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Capital Manila
14°35? N 121°0? E Largest city Quezon City (population)
Davao City (area) Official language(s) Filipino (Tagalog), English 1 From Spain and U.S.
June 12, 1898
July 4, 1946
January 21, 1899
May 14, 1935
1943-1945
January 17, 1973
March 25, 1986 Area
• Total
• Water (%)
87,857,473 (12th)
76,498,735
276/km² (27th)
{{{population_densitymi²}}}/mi² 2005 estimate
$451.3 billion (27th)
$5,100 (132th) 0.758 (84th) – medium Currency Time zone
• Summer (DST) UTC +8 (UTC+8)
not in use (UTC) Internet TLD .ph Calling code +63 |
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Philippines Information
Main article: Politics of the Philippines
 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the current President of the Philippines
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the current President of the Philippines
The government of the Philippines is loosely patterned after the U.S. government. It is organized as a representative republic, where the President functions as head of state, the head of government, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected by popular vote to a term of 6 years, during which he or she appoints and presides over the cabinet. The bicameral legislature, the Congress, consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives; members of the former are nationally elected and those of the latter by district. There are 24 senators serving 6 years in the Senate (in staggered batches of 12 every 3 years), while the House of Representatives consist of no more than 250 congressmen each serving 3-year terms. The judiciary branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14 Associate Justices, all of whom the President appoints from nominations submitted by the Judicial and Bar Council.
The Philippines is a founding and active member of the United States, but also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Philippines is currently in a dispute with the Brunei defeat a rebellion, has given the Philippine Government power to reclaim his lost territory. To this day, the Sultan of Sulu's family still receives "rental" payments for Sabah from the Malaysian Government.
See also: Foreign relations of the Philippines, President of the Philippines, and Constitution of the Philippines
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Main article: Demographics of the Philippines
Further information: Ethnic Groups of the Philippines, and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]], and [[]]
 6 out of ten Filipinos are living in Urban Areas. Quezon City is the most populous city in the Philippines
6 out of ten Filipinos are living in Urban Areas. Quezon City is the most populous city in the Philippines
The Philippines is the world's twelfth most populous country, with a population of 86,241,697 as of 2005. Roughly two-thirds reside in the island of United States curriculum. The literacy rate is 95.9%, one of highest in Asia, and about equal for males and females. Life expectancy is 69.29 years, with 72.28 years for females and 66.44 years for males. Population growth per year is about 1.92%, with 26.3 births per 1,000 people. In the 100 years since the 1903 Census, the population has grown by a factor of eleven.
The citizens of the Philippines are called Taiwan, with most also posessing variable southern Chinese admixture from groups that have also sporadically settled the islands throughout its pre-history - giving rise to the "ethnic Filipino". These "ethnic Filipinos" are divided into 12 major ethnolinguistic groups, with the three most numerous being the Tagalogs, Cebuanos, and the Ilocanos. The Negritos or Aetas, also known as the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, were largely displaced by the invading Austronesian-speaking migrants, and are today thought to number less than 30,000 people (0.03%).
Mestizos, those of mixed race - that is, persons of mixed "ethnic Filipino" and other ancestry, not counting admixture already contributed during pre-history in the formation of the "ethnic Filipino" - form a tiny but economically and politically important minority. A recent genetic study by Stanford University indicates that 3.6% of the population has at least some European ancestry. [1]
The three largest foreign minorities consist of the ethnic Chinese, Americans, and South Asians. The remaining foreign population consists of other smaller foreign nationality groups, including Spaniards, other Europeans, Arabs, Indonesians, Koreans, Japanese, and other Asians.Because of the vast number of native ethnolinguistic groups, the Philippines is said to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Asia.
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Main article: Religion in the Philippines
The Philippines is the third largest Roman Catholic country, the thirteenth largest Protestant country, the fortieth largest Islamic country, the seventh largest Hindu country, and the seventeenth largest Buddhist country.
About 92% of all Filipinos are Christians: 83% belong to the Roman Catholic Church while yet another 3 % belong to the Old-Catholic Philippine Independent Church, and the other 6% belong to various Protestant denominations. Although Christianity is a major force in the culture of the Filipinos, some, however, still practice local traditions and rituals.
The Roman Catholic church exerts considerable influence in both governmental and non-governmental affairs, although a constitutional provision for the Cebu. Cardinal Sanchez is the former Prefect of Congregation of the Clergy, Roman Curia. Gaudencio Borbon Rosales serves as the archbishop of Manila. The most famous cathedral is the huge Manila Cathedral.
Among the numerous Protestant and other Christian denominations are Seventh-day Adventists, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, United Methodist, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and Philippine (Southern) Baptist denominations. In addition, there are three churches established by local religious leaders: the Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) or "Aglipayan," the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), and the Ang Dating Daan. A majority of indigenous peoples, estimated to number between 12 and 16 million, reportedly are Christian. However, many indigenous groups mix elements of their native religions with Christian beliefs and practices.
It is to be noted, however, that the Philippine Independent Church was the religious arm of the revolution against Spain. While the revolutionary government under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo confiscated all of the friar haciendas and other properties of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, the Aglipayans were allowed by the revolutionary government to take over the Roman Catholic parishes and churches. When the United States occupied the Philippines, however, the friar haciendas were returned to the Roman Catholic Church and were eventually purchased by the Insular Government which was set up by the United States. The parishes and churches taken over by the Aglipayans during the revolution were returned to the Roman Catholic Church.
Approximately 5% of all Filipinos are Muslim. Islam was present in the Philippines longer than Christinaity. It was only with the Spanish conquest that the Christianity became dominant religion. Most lowland Muslim Filipinos practice normative Islam, although the practices of some Mindanao's hilltribe Muslims reflect a fusion with Animism. The Muslims have resisted conquest and conversion for centuries by the Spanish, Americans, and now the Philippine government. Various Muslim groups have been waging a decades-long militant campaign against the Philippine government for political self-determination.
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