Country Profile: The Philippines

 

Struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year;

landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

2. Climate

Monsoonal (rainy), tropical

Temperatures in October: 80-90 F (26.7-32.2 C)

3. Population facts (pop. total, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, pop. below poverty line, etc.)

Population: approx. 90.5 million

765 people per square mile

Life expectancy: 70.8 years

Infant mortality rate: 21.45 deaths/1,000 live births

% below poverty line: 40%

4. HIV/AIDS

Low rate: less than 1% with HIV/AIDS

5. Religions

Largely Roman Catholicism: approx. 81%

Muslim: 5%

Other Christian: 4.5%

Iglesia ni Kristo: 2.3%

6. Food

Rice, Fish, Peanut Stew

Asian and Spanish influences

7. Current Issues (political, social, economic, etc.)

On the southern island of Mindanao, rebels have been fighting for a separate Islamic state within the mainly-Catholic country. The decades-long conflict has claimed more than 120,000 lives. Sporadic violence has continued despite a 2003 ceasefire and peace talks.

Other Muslim separatists, the Abu Sayyaf group on Jolo, have a history of violence towards hostages, and the government has declared all-out war on the rebels.

Though it once boasted one of the region’s best-performing economies, the Philippines is saddled with a large national debt and tens of millions of people live in poverty. The economy is heavily dependent on the billions of dollars sent home each year by the huge Filipino overseas workforce.

Dealing with poverty, overpopulation, factions among some religious groups…

8. Refugee/IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) facts

Approx. 300,000 IDP’s due to fighting between factions (see above)

9. Language

Tagalog