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Content
Philippines
Overview
| Flag |  |
| Anthem | Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land) Watch on youtube (with lyrics in video description) |
| Capital | Manila |
| Largest city | Quezon City |
| Official language(s) |
|
| Demonym(a name for a resident of a locality, often the same as the name of the people's native language) | Filipino/Filipina (feminine) |
| Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
| Area | 299,764 km2, 115,831 sq mi |
| Population | ~ 92 million |
| Currency | Peso |
| Internet TLD | .ph |
Geography
Society and culture
Philippine culture is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures. There are elements of the Asian culture, but also Spanish and American influences.
Population
By 2009, the Philippines became the world's 12th most populous nation with a population of over 92 million. It is estimated that half of the population resides(to live) on the island of Luzon. The population's median(a numeric value separating the higher half of a sample from the lower half) age is 22.7 years. Filipinos generally belong to several Asian ethnic groups, for example to the Tagalog, the Cebuano, the Ilocano and the Hiligaynon Ilongg. There are also indigenous(native to an area) peoples like the Igorot, the Lumad and the Mangyan.
Languages
There are 171 individual languages in the Philippines. According to the constitution, Filipino and English are the official languages. Both languages are used in government, education, print, broadcast media and business.
Religion
More than 90% of the population are Christians. About 80% belong to the Roman Catholic Church while 10% belong to other Christian denominations(a group sharing particular religious beliefs). Between 5% and 10% of the population are Muslim. Philippine traditional religions are still practised by many aboriginal(native to a place) and tribal groups.
Government and politics
The Philippines is a constitutional(confirming to the system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government) republic. The President functions as both head of state and head of government. The current(existing at the moment) president is Benigno S. Aquino III. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces(the military forces of a nation, such as the army, navy, air force and marines). The bicameral(having two separate legislative chambers) Congress is composed of the Senate, serving as the upper house, and the House of Representatives, serving as the lower house. The judicial(responsible for maintaining the courts of law and for the administration of justice) power is vested(settled; fixed) in the Supreme Court.
Economy
The Philippine economy has changed from one based on agriculture to one based on services and manufacturing. Primary exports include electronic products, transport equipment, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits and others. Major trading(the commercial buying and selling of goods and services) partners include China, Japan, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and some more. The unemployment(the state of having no job) rate stood at around 7.6% in July 2009.
Source: http://www.learning-english-online.net/cultural-studies/english-speaking-countries/philippines/
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