses with roots dating to World War II and the U.S. military's jeeps. But with growing pollution concerns, the classic jeepney may soon be replaced with more efficient electric vehicles.
The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in the Palawan Sea. The 75-pound pearl is valued at $100 million.
After World War II in 1945, the Philippines gained independence. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to gain independence.
Negros Island is the 4th largest island in the Philippines. As part of Central Visayas, Negros Island spans 5,138.87 square miles with a population of 4,414,131 people. The idyllic beaches and city centers make this island thrive in tourism.
The people in the Philippines were once known as Pacific Islanders. In a nutshell, the term Pacific Islander is used for people who live near the subregions of Oceania. Since the country is a part of Southeast Asia, people in the Philippines fall under the Asian category.
In 2007, Mexico‘s underground river of 10-kilometers in the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered as the longest underground river. But before that, the title belonged to Palawan, Philippines for its Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Stretching for 8.2 kilometers, the area is still being preserved and protected despite no longer holding the world record.
In 2007, Mexico‘s underground river of 10-kilometers in the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered as the longest underground river. But before that, the title belonged to Palawan, Philippines for its Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Stretching for 8.2 kilometers, the area is still being preserved and protected despite no longer holding the world record.
In 2007, Mexico‘s underground river of 10-kilometers in the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered as the longest underground river. But before that, the title belonged to Palawan, Philippines for its Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Stretching for 8.2 kilometers, the area is still being preserved and protected despite no longer holding the world record.
In 2007, Mexico‘s underground river of 10-kilometers in the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered as the longest underground river. But before that, the title belonged to Palawan, Philippines for its Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Stretching for 8.2 kilometers, the area is still being preserved and protected despite no longer holding the world record.
In 2007, Mexico‘s underground river of 10-kilometers in the Yucatan Peninsula was discovered as the longest underground river. But before that, the title belonged to Palawan, Philippines for its Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. Stretching for 8.2 kilometers, the area is still being preserved and protected despite no longer holding the world record.