Philippines Guide

January 31, 2021 findjobdescriptions

Philippines – country information

Country name	Philippines
Official name	Republic of the Philippines
Capital	Manila
continent	Asia
Area	300 000 km
Population	99 275 100 (2014)
Foundation of a state	12. 6. 1898
The highest mountains	Apo 2954 m
Longest rivers	Mindanao 551 km
State system	a presidential-type pluralistic republic with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Manila (Capital) 2,075,000 (Agglomeration 9,500,000), Queton City 1,850,000, Davao 1,025,000
Official language	Filipino, English
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic 85%, Philippine Independent Church 6%, Muslim 4.5%, Protestant 3.5%
Currency	1 Philippine peso (P) = 100 centavos
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$4,380 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	70.21 let (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 20.5%, mining 1.5%, industry 28%, construction 5%, services 45%

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands about 800 km off the coast of China and more than 1,000 km off the coast of Southeast Asia.

Country data

Location: Southeast Asia

Time zone: CET + 7 (during summer time: CET + 6)

Total area: 300,000 km²

Land area: 298,170 km²

Water area: 1,830 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 36,289 km

Capital: Manila

Provinces: 80
Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu,Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay

Free cities: 39
Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caloocan, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Davao, General Santos, Iligan, Iloilo, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Lucena, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Naga, Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Puerto Princesa, Quezon, San Juan, Santiago, Tacloban, Taguig, Valenzuela, Zamboanga

Electric current: 220 V / 60 Hz

Telephone code: 00 63 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m

Population

Population: approx. 108 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.8% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 360

Life expectancy: 70 (male), 76 (female)

Official language: Filipino (Tagalog), English

Religions:

83% Roman Catholic
5% Muslim
3% Evangelical
9% other

Climate

Across the country, temperatures fluctuate between 15 ° C (January) and 40 ° C (May) throughout the year.

Rain must be expected all year round, but most rain falls from the beginning of June to the end of October.

Isolated typhoons occur from July to August.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Philippine Peso (PHP)

Classification: 1 Peso = 100 Centavos / Sentimos

ATMs: There are numerous ATMs in major cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts. The local currency can be carried up to an amount of PHP 10,000.

If the local currency is to be carried above this limit, approval from the Central Bank of the Philippines is required. Compliance is very strictly controlled!

It is difficult to change money outside the capital.

However, you should always make sure that you only change money at officially authorized banks and that you keep the receipts well until you leave the country.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g tobacco
2 bottles of alcoholic beverages (max. 1 liter each)
small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Night vision devices, pornographic material, weapons and drugs of all kinds are not permitted.

Travel advice

Due to the poor security situation, you are warned against traveling to the following regions:

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
Davao Region (Region XI) (excluding Davao City)
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Soccsksargen (Region XII)
South Palawan (south of Puerto Princesa)
all Sulu Islands (Basilan, Jolo, Tawi-Tawi etc.)
Sulu lake
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)

There have already been several bomb attacks. Since further attacks cannot be ruled out, you should avoid large gatherings of people and exercise particular caution.

Warning level 1 continues to apply to the Bulusan volcano on Luzon and the Kanlaon volcano on the island of Negros. A barrier area of 4 km each has been set up.

Behavioral advice

The crime rate is extremely high. Theft, assault and violent crimes against tourists are very common.

Since President Duterte took office, a particularly tough war against drugs has been waged in the Philippines, very high prison sentences and the death penalty for possession or trafficking in drugs. Foreigners are often punished particularly severely.

In the rainy season from June to November there are often heavy local rains, which are often accompanied by floods and landslides. Please note the information provided by the local authorities.

Economy

The economy has developed significantly in recent years.

In addition to the mined mineral resources, products from agriculture (bananas, coconuts, corn, rice, sugar cane) are among the main export items.

Industries: chemistry, fishing, wood processing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles

Natural resources: gold, wood, cobalt, copper, nickel, petroleum, salt, silver

Land use:

Usable land: 19%
Grain cultivation: 12%
Pasture area: 4%
Forests: 46%
other: 19%

Plants

Since the Philippines has a favorable geographical location for vegetation, there are many thousands of different tree and plant species.

In the dense forests there are mainly oaks, pines, coconut palms, mangroves and bamboo trees.

However, since large areas are cleared in order to gain cultivation land for rice, the formerly extensive grass areas in particular have been destroyed.