The Philippines is in Southeast Asia, in the middle of the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. The country has 7,641 islands, with 2,000 islands settled in. There are three major islands in the Philippines they are Luzon, Mindanao, and Visayan Islands. Since the Philippines is so close to the equator, it’s warm all year with a tropical climate. It experiences rainy weather helpful for the crops; they also experience typhoons and monsoons. The country has large islands that have a various amount of land characteristics. While the smaller islands are mountainous and have flat lowlands.
There is little volcanic activity on the island, but the volcanoes on the island are part of the Ring of Fire. The Philippines has fifty volcanoes, and ten are active. With the longest mountain range in the country being the Sierra Madre. Rivers are an important source in the Philippines. On Luzon island, some main rivers are Pampanga and Agno. On the Mindanao, the main rivers are Rio Grande de Mindanao and Agusan. There are many landmarks in the Philippines where tourists can go. One place tourists can go to is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in Palawan. The Puerto Princesa is an underground river with an Italian Chamber Giant cave hall.
Another place to go to is the Taal Volcano and Lake. It is in Batangas, and it is also an active volcano. The lake is on the island, with the top of the volcano being the island inside the lake, a lake in the volcano, that has a small island inside. The San Agustin Church is located in Metro Manila. San Agustin is the oldest church in the country. The outside of the church has a simple design. But when tourists walk inside, they filled it with rich decorations and artworks.
With the major islands in the Philippines, they contain many natural resources. Such as gold, iron ore, lead, zinc, chromite, and copper are the major deposits. And they are located in the Luzon and Mindanao. Other resources that are not metal are wood, salt, petroleum, oil, limestone, and marble. Which is located in the Visayas Island. Agriculture is an important part of the Philippines. They grow sugarcane, rice, coconuts, bananas, corn, and pineapples which are the main farm products out there. Construction is another important part of the industry. Companies help build many structures for the country such as homes, malls, and factories. Construction companies also help the government build roads and bridges.
People in the Philippines are called Filipinos, and Filipinos come from Malay descent. There are many cultural groups, the largest groups are Tagalog of Luzon and Cebuano of Visayan Island. Other groups are Hiligayon of Panay and Negros, Ilocano of northern Luzon, and Bico of Luzon’s Bicol Peninsula. The Philippines is a very religious country. The largest religion people practice is Roman Catholicism, and the second largest is Islam. There are many languages spoken in the Philippines, but the official languages are Tagalog and English. Which is the most spoken in the country.
With the Philippines being a very populated country, it has a great amount of culture mixed in it. They have a various amount of festivals, which are inspired by other cultures. Some are culturally different that’s why some of their festivals are called fiestas. Since it is a religious country, Roman Catholics have different festivals. They honor patron saints in different parts of the country. Some festivals the Catholics celebrate are the Silmugi Festival, which honors Saint Sebastian. And the Sinulog Festival honors Santo Nino de Cebu. There some holidays that everyone celebrates throughout the country. Holy Week is a holiday that the Filipinos celebrate between the month of March and April.
And Independence Day is celebrated on June 12th. Since their culture is so unique, they also have unique foods. But some of their foods are inspired by local or foreign cultures. The main dish they eat is rice, which can be eaten with other foods. Rice flour is made from rice, especially used for pastry and sweets. Because of the Philippines being surrounded by water, seafood is an important dish. As a result of having plenty of fish, they are found in many homes. Common fishes they eat are milkfish, sardines, and tilapia. Other kinds of seafood they eat are clams and squid. In addition, they also have some favored foods such as lechon, mechodo, and afritada.
There are many types of music in the Philippines. Folk songs came from indigenous customs and beliefs in the Philippines. Some writers of folk music are Lucio San Pedro and Antonio Buenaventura. Music now is found in cities, and they are attracting younger people. The music is called Pinoy music and Philippine pop music. Dances are influenced by indigenous and “western” culture. Tinikling is a common dance that Filipinos do. And it is danced throughout the country. Filipinos are very passionate about sports.
The Philippine Sports Commission was created in 1987. The commission helps train athletes and teach them to develop their skills. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), was created by Regino R. Ylanan. The association helps support college athletes and sponsors sports events. There are many nonprofessional basketball teams throughout the Philippines. But the Philippine Basketball Association is the world’s second oldest basketball league, which they hold basketball tournaments.
There have been famous athletes that have come from the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao, sometimes called Pacman, is a boxer. He has won many world titles since 1998, in eight different weight classes. Some organizations say he is the best fighter of the 21st century. Lydia de Vega is another famous athlete from the Philippines. She was considered the fastest woman in Asia from 1982 to 1990. In the South East Asia Games, she won nine gold medals and two silver.