THE PHIILIPPINES

BY DARÍO ALBERTO

AND EDDY

FAST FACTS• The OFFICIAL NAME is Republic of the Philippines• The FORM OF GOVERNMENT is a Republic• The CAPITAL is Manila• The POPULATION is 4,765,000 people• The OFFICIAL LANGUAGES are Filipino (based on

Tagalog) and English• The MONEY is the Philippine peso• The AREA is about 300,000 square kilometers

GEOGRAPHY• The Philippines is an

archipelago.• There are more than 7,100

islands.• The two largest islands are Luzon

and Mindanao.• People only live in one third of

the islands. The rest are deserted.

NATURE• There are many species of plants and animals in

the islands. For example: monkeys, squirrels, lemurs, mice, pangolins, chevrotains, mongooses, civet cats, and red and brown deer, among others.

• In the past there were forest, but humans have distroyed them.

HISTORY• Ferdinand Magellan first landed in the Philippines in 1521. The name

Philippines comes from Philip II who was the king of Spain• during the 16th century when the country became a Spanish colony.• The Philippines was granted to the United States in 1898 following the

Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became• self-governing, but their independence was delayed by World War II and

the invasion of Japanese troops.• The islands were liberated by U.S. forces in 1944-45, and the Republic of

the Philippines was proclaimed in 1946, with a• government patterned on that of the United States'.• In 1965 Ferdinand Marcos was elected president. He declared martial

law in 1972, which lasted until 1981. After 20 years of rule,• Marcos was driven from power in 1986. Corazon Aquino became

president and instituted a period of democratic rule in the country.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE• Filipinos are predominantly of Malay descent, frequently with• Chinese and sometimes American or Spanish ancestry.• Many Filipinos have Spanish names because of a 19th-century• Spanish decree that required them to use Spanish surnames,• or last names. Parents often name their children after the• saint whose feast day was on the day of their birth.• Elementary education in the Philippines starts at age seven, is• required by law, and lasts for six years. Secondary education• begins at age 13 and lasts for four years; under graduat college

instruction typically is four years.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPH

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RIVERS

MOUNTAINS

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

LANGUAGES

COUNTRIES

C A P I T A L S

MONETARY UNIT