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Philippine
Facts & tidbits
Here are a few conversation pieces for your next dinner party.
When to visit
the Philippines
 The
best time is the dry season. In most of the tourism areas, it runs six months, from
about mid-November to mid-May. The first half of this season is the coolest,
making it ideal for traveling. The second half is hotter.
Many Filipinos who live abroad traditionally
return to the
Philippines during
the dry season for the extended Christmas period to visit family and friends. Airline seats and
hotel rooms become scarce. Ditto for Easter week and the Chinese Lunar New Year.
The
least desirable time to visit the Philippines is the wet season. It runs from about Mid-May to mid-November. It rains a lot and
humidity can be uncomfortable. And typhoons can pass through, especially in July and
August.
Geography
The
Philippines has over 7,107 islands (second only to Indonesia).
The collective coastline - if
stretched out - would almost encircle the equator.
Population
The
population of the Philippines is roughly 90 million.
Five
out of six Filipinos are Roman Catholics. About 5% are Muslims, who are concentrated
mainly in the south in Mindanao.
Names
The nation's
official English name is "Republic of the Philippines". However, "Philippines"
and "Philippine Islands" are also widely and acceptably used.
"Phillipines"
is the most common misspelling by foreigners.
Many
Filipinos have Spanish names, which were urged upon most urban Christianized
Filipinos by the Spanish colonists. However, some families have proudly kept
their ancestral names. Dumaual, Macapagal and Magsaysay are examples.
Philippine history
in brief
Humans
from the Malayan Peninsula inhabited the Philippine Islands at least 30,000
years ago.
The
first Europeans to set foot on the islands were the explorer Ferdinand
Magellan and his crew in 1521.
Some people
erroneously believe that Magellan was the first to circle the globe. He was
killed by the native chief Lapu Lapu six weeks after he landed in the
Philippines. It was Magellan's crew who completed the historic journey.
The
Philippines was named for the 16th century Spanish King Felipe II.
The
Spanish colonial rule spanned over three centuries, ending in 1898. Native uprisings
periodically occurred.
Spain
sold the Philippines to the
USA in 1898 for 20 million US dollars.
The
American colonial period lasted virtually a half-century, not without protests. During that time, the
Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941, but were defeated by the Americans and
Filipinos several years later.
In
1946, America relinquished its sovereignty, and the Philippines became
an independent nation.
Language
Filipino
(also called Pilipino) is the official and most widely spoken language.
English
is widely spoken, too. The Philippines is the world's third-largest
English-speaking country (after the USA and Great Britain).
Many
languages and dialects are spoken in the
Philippines. You likely won't be able to understand many people in some parts of the
Philippines even if you are fluent in Filipino and English.
View my other
Philippines pages
 
My Filipino/Tagalog
phrase guide
Click to learn how to say and pronounce key words and expressions.
My Philippine cuisine guide
External link
Philippine Department of Tourism
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