Facts About the Philippines
- The capital of the Philippines is Manila.
- The official name is the Republic of the Philippines.
- Rodrigo Duterte is the current president of the Philippines.
- The Philippines consists of about 7,100 islands in Southeast Asia. More than 5000 of the islands remain unnamed on most international maps.
- All of the islands put together form an an archipelago about 500 miles off the coast of Vietnam.
- The currency in the Philippines is the Philippine peso. About 48 Philippine pesos = 1 USD.
- Climate in the Philippines is tropical. It is generally hot, humid, with a lot of rain. The temperature does not fluctuate greatly between seasons.
- Philippines is the only country in Asia that is mostly Christian. Over 90% of the country is Christian, with most being Roman Catholic.
- The primary industries are manufacturing and agribusiness.
- The Spanish colonist Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in the Philippines in 1565; the Philippines were colonized by Spain for the next 300 years.
- The Philippine Revolution to gain independence from Spain lasted from 1896-1898. At the end of that, the Spanish-American War broke out and Spain lost control of the Philippines and the United States began controlling it. Spain finally gained independence in 1946.
- The first Asians documented in the Americas were Filipinos in what is now California in 1587.
- The Philippines produce a large amount of coconuts.
- Pearls are important in the Philippines, and the world’s largest was found there. It weighs 75 pounds!
- The Philippines boasts Asia’s first basketball league.
- The Philippines has one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, starting in September and finishing up around January 9th.
Map of the Philippines
Color in the Philippines on this map of Asia!
Philippines Flag Activity
Flag from HERE
HERE is a fun printable Philippines flag coloring sheet!
Philippines Virtual Tour to a Featured Landmark: Banaue Rice Terraces
“The Banaue Rice Terraces are terraces that were carved into the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao, in the Philippines, by the ancestors of the indigenous people. The terraces are occasionally called the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand.” (Source)
Featured Important Filipino Person: Gabriela Silang
Silang was a Filipina revolutionary. She was wed to a wealthy businessman at a young age but when that husband died just a few years into her marriage, she married Diego Silang. Diego was a revolutionary leader trying to gain independence for the Philippines from Spain by working with Britain, who was fighting Spain during the Seven Years’ War. He was working to put native leaders in place.
After Diego was assassinated, Gabriela took over as the revolutionary leader. Just a few months after Diego’s death (also in 1763), Gabriela was captured and hanged by Spanish troops. (Source)
