|RNature and climate:|N About 7100 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The 11 biggest islands have 95% of the total area and of the population. They are all very mountainous and there are several active volcanoes. Apo on the Mindanao Island reaches 2954 m.a.s.l.
Very close east of the islands is the Galathea grave reaching 10400 below sea level.
40% of the area is forested and they have a rich flora but the fauna is sparse. Notable is a strange buffalo, the anoa. Both flora and fauna is threatened by extensive forestry and environmental pollution.
The Philippines have a tropical monsoon climate with an average temperature between 25 and 29°C around the year.
Percipitation between 1500 and 4000 mm.
|RPeople:|N 400 of the islands are permanently inhabited. 92% Christian Malays, 4% Muslim Malays. There are many different aboriginal tribes especially in the mountains and as late as 1971 the Tasaday tribe in the interior of Mindanao was discovered.
|REconomy:|N 47% of the labour force is occupied in agriculture, 20% in industry and trade and 13% in services.
Most important crops are rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane, bananas, pineapple, tobacco, coffee and cannabis for the illegal international drugtrade.
Forestry is extensive and many wooden products, timber as well as woodcrafts are exported.
Fishing is good and extensive.
The Philippines have many minerals such as cobalt, copper, gold, nickel, silver, iron, zinc, coal, chromium, manganese, oil and natural gas.
Main industries are food processing, textiles, clothing, drugs, wood products and appliances.
Many western companies have assemblyplants in the Philippines.
Many Philippines work abroad and their allowances have a great impact on economy.
|RHistory:|N The Philippines were settled in several waves of Malayan peoples from South East Asia in ancient times. These people were mainly hunters, fishermen and unsettled cultivators and small tribal societies coexisted with petty principalities. It is known that they traded with China and India in the 13th century.
During the 15th century Islam was adopted by most people.
The first European to visit the Philippines was Magellan in 1521, and he was killed here.
The Spanish colonization of the islands was started in 1564 and the colony was named for king Philip II of Spain.
The colonial capital Manila was founded in 1571 by one the best natural harbours of the Far East, now called Manila Bay. The Spanish colonizers forced the people to convert to Christianity.
In the late 19th century a movement for liberation arose and in 1896 an armed uprising was started. When Spain after the Spanish-American war in 1898 ceded the Philippines to the USA the independent republic of the Philippines was declared.
But the USA did not recognize this republic and a new, six year long and bloody war for independence started and was crushed.
In 1935 the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established with a high degree of self-governing. The aim was full independence within ten years.
In december 1941 Japan occupied the Philippines and they were defeated in 1945.
In 1946 the Philippines achieved full independence.
From the birth of the new nation violence, poverty and corruption have hindered progress. A leftist guerilla movement from World War II was not finally defeated until 1954.
In the early 1970:s a new leftist guerilla movement was founded and the president, Ferdinand Marcos, declared martial law in 1972.
In 1983 an opposition leader, Benigno Aquino was killed at the airport as he returned to the Philippines. In the 1986 presidential elections his widow, Corazon Aquino, run against Ferdinand Marcos.
Marcos was officially declared winner, but accusing Marcos for electoral fraud Aquino declared herself winner and her supporters arranged massive anti-Marcos demonstrations.
Marcos lost most of his support and within a few days he fled the country and Corazon Aquino was installed as president.
Aquino had great difficulties when confronted with the political and economical problems.
In 1991 there was a volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo that caused great devastation in the central Luzon Island and later that year the USA closed all their bases in the Philippines and thus shut off the 250 million dollars it brought into the Philippino economy every year.
