The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands located in Southeast Asia between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. The culture is a unique mix resulting from influences of early inhabitants and later Spanish colonizers. Major attractions include the Banaue Rice Terraces, historic town of Vigan, beaches of Boracay and Bacuit Bay, and Chocolate Hills of Bohol. The flag symbolizes peace and war through its colors and stars represent island groups. Tagalog is the most widely spoken language though many regional dialects exist.

1. The Philippines
Craig

2. Contents
Introduction
The flag
Culture
Geography
Attractions and tourism
Wildlife
Attributions
(Background: El Nido, Palawan)

3. Introduction
The 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: 103,775,002
Capital city: Manila
Largest city: Quezon city
Languages: Tagalog, English, regional dialects (such as
Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilocano), Spanish
Currency: Peso (1 dollar = 43 pesos)
Religion: Catholic
Average temperature: from 21°C (70°F) to 32°C (90°F)

4. The Flag
The 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.

5. People
Culture
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

6. Food Culture
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.
Filipino ice cream cart
Lechon or roast pig Empanadas

7. Ukulele
Music and Dance
Culture
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

8. Architecture
Culture
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

9. Festivals
Culture
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

10. Religion
Culture
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.
Pie chart of religions Manila Cathedral

11. Language
Culture
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

12. Geography
The 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

13. Attractions and Tourism
Historic town of Vigan Banaue Rice Terraces Sight-seeing in Cebu
Bacuit bay Boracay island Sight-seeing in Bohol
Mount Apo
Visit: http://www.philippinetourism.us/

14. Attractions and Tourism
Historic 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

15. Attractions and Tourism
Banaue 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

16. Attractions and Tourism
Sight-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

17. Attractions and Tourism
Bacuit 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

18. Attractions and Tourism
Boracay 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

19. Attractions and Tourism
Sight-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
Chocolate hills Dolphins
Tarsier

20. Wildlife
There 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

21. Attributions and books and objects
a) The wallet is made from woven dried coconut leaves
b) The bracelet is made from coconut shells
c) The fan is made from pineapple fiber
d) The salt plate is made from sea shells.
There are books and brochures about the Philippines too.
Follow this link to see the attributions: