International week project Philippines Craig

The Philippines

Craig

ContentsIntroductionThe flagCultureGeographyAttractions and tourismWildlifeAttributions

(Background: El Nido, Palawan)

IntroductionThe Philippines is in Southeast Asia, it is made up of more than 7000 islands in between the Pacific Ocean and East Asia. It is a tropical country with many beaches, rainforests and coral reefs. There is a wide range of wildlife. The culture is a very interesting mix. The weather in the Philippines is nice and sunny from December to May, the rest of the year there is often rain and hurricanes. Nearby countries are Taiwan to the north, Malaysia to the west and Palau and Micronesia to the east. You will find more about the Philippines as we go on.

General info:

Area: 299,764 sq km (115,831 sq mi )Population: 103,775,002Capital city: ManilaLargest city: Quezon cityLanguages: Tagalog, English, regional dialects (such as Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilocano), SpanishCurrency: Peso (1 dollar = 43 pesos)Religion: CatholicAverage temperature: from 21°C (70°F) to 32°C (90°F)

The FlagThe blue at the top represents peace, and the red at the bottom represents war. If the red changes to the top, it means the Philippines is at war.

The three stars symbolize the three major island groups in the Philippines, which are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The eight rays of the sun symbolize the first 8 regions.

CulturePeople

The people of the Philippines are a unique mixture of many different people. All the different groups of people who have settled on the islands created the Filipinos we see today. The first people who came to the Philippines were called Agta, and they are related to the Aboriginals of Australia. Then the Malayo-Polynesians came and most Filipinos today are their descendants. After them, some Arabians, Chinese and Indians also came to the Philippines. When the Spanish colonized the Philippines they brought with them many Spanish and Mexican people, because of this, lots of Filipinos have Spanish names. Filipinos have a mixed heritage from all these people.

Different kinds of Filipinos

CultureFood

The main food is rice although it is mostly eaten together with other dishes like fish and vegetables. In Filipino cuisine, there is also influence from Chinese and Spanish food, Pancit ( noodles ) and Lumpia ( spring rolls) were introduced by Chinese. Empanadas, Chorizo, Asado, Afritada, Pan de sal and Longanisa were introduced by Spanish. Most food is eaten with hand, sometimes fork and knife, but Filipinos don’t use chopsticks. Seafood especially is eaten with hand. There is also Filipino ice cream that is eaten with bread.

Lechon or roast pig Empanadas

Filipino ice cream cart

CultureMusic and Dance

Most Filipino music and dances came from Hispanic culture. Traditional music is usually played with guitars, mandolins and ukuleles. Traditional songs are often played by a Rondalla band. Also hula dancing is very popular, and is accompanied with fast drumming.

Dancing in a festival Hula dancing

Ukulele

CultureArchitecture

Traditional houses in the Philippines are made of bamboo with thatched roofs. They are called Nipa huts because Nipa leaves are used to make the roof. These huts are sometimes decorated with shells and wood carvings. There is also a lot of Aztec-Baroque architecture introduced by Mexicans and Spanish colonizers. There are many cities with old Spanish buildings and churches around the Philippines. Many buildings are made of coral or volcanic rocks.

Native huts Spanish buildings Aztec-Baroque architecture

CultureFestivals

There are many festivals in the Philippines, in the festivals there is often a lot of street dancing, food, music, parties and interesting traditions. Each part of the Philippines has its own important festival. Such as the Dinagyang festival of Iloilo. This festival represents the native people converting to Christianity. People dance around the streets in native costumes and carry a statue of the infant Christ.

A festival in Cebu Dinagyang festival in Iloilo A festival in Bohol

CultureReligion

80.9 percent of the population is Catholic, 11.6 is other Christian, 5 is Muslim, and 2.5 percent is other religions. Since the Spanish colonized the Philippines, most Filipinos converted from their native pagan religions to Christianity. Around the country, there are many churches. The Philippines is the larges Catholic country in Asia, and also one of the largest in the world. The religion inspires many festivals too.

Manila CathedralPie chart of religions

CultureLanguage

The national language of the Philippines is Filipino which is basically Tagalog. However, there are over 200 languages spoken in the country. Other important languages include: Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo and Hiligaynon. There are also many other languages from different tribal groups. English is widely spoken, and Spanish and Spanish Creole languages are spoken by about 4 million. The closest language to Filipino is Chamorro, the language of Guam. Filipino languages are part of the Austronesian language family: shown below.

A map showing the Austronesian languages

GeographyThe Philippines is made up of more than 7000 islands. There are lots of tropical rainforests. There are lots of volcanoes, including a few active ones such as Mount Mayon and Mount Pinatubo. There are many waterfalls, lakes and rivers. The Philippines has the fifth longest coastline in the world and there are many beaches and coral reefs. There are many mountains such as mount Apo, which is the tallest (2,954 m) mountain in the Philippines. There are also many unusual landscapes such as a desert called the La Paz sand dunes. Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper.

Rainforest of Palawan Mayon Volcano Maria Cristina falls

Attractions and Tourism

Historic town of Vigan

Boracay islandBacuit bay

Mount Apo

Sight-seeing in Cebu

Sight-seeing in Bohol

Banaue Rice Terraces

Visit: http://www.philippinetourism.us/

Attractions and TourismHistoric town of Vigan

Vigan is a nice little town with lots of old and beautiful Spanish buildings. You will find lots of cobblestoned roads with shops and restaurants. In Vigan, there is also a cathedral. Vigan is also known for pottery and woodcarving. You can also ride in a traditional horse-drawn carriage called kalesa. Vigan is close to several nice beaches.

Cobblestone roads Vigan cathedral

Attractions and TourismBanaue rice terraces

The Banaue rice terraces are about 2000 years old. They were carved into the mountains of Ifugao by ancesters of the igorot people. This means that the rice terraces are man-made. There are many small traditional villages of the native tribes called igorot on the terraces. There are also lots of waterfalls in the rice terraces. The rice terraces are good for mountain biking, trecking and hiking. The rice terraces are used by the igorot to grow rice too.

Rice terraces Igorot people

Attractions and TourismSight-seeing in Cebu

In Cebu, there are many places to see. There are several small islands around Cebu which have nice beaches, good diving, caves, resorts and old churches. There are also many waterfalls in Cebu. In Cebu city, the famous attractions are: Magellan’s cross, Fort San Pedro, Cebu Cathedral, Santo Niño Basilica, Lapu-Lapu monument and much more. There is also the famous Sinulog festival in Cebu. Cebu also is famous for making guitars.

Magellan’s cross Mactan island Chief Lapu-Lapu

Attractions and TourismBacuit Bay

Bacuit is a beautiful lagoon in Palawan. There is very good snorkeling and diving because there are many coral reefs. There are also lots of interesting shipwrecks from World War 2. There are many tropical islands with nice resorts and beaches inside the lagoon. There is also the town of El Nido which has many restaurants and pearl farms. Here you can go kayaking and sailing too.

Bacuit bay Diving in Bacuit bay

Attractions and TourismBoracay Island

Boracay is a small island in Aklan province. It has many pretty white sand beaches. There is also good snorkeling. In Boracay, there is a town with many gift shops, restaurants, bars and resorts, there’s also an exciting nightlife. You can do many water sports such as wind surfing, kite surfing, sailing, parasailing, banana boats and much more. There is also the Ati-atihan festival which is very fun and there is a lot of dancing and partying and the people wear tribal costumes.

Boracay beach Ati-aithan festival

Attractions and TourismSight-seeing in Bohol

In Bohol, there are many things to see in Bohol, such as the Chocolate Hills, a tarsier sanctuary, many coral churches, diving, lots of dolphin and whale watching, beaches, rainforests, flying lemurs and many more. The chocolate hills are probably Bohol’s most popular attraction. The hills are not man-made and are made up of about 1300 hills. They are about 30 to 50 meters high. The hills are covered with grass and at the end of the season, turn chocolate brown. Tarsiers are the second smallest mammal, they are about 9 cm

Tarsier

Chocolate hills Dolphins

WildlifeThere is lots of interesting wildlife in the Philippines. There are lots of birds such as Philippine cockatoos, hornbills and the famous Philippine eagle. There is also the tarsier, monkeys, flying lemurs and bearcat. There is also lots of marine life such as whale sharks and tropical fish. The Philippines has almost every species of coral, and the most species of marine animals in the world.

Flying lemurs, Philippines eagle, whale shark, tarsier, coral reefs

Attributions and books and objectsa) The wallet is made from woven dried coconut leaves b) The bracelet is made from coconut shellsc) The fan is made from pineapple fiberd) The salt plate is made from sea shells.

There are books and brochures about the Philippines too.

Follow this link to see the attributions: