About Philippines. Philippines traditions, holiday in country, travel.

Officially Republic of the Philippines , Pilipino Republika ng Pilipinas country in Southeast Asia. It is an archipelago consisting of some 7,100 islands and islets lying about 500 miles off the coast. The 11 largest islands-Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, and Masbate-contain about 95% of the total land area.

The Philippines is the second-largest archipelago in the world (after Indonesia), with 7107islands - sixty percent of them uninhabited - and 58,390km of coastline - all in a land mass no bigger than Arizona.

It is bounded by the Philippine Sea to the east, the Celebes Sea to the south, and the South China Sea to the west and north.

The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, who was king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century.

Manila is the biggest city and the national capital. It is located on Luzon, the largest island.

Roman Catholicism is the most predominant religion consisting of more than 80% of the population, making it the 4th largest Catholic nation in the world. Muslims, on the other hand, form a significant minority throughout country. Filipino and English are the official languages. English is widely spoken, even in the provinces, and everywhere you go you will be greeted with the honorific "ma'am" or "sir".

The Philippines is a country of rich resources, but it is in the process of developing its full potentialities. It is primarily agricultural, although a high degree of domestic and foreign investment has spurred the rapid development of its industrial potential. Educationally, it is among the most advanced of Asian countries, having a high literacy rate.

Filipinos are mostly of Austronesian descent. Some Filipinos are partly of American, Spanish, Chinese and Arab ancestry.

Filipinos are passionate, sometimes hot-headedly so. They love food, they love life and they love romance. The Philippines is a passion play writ large and nowhere is this more evident than in the hundreds of fiestas and religious ceremonies that are held every year. Some are theatrical, like the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo and the Lanzones in Camiguin. Others have their origins in the Scriptures and are solemn.