| Philippines | |
 | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| Capital | Manila |
|---|---|
| Government | presidential republic |
| Currency | Philippine Peso (PHP) |
| Surface | 343,448 km² |
| Inhabitants | 98.480.000 (2013 estimate) 89,468,677 (2006 census) |
| Tongue | Philippine, English |
| Religion | Catholicism (81%), Protestantism (10%), Islam (5%) and the rest atheists or minor religions (2000) |
| Electricity | 110V-220V / 60Hz (American and European plug) |
| Prefix | 63 |
| TLD | .ph |
| Time zone | UTC 8 |
| Website | Official tourism website |
Philippines is an island state of Southeast Asia located in the Pacific Ocean south of Taiwan, east of Vietnam, northeast of the island of Borneo and north of other islands of theIndonesia.
To know
The Philippine archipelago is made up of over 7,000 islands. Luzon and Mindanao are the 16th and 19th largest islands in the world respectively.
The name Philippines comes from the name of King Philip II of Spain. During his expeditions to the Philippines, the Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos called them, initially referring only to the islands of Leyte and Samar, Las islas filipinas (Philippine Islands) in honor of the Prince of Asturias.
Geographical notes
Most of the islands are mountainous, of volcanic origin and covered with a dense tropical forest. The highest mountain is the Mount Apo, with an altitude of 2,954 meters and located on the large island of Mindanao. The Philippine Trench is the deepest point within national borders and is the third deepest ocean trench in the world. The Rio Grande de Cagayan is the longest river, 505 km, and is located in the north of the island of Luzón. Manila Bay, where the city of Manila, is connected to the Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, by the Rio Pasig. Located on the western outskirts of the Fire Belt, the Philippines undergoes frequent seismic and volcanic activity and there are several active volcanoes, including Mayon, Pinatubo and Taal. The eruption of Pinatubo in 1991 produced the most important terrestrial eruption of the twentieth century.
When to go
The Philippines has a hot and humid tropical climate. The average annual temperature is about 26.5 ° C (min in January 21 ° C and max in August 34 ° C). The year is divided into three seasons: Tag-init or Tag-Araw (the hot season or summer from March to May), Tag-ulan (the rainy season from June to November), and Tag-lamig (the cold season , from December to February). The coldest month is January, the hottest month is May.
Background
In prehistoric times, the negritos were some of the first inhabitants of the archipelago. They were followed by successive waves of peoples who brought their influences Malaysians, Indian and Islamic, while trade has brought cultural influences Chinese.
In 1521, the arrival of Ferdinand Magellano marked the beginning of an era of influence and later of Spanish rule. Manila emerged as the economic center of the empire of Spain in Asia and the port from which the Galleon of Manila. An important series of conflicts took place between the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. As a result, the United States they replaced Spain as the dominant power of the archipelago.
Except for the period of occupation Japanese, the Americans maintained sovereignty over the islands until the end of the Second World War. After independence, the country had an often tumultuous experience with democracy, which served to define the characteristics of the Constitucional Republic.
Spoken languages
In addition to the official languages, about 170 distinct languages are spoken in the Philippines.
Territories and tourist destinations
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Urban centers
- Manila - The capital of the country.
- Bacolod
- Baguio
- Cagayan de Oro
- Cebu
- Davao
- Tagbilaran
- Vigan
- Zamboanga
Other destinations
- Banaue - Location famous for the ancient terraces made by hand on the slopes of the mountains for the cultivation of rice and included in the UNESCO list of world heritage of humanity for the high landscape and naturalistic value.
- Batangas - City and port renowned for the beauty of the seabed that attract tourists with the hobby of snorkeling and scuba diving.
- Boracay - 10 km long islet, which has become the most famous seaside resort in the Philippines thanks to its white beaches.
- Camarines Sur
- Donsol - The best place to spot the whale shark
- Malapascua - Located at the extreme northern tip of Cebu in central group of the Vizayas, Malapasqua it is a small island (2.5 x 1 km), which has become famous for the corals that line the seabed and form real submerged gardens like the one that surrounds the nearby islet of Gato. Malapascua is also renowned for its well-equipped scuba diving centers and for the sighting of alopias sharks, generally considered non-dangerous.
- Palawan
- Puerto Galera
- Sabang
- Tagaytay
How to get
Entry requirements
If you leave the country from Clark, Iloilo, Davao and Kalibo airports, you have to pay a fee called a "passenger service charge", better known as terminal fee. The tax is collected in Philippine pesos at the airport. A slip affixed to the boarding pass proves the payment. At the airport of Manila the price of the ticket includes the amount of the tax.
In addition, those who have remained in the Philippines for more than one year are required to pay one travel tax, amounting to ₱ 2,700 if traveling in first class and ₱ 1620 if traveling in economy or business class. The amount is collected at the counter, prior to check-in if the ticket was purchased overseas in the Philippines. If, on the other hand, the return ticket was purchased in the Philippines, the amount is most likely already included in the ticket price. However, ask before paying. People of Filipino nationality who study or work abroad are exempt from paying. The amount of the tax is reduced for children under 12 and journalists.
Citizens of EU member states, ASEAN and 140 other countries are visa-free if their stay in the Philippines does not exceed 30 days. For citizens of Brazil and of Israel the visa is only necessary for stays longer than 57 days while those traveling with a passport of Hong Kong is Macau you are entitled to a stay of 14 days without a visa. L'Italian embassy it is found at Manila.
How to get around
What see
- The largest rice terraces in the world, in the central cordillera in Northern Luzon, heritage UNESCO since 1995.
- Tubbataha Park Marine Reserve
- Puerto Princesa National Park on Palawan Island
- Mindanao stilt village
What to do
Currency and purchases
The national currency is the Philippine Peso (PHP) Here are the links to know the current exchange rate with the main world currencies:
| (EN) With Google Finance: | AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD |
| With Yahoo! Finance: | AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD |
| (EN) With XE.com: | AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD |
| (EN) With OANDA.com: | AUDCADCHFEURGBPHKDJPYUSD |
At the table
Style and food used have undergone several variations over time, passing from Austronesian origins to a mixture of Malaysian, Spanish, Chinese and American recipes, as well as the Asian and Latin American influence and their adaptation to indigenous ingredients and the taste of local people.
The dishes range from the simplest recipes, such as salted fried fish paired with rice, to more elaborate ones such as paella and Portuguese boiled meat. Filipino cuisine includes a variety of dishes and popular dishes include: lechón (whole roast pork), longaniza (Filipino sausage), tapa (cured meat), adobo (chicken or pork braised in garlic, onion and soy sauce or cooked until dry), kaldereta (meat in tomato sauce), mechado (larded beef in soy or tomato sauce), puchero (beef in banana ketchup or tomato sauce), afritada (chicken and / or cooked pork in tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), pinakbet (kabocha, eggplant, beans, okra, tomato stew topped with shrimp paste), crispy pata (pork knuckle fried), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (meat or fish in sour broth), pancit (noodles), lumpia (spring roll) and nata de coco (coconut gel dessert).
The cuisine is centered around the combination of sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty (alat), although spicy (anghang) is also included in Bicol, Cordilleras and Muslim Filipinos. Contrast is a feature of Filipino cuisine that normally pairs something sweet with something salty, and results in surprisingly pleasant combinations. The dishes that represent this expression are for example: champorado (a sweet cocoa rice porridge), combined with tuyo (salted and sun-dried fish); dinuguan (a stew of pig's blood and offal), paired with puto (steamed rice cakes); unripe fruits such as green mangoes (which are only slightly sweet but very acidic), are eaten dipped in salt or bagoong; the use of cheese (which is salty-sweet) in treats (such as bibingka and puto).
Cooking and eating in the Philippines has always been an informal and community affair centered around family cooking. Filipinos traditionally eat three main meals a day: agahan or almusal (breakfast), tanghalían (lunch) and hapunan (dinner) plus an afternoon snack called meriénda (also called minandál or minindál). Dinner, despite being the main meal, is smaller than in other countries. Usually, breakfast or lunch is the largest meal.
Tourist infrastructure
Events and parties
Safety
Before embarking on the journey consult:
- Safe travel - Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina) (Country safety information).
This state's location in the Pacific near the Belt of Fire and its tropical climate make it a place prone to earthquakes and typhoons.
We recommend that travelers heading to the southwestern part of Mindanao (including Zamboanga Peninsula), to pay particular attention if not to avoid unnecessary travel as there is an ongoing conflict between Islamic militias and the Philippine government; this region is considered the most dangerous part of the country as attacks are on the agenda.
Health situation
Respect the customs
How to keep in touch
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Philippines
Commons contains images or other files on Philippines
Wikinews contains current news on Philippines
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