Land Area: 300,000 sq. km. (archipelago of 7,100 islands) Coastline: 36,289 kilometers Geography: Three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao Capital: Manila (Land area - 38.3 sq. km) Political System: The 1987 Constitution provides for a presidential system of government with a bicameral parliament and three (3) equal branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. Population: 76.5 million (as of May 1, 2000) Projected Population : 85.2 million (2005), 88.7 million (2007) Population Density: 255 persons/sq. km. (as of May 1, 2000) Population Growth Rate: 2.36% (1995 - 2000), 2.05% (2000-2005) Labor Force Participation Rate: 64.8 (October 2005), 63.6 (July 2007) Employment Rate: 92.6 (October 2005), 92.2 (July 2007) Literacy Rate : 93.4% of total population (2003) - among the highest in the world Number of Graduates Annually: Secondary school, over one million, college level, 405,000 Languages Spoken: Filipino, English and other regional dialects Ethnic Profile: Christian Malay 91.5%, Muslim Malay 4%, Chinese 1.5%, others 3% Major Religion: 85% are Roman Catholics, the rest are Protestants and Muslims Climate: Tropical with temperatures ranging from 23-32 �C. Two distinct seasons: Wet (June to October) & Dry (November to May) Currency Unit: Philippine Peso Business Hours: 0800-1700 (Private/Gov't Offices)
0900-1500 (Banks)
1000-2000 (Stores/Malls) Time Zone: GMT +8 hrs. Average Flying Hours:
Tokyo 3:35 Hong Kong 1:20 Jakarta 4:25 Kuala Lumpur 3:30 Paris 16:40 New York 17:30 Singapore 3:00 Shanghai 2:20 Seoul 4:00 San Francisco 11:50 Frankfurt 13:00 Taipei 1:20 Bangkok 3:00 Brunei 2:30 Viet Nam 2:30 Brussels 14:16 London 14:00 GNP: 5.7% (2005), 7.8% (2007) GDP : 5.1% (2005), 7.3% (2007) Inflation: 7.7% (2005), 2.8% (2007) Exports : US$ 37.4 Billion (January to November 2005) Imports : US$ 40.9 Billion (January to November 2005) Principal Exports Semi-Conductors and Electronic Microcircuits; Garments; Finished Electrical Machinery; Crude Coconut Oil Principal Markets: USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Germany
Manila
Location The Philippines is ideally located at the heart of Southeast Asia. Lying in the southeastern coast of the Asia mainland at the western rim of the Pacific, the Philippines is one of the largest archipelagos in the world. It has about 7,100 islands and islets. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Celebes (Sulawesi) Sea on the south, and South China Sea on the west and north. Land Area 300,000 sq km. Climate & Weather Tropical, with an average temperature of 27 degrees centigrade. Tropical storms and typhoons are common between July and October. The climate is dryer and more comfortable between October and February, and can be very pleasant at higher elevations. GMT/local time difference GMT + 8 hours Capital No. of Regions and Provinces Regions - 17, Provinces - 79 (as of September 2005)
Source: Department of Trade and Industry
