The Philippines is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, sharing maritime borders with Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam. Only about 7% of the islands are larger than one square mile, and only one-third have names. The largest are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36,537 sq mi; 94,631 sq km), and Samar (5,124 sq mi; 13,271 sq km). The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m) on Mindanao.
Climate and Weather
The Philippines has a tropical marine climate dominated by a rainy season and a dry season. The summer monsoon brings heavy rains to most of the archipelago from May to October, whereas the winter monsoon brings cooler and drier air from December to February. Manila and most of the lowland areas are hot and dusty from March to May. Even at this time, however, temperatures rarely rise above 37°C. Mean annual sea-level temperatures rarely fall below 27°C. Annual rainfall measures as much as 5,000 millimeters in the mountainous east coast section of the country, but less than 1,000 millimeters in some of the sheltered valleys.
Population
The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of over 90 million as of 2008. Majority of Filipinos are descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who arrived in successive waves over a thousand years ago from Taiwan, genetically most closely related to the Ami tribe. The Negritos, including the Aetas and the Ati, are considered as the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines though they are estimated to be fewer than 30,000 people (0.03%).
Filipinos of Chinese descent currently forms the largest non-Austronesian ethnic group, claiming about 1.5% of the population followed by Filipinos of Spanish descent. Other significant minorities include British, Americans, Japanese, Asian Indians, Koreans, Arabs and Indonesians. Chinese mestizos are those in the Philippines of mixed Chinese and either indigenous Filipino or Spanish (or both) ancestry. They make up between 10-20% of the country's total population.
Transportation
For traveling in the Philippines there are a lot of cheap possibilities. For the long distances on the bigger islands, the busses are the best possibility. Traveling per train is hardly possible, because there is only on one island a railway. Taking the train is only possible on the northern island of Luzon. This comfortable, air-conditioned train brings you from Manila to Naga in the southeastern part of Luzon. The journey takes 14 hours.
For the shorter distances on all islands (outside and inside towns and cities), people make use of the jeepneys, multicabs and tricycles. In big cities like Manila or Cebu City, the most common mean of transportation is the jeepney. Everywhere in the Philippines, for the more short and local distances, the multicabs and tricycles are used by many Filipinos. The tricycle, a motorcycle with an attached passenger-cabin on a third wheel, is the cheapest. The big advantage of the tricycle is that it will bring you to every desired place. The multicabs, just as the jeepneys, have fixed routes.
Top Attractions
1. Intramuros.
2. Rizal Park.
3. San Agustin Church.
4. National Museum of the Philippines.
5. Malacanang Palace.
6. American Cemetery and Memorial.
7. Las Pinas.
8. Corregidor.
9. Tagaytay City.
10. Banaue.
Best Travel Time
The best time to make a trip to the Philippines is from the middle of December to the middle of May because that is off-season for typhoons. Any travelers to the country in December (Christmas) or April (Easter) are advised against traveling more than necessary as the entire country is on the move, making it difficult to get a seat on any type of transport.
January, May and December are the best months to visit the Philippines if colorful celebrations and fiestas are on your list of 'purpose for making the trip'. If your itinerary includes visits to the rice terraces in North Luzon, the best time to do this would be in March and April as the weather is pleasantly warm. Apart from that, these warm summer months are also ideal for island hopping. Do be advised that for those who can't take the heat, the month of May can be quite an experience of warm discomfort.
Food and Drink
National specialties:
• Lechon (roasted whole pig) is prepared for fiestas and family celebrations.
• Kare-kare (an oxtail stew in peanut sauce served with bagoong (fermented shrimp paste)).
• Sinigang (meat or fish in a pleasantly sour broth).
• Adobo (braised pork and chicken in a tangy soy sauce with vinegar and garlic).
• Seafoods such as bangus (the bony but prized milkfish), crabs, lobsters, prawns, oysters, tuna, freshwater fish and the sweet maliputo, found in deep-water lakes. It is freshly harvested and often simply grilled, boiled, fried or steamed and served with kalamansi (the local lemon), bagoong (a fish paste) or vinegar with labuyo (the fiery native pepper).
National drinks:
• Locally brewed beer, such as San Miguel.
• Philippine rum.
Local Products/Shopping
The Philippines is a haven for shoppers. Countless bargain opportunities for the handicrafts of the different regions are found in the numerous shopping complexes, which range from sleek air-conditioned department stores and malls to open-air bazaars. Duty Free Philippines near NAIA is the largest in the country. The chain stores offer everything from the famous barong tagalog (hand-embroidered dress shirts for men in delicate jusi material) to Tiffany lamps made with capiz shells. For local color, there is nothing like the flea markets where visitors can buy all kinds of cloth weaves, brassware from the south, woodcarvings and other local crafts and souvenirs, like the painted papier-maché horses of Laguna. Some particularly good buys are south-sea pearls, the silver jewelry from Baguio, coral trinket boxes, coral and pearl accessories, rattan furniture, baskets in different designs, woven grass mats (banig), antique wooden figurines of saints, ready-to-wear clothes, garments embroidered with the traditional callado, Filipino dresses for women (usually made from banana and pineapple fibers), cigars, terracotta, porcelain and abaca placemats. Handicraft stores are found everywhere in the country, especially in cities. Large department stores sell both local and foreign manufactured goods.
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1. Intramuros.
The best time to make a trip to the Philippines is from the middle of December to the middle of May because that is off-season for typhoons. Any travelers to the country in December (Christmas) or April (Easter) are advised against traveling more than necessary as the entire country is on the move, making it difficult to get a seat on any type of transport.
January, May and December are the best months to visit the Philippines if colorful celebrations and fiestas are on your list of 'purpose for making the trip'. If your itinerary includes visits to the rice terraces in North Luzon, the best time to do this would be in March and April as the weather is pleasantly warm. Apart from that, these warm summer months are also ideal for island hopping. Do be advised that for those who can't take the heat, the month of May can be quite an experience of warm discomfort.