The Philippines is one of the countries of Southeast Asia. This country is different from other Asian countries. The Philippines is a state with wonderful nature, amazing monuments of nature and architecture, with beautiful beaches and many other attractions. Therefore, it is rightfully called special.
Brief geography of the Philippines
The Philippines belongs to the island states. They are located in the west of the Pacific Ocean. If you look at the map, you can see that to the west of the Philippines lies Vietnam, to the south are the Indonesian Islands, and to the north across the strait is Taiwan. The capital of the state is the city of Manila.
The main feature and unusualness of this state is its numerous islands, of which there are 7107. But not all of them are inhabited. It is known that people live only on 2000 of them. Interesting fact: some of the remaining uninhabited islands do not even have their own names. Many islands have a very long history, their age is estimated at millions of years. Such ancient islands include, for example, Mindanao, Luzon.
The islands of the archipelago are usually divided into 4 main groups. One of the major groups includes the largest land mass in the Philippines. It is also the most densely populated. Almost half of the country's population lives in this area of the state. It is called Luzon. This (one third) part of the country contains the main agricultural and industrial centers. The history of Luzon is interesting. There are claims that the first settlers began to inhabit this island 15,000 years ago - it was the Aeta people. And the Austronesians settled there much later - only 2500 years ago. It was believed that in ancient times the Philippines was connected to Asia by a bridge - it was a land bridge. It wasn't until the sixteenth century that Luzon and the surrounding islands became Spanish and remained under Spain for 3 centuries. Thanks to the Spanish king Philip II, who ruled in Spain at this time, the Philippines got their name. The same island (Luzon) after 3 centuries became the center of the liberation movement, but, having freed itself from Spain, it came under the domination of America. Subsequently, in 1941, Luzon was invaded by Japan, against which both the people of the Philippines and the Americans themselves rebelled. Finally, since July 1945, the Philippines, including Luzon, freed themselves from anyone's yoke and became an independent state. The next group of islands includes the Visayas Islands, which are located between Luzon and Mindanao. This group is characterized by the fact that it contains some of the largest islands such as Bohol, Negros, Samai, Panay, Cebu and Leite. The main advantage of this group is that there are recreation areas on these islands. Next, Palawan. It is often referred to as the Luzon region. Palawan is the most exotic part of the Philippines. This region is considered the most beautiful and virtually untouched by civilization. The last region is Mindanao. This island is also one of the largest islands in the Philippine archipelago, and is the second largest in terms of size. It differs from others in that civilization has touched it, not as much as other islands. Most of the ethnic groups of the population live here. Mindanao is a very beautiful island surrounded by four seas. There are many interesting sights on it.
A distinctive feature of the Philippines is the relief of the islands, which mainly consists of mountains. Almost all mountains are of volcanic origin with high seismicity. The coasts of many islands are known for their deep sea trenches. One of the deepest can be called the Philippine Trench (10,830 m).
Government and population of the Philippines
The Philippines is a republic headed by a president. The head of the country is elected for a term of 6 years. The supreme legislative body of the country is the bicameral parliament (congress). It consists of the Senate, whose term of office is 6 years. The House of Representatives is elected for 3 years. The highest executive body is the government of the Republic of the Philippines.
The Philippines is a fairly densely populated country. Its population is about 102 million -12th place in the world. The majority of the population lives in cities (65%). Most of the country, the indigenous population is Bigola, Varai, Cebuano, Ilocano, Tagaly and others. About a fourth are immigrants and other small groups of the local population. The Filipinos are very good at family and cherish family traditions, passing them on from generation to generation. It is noteworthy that in this country, abortion, as well as divorce, is prohibited.
Life expectancy is 71 years, which is a good indicator. The country has two official languages - Pilipino (Filipino) and English. In addition, on the islands, many people speak Spanish (3%), Chinese, Chabakono.
Cultural life and traditions. Religion
The Philippines has a lot of interesting traditions that have been assimilated from Spanish and American traditions. Affected by the fact that the state for many centuries was under the influence of these countries. An example of such assimilation is, for example, carnivals. Philippine carnivals are no less interesting than Spanish ones. Every year in the capital of the state, Manila, on January 9, a famous festival is held, which is called the "Day of the Black Nazarene". A mass of people, numbering in the thousands, gathers for it. She follows a statue of the suffering Christ with a striped face carrying a cross on his shoulders.
In addition, many other festivals are held in the Philippines, which are no less interesting and colorful. As a rule, the participants of the festivities are dressed in colorful national costumes. The people of this state mainly profess Christianity (90%). But there are islands where most of the population adheres to the Muslim faith.
Climate. Flora and fauna of the Philippine Islands
The Philippines, among other things, have a number of other features. One of them is the climate. There is no winter on these islands. Warm weather prevails here throughout the year (+25 degrees). It rains in the regions from December to February. A huge number of them drop out. Due to the peculiarities of the climate, there is an unusual and peculiar flora and fauna, which is inherent in this particular state. For example, some species of animals live here that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. One of them is the tarsier. He is the smallest primate in the world. Lives on the islands of Kalimantan, Sumatra and some others.
The vast territory of the Philippines is covered with tropical forests that amaze with their plants. There are plants that can only be found in the Philippine Islands - Mayapsis, Lauan, Apitong.
In the meadows that are above sea level, there are many different and equally unusual grasses and shrubs. A large number of reptiles and birds are surprising. The Philippines is surrounded by water, which is home to many species of fish. A feature of the waters is that they contain rare mollusks that are capable of forming pearls.
Holidays in the Philippines
The most important feature of the state is tourism. A huge number of tourists rest in the Philippines. The country offers many different types of recreation for any category of people. Here you can find various vacation spots for every taste - in luxury hotels, in inexpensive centers, in the homes of local residents. You can choose what suits a particular vacationer.
The Philippines has long been known for its beautiful beaches and resorts. More active tourists are offered diving, surfing, fishing, various cruises and other entertainments that will remain in the memory for a long time.
