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Extensible Markup Language | 1995-06-13 | 6KB | 19 lines

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" > <card> <id>38822</id> <filler1>0</filler1> <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete> <showPict> <true /> </showPict> <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch> <owner>5472</owner> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" /> <content> <layer>background</layer> <id>31</id> <text>THE PHILIPPINESOfficial name: Rep├║blika ├▒g Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)Member of: UN, ASEAN, ApecArea: 300076 km2 (115860 sq mi)Population: 64955000 (1993 est)Capital: Manila 7832000 (city 1599000; Quezon City 1667000; Caloocan City 761000; 1990 census)Other major cities: Davao City 850000, Cebu City 610000 (1990 census)Languages: Pilipino (based on Tagalog; national; 55%), Tagalog (over 20%), Cebuano (24%), Ilocano (11%), English, Spanish and many local languagesReligions: Roman Catholic (84%), Aglipayan Church (4%), Sunni Islam (5%)GOVERNMENTThe President and the 24-member Senate ΓÇô the upper House of Congress ΓÇô are elected by universal adult suffrage for six years. The House of Representatives comprises 201 directly elected members and no more than 50 members appointed by the President from minority groups. The President appoints a Cabinet of Secretaries.GEOGRAPHYSome 2770 of the PhilippinesΓÇÖ 7000 islands are named. The two largest islands, Luzon and Mindanao, make up over two thirds of the countryΓÇÖs area. Most of the archipelago is mountainous with restricted coastal plains, although Luzon has a large, densely populated central plain. Mount Apo, on Mindanao, is the highest point at 2954 m (9692 ft). Climate: The climate is tropical maritime with high humidity, high temperatures and heavy rainfall. Typhoons are frequent.ECONOMYAlmost one half of the labor force is involved in agriculture. Rice and maize are the principal subsistence crops, while coconuts, sugar cane, pineapples and bananas are grown for export. Deforestation is a problem as land is cleared for cultivation. Major industries include textiles, food processing, chemicals and electrical engineering. Mineral resources include copper (a major export), gold, petroleum and nickel. Money sent back by Filipinos working abroad is an important source of foreign currency. Currency: Philippine peso.HISTORYMagellan discovered the islands in 1521, naming them after Philip II of Spain. Spanish rule spread through the archipelago from the middle of the 16th century, but was harassed by the Dutch and by Moro pirates from Mindanao. The Spanish colonial regime was harsh, and although trade grew, economic growth was not matched by political development. The islandsΓÇÖ administration was archaic and Jesuit influence was strong. Eventually a combination of rising nationalism and resentment at economic injustice led to an unsuccessful revolt (1896) against Spanish rule. The islands were ceded to the USA after the Spanish-American War (1898), but American rule had to be imposed by force and resistance continued until 1906. A powerful American presence had a profound effect on Filipino society, which bears the triple imprint of Asian culture, Spanish Catholicism and American capitalism. US policy in the Philippines wavered between accelerating and delaying Filipino self-rule. In 1935 the nationalist leader Manuel Quezon became president of the semi-independent ΓÇÿCommonwealthΓÇÖ of the Philippines. The surprise Japanese invasion of 1941 traumatized the islandsΓÇÖ American and Filipino defenders. Japan set up a puppet ΓÇÿPhilippine RepublicΓÇÖ, but, after the American recapture of the archipelago, a fully independent Republic of the Philippines was established in 1946.Between 1953 and 1957 President Ramon Magsaysay crushed and conciliated Communist-dominated Hukbalahap guerrillas, but his death ended a program of land reforms. Coming to power in 1965, Ferdinand Marcos (1917ΓÇô89) inaugurated flamboyant development projects, but his administration presided over large-scale corruption. Marcos used the continuing guerrilla activity as a justification for his increasingly repressive rule. When he attempted to rig the result of presidential elections in 1986, Marcos was overthrown in a popular revolution in favor of Corazon Aquino, the widow of a leading opposition politician who had allegedly been murdered on MarcosΓÇÖ orders. Her government faced several attempted coups, but she was succeeded by the democratically elected President Fidel Ramos in 1992. Insurgency by groups including Communists and Islamic nationalists remains a problem.</text> </content> <name>Philippines</name> <script></script> </card>