About the Philippines

Some statistics on the Philippines

Population

The current population of the Philippines is at over 105 million, with approximately 44% residing in urban areas. The median age of 24.3 years and fertility rate is at 3.02

Geography

The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia. It is an archipelago which spans more than 300,000 square kilometres of territory, consisting of 7,641 islands (although only 1,000 or so of these are inhabited) . It is divided into three island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Being located very close to the equator, the Philippines has an average year-round temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, and high levels of humidity. It is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire therefore dotted with volcanoes, both dormant and active. Its topography ranges from mountainous regions to low lying plains and coastal areas

Language

There are two official languages in the Philippines, English and Filipino, however within the Filipino language there are more than 180 different dialects and variations, whereby Tagalog is considered the standardized national language.

Currency

The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine Peso. 100 Pesos equals just under 2 US Dollars, or 1,6 Euros. (exchange rate for January 18th 2018) The Philippine economy is the 10th fastest growing in the world. (Forbes, 2017.) (according to the World Bank’s latest edition of Global Economic Prospects)

Religion

Roman Catholicism 81%
Protestantism 11%
Islam 5,6%

Political System

The Philippines is a republic with a unitary presidential system. The President is head of state and head of government, is elected by the people and serves up to one six year term.  Congress is a bicameral legislature composed of a Senate and House of Representatives.  The judicial system comprises a Supreme Court and other lower courts.

The Philippines is a founding member of both the United Nations (UN), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has embassies and consulates in 62 countries around the world.

Industries

Business Process Outsourcing, retail and gaming (casinos) are the three biggest industries in the Philippines. Other large industries include: tourism, hospitality and leisure, real estate, manufacturing, construction and shipbuilding.

Exports

The country’s primary exports include electronics, semiconductors, transport equipment, construction materials, and minerals. As an open economy, the Philippines trades with other economies around the world: it considers Japan, the United States, China, South Korea, and Germany as its top export markets.

Tourism

Foreign tourist arrivals for the period of January to June of 2017 rose by 12.7 percent from 2,978,438 in 2016 to 3,357,591 in 2017.
South Korea remained as the top tourist market for the country, posting almost 800.000 arrivals, representing 23.68 percent share of total inbound traffic; followed by the United States, China, and Japan. (web.tourism.gov.ph)