Natural geography
The Philippines is located in South West Asia in the Pacific Ocean. The capital of the Philippines is Manila, but the most populated city is Quezon City. The Philippines is an archipelago (a collection of islands) consisting of 7,107 islands. Out of these only 1,000 islands are populated. The total land area of the Philippines is approximately 300,000 square kilometers.
The Philippines is located on the western fringes of the Pacific Result of Fire. Many of the islands are mountainous and originate from volcanic eruptions.The Philippines experiences lots of volcanic and seismic activity. About 20 earthquakes are recorded each day although some of these are too small to be felt. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, floods and typhoons have caused lots of damage and death in the Philippines over the last few decades. A recent example of a devastating natural disaster in the Philippines is Typhoon Haiyan which occurred on November 8, 2013. Haiyan was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded and the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record. At least 6,268 people were killed and there was $2.86 billion damage.
The landscape of the Philippines is very mountainous and much of the land is tropical rain forest. The highest mountain is Mount Apo which is 2,954 metres above sea level. The Philippines is close to the equator which means it is a tropical country. The climate is usually hot and humid. There are three seasons in the Philippines: the hot dry season, the rainy season and the cool dry season. Between May and October summer monsoons bring lots of heavy rain.
The frequent volcanic activity in the Philippines has resulted in an abundance of mineral deposits. The Philippines has the second largest amount of gold deposits in the world as well as one of the largest copper deposits. The country is also rich in silver, nickel, lead, chromium, zinc, cobalt and manganese but many of these minerals have not been mined. The fish and lumber industry are also large industries in the Philippines.
Human Geography
The Philippines has a very high population density. It is the 12th most populated country in the world with a population of over 99 million people. The official languages in the Philippines are English and Filipino. However, Tagalog is the most common language spoken.
The culture in the Philippines has been largely influenced by eastern and western cultures. For three centuries the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish. Both Mexico and Spain governed the Philippines and this influence can be seen in dance and religion as well as many other cultural aspects. After being colonized by Spain the Philippines became U.S. territory for 40 years. Influence of the U.S. can be seen in the wide use of English language as well as the modern pop culture.
The Spanish colonization also greatly influenced the religion in the Philippines. More than 80% of the population are Christians. About 70% belong to the Roman Catholic Church, while others belong to denominations such as Protestant Christians, the Philippine Independent Church, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Inglesia ni Cristo and Jehovah's Witness. Around 5% of Filipinos are Muslims.
Festival food and everyday food in the Philippines is based around rice and rice noodles. Small amounts of meat or fish as well as fruit and vegetables are put with rice. Many of the clothes worn are influenced by western society.However, there are some traditional clothing specific to particular groups or regions. The malong is a colourful woven tube of cloth worn by men and women in the the Muslim communities of Mindanao. In urban areas many men wear an embroidered shirt called a barong for formal and casual events. On special occasions women may wear a terno which is a long dress with butterfly shoulders.
Filipinos are known to be very hospitable and friendly people (except maybe on the roads). They always try to please visitors and be polite. Much of life in the Philippines revolves around family and extended family. Family bonding is very strong. They will often be reunited during long holidays such as Christmas, New Year and Holy Week.