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 Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea
and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
Geographic
coordinates:
13 00 N, 122 00 E
Map
references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 300,000 sq km
land: 298,170 sq km
water: 1,830 sq km
Land
boundaries: 0 km
Coastline:
36,289 km
Maritime
claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation exclusive economic
zone: 200 nm territorial sea: irregular polygon extending
up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since
late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South
China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth
Climate:
tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April);
southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Elevation
extremes:
lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m
Natural
resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver,
gold, salt, copper
Land
use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 12%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated
land: 15,800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural
hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15
and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides;
active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment-current
issues: uncontrolled deforestation in watershed areas;
soil erosion; air and water pollution in Manila; increasing
pollution of coastal mangrove swamps which are important
fish breeding grounds
Environment-international
agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
People
Population:
79,345,812 (July 1999 est.)
Age
structure:
0-14 years: 37% (male 15,057,698; female 14,555,430)
15-64 years: 59% (male 23,168,043; female 23,715,877)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,269,522; female 1,579,242)
(1999 est.)
Population
growth rate: 2.04% (1999 est.)
Birth
rate: 27.88 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death
rate: 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net
migration rate: -1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999
est.)
Sex
ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant
mortality rate: 33.89 deaths/1,000 live births (1999
est.)
Life
expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.58 years
male: 63.79 years
female: 69.5 years (1999 est.)
Total
fertility rate: 3.46 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Filipino(s)
adjective: Philippine
Ethnic
groups: Christian Malay 91.5%, Muslim Malay 4%, Chinese
1.5%, other 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist and
other 3%
Languages:
Pilipino (official, based on Tagalog), English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.6%
male: 95%
female: 94.3% (1995 est.)
Government
Country
name:
conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines
conventional short form: Philippines
local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas
local short form: Pilipinas
Data
code: RP
Government
type: republic
Capital:
Manila
Administrative
divisions: 72 provinces and 61 chartered cities*; Abra,
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Angeles*,
Antique, Aurora, Bacolod*, Bago*, Baguio*, Bais*, Basilan,
Basilan City*, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Batangas City*,
Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Butuan*, Cabanatuan*,
Cadiz*, Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro*, Calbayog*, Caloocan*,
Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Canlaon*, Capiz,
Catanduanes, Cavite, Cavite City*, Cebu, Cebu City*, Cotabato*,
Dagupan*, Danao*, Dapitan*, Davao City* Davao, Davao del
Sur, Davao Oriental, Dipolog*, Dumaguete*, Eastern Samar,
General Santos*, Gingoog*, Ifugao, Iligan*, Ilocos Norte,
Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Iloilo City*, Iriga*, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao,
La Carlota*, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Laoag*,
Lapu-Lapu*, La Union, Legaspi*, Leyte, Lipa*, Lucena*, Maguindanao,
Mandaue*, Manila*, Marawi*, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro
Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis
Oriental, Mountain, Naga*, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental,
North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya,
Olongapo*, Ormoc*, Oroquieta*, Ozamis*, Pagadian*, Palawan,
Palayan*, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasay*, Puerto Princesa*,
Quezon, Quezon City*, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Roxas*, Samar,
San Carlos* (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos* (in Pangasinan),
San Jose*, San Pablo*, Silay*, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South
Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao*,
Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tacloban*, Tagaytay*,
Tagbilaran*, Tangub*, Tarlac, Tawitawi, Toledo*, Trece Martires*,
Zambales, Zamboanga*, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del
Sur
Independence:
4 July 1946 (from US)
National
holiday: Independence Day, 12 June (1898) (from Spain)
Constitution:
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Legal
system: based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive
branch:
chief of state: President Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA (since
30 June 1998) and Vice President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
(since 30 June 1998); note-the president is both the chief
of state and head of government head of government: President
Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA (since 30 June 1998) and Vice President
Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 30 June 1998); note-the president
is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president with the consent of the
Commission of Appointments elections: president and vice
president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for
six-year terms; election last held 11 May 1998 (next to
be held 11 May 2004) election results: Joseph Ejercito ESTRADA
elected president; percent of vote-NA%; Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
elected vice president; percent of vote-NA%
Legislative
branch: bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the
Senate or Senado (24 seats-one-half elected every three
years; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng
Mga Kinatawan (221 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve three-year terms; note-an additional 50 members
may be appointed by the president) elections: Senate-last
held 11 May 1998 (next to be held 11 May 2001); House of
Representatives-elections last held 11 May 1998 (next to
be held 11 May 2001) election results: Senate-percent of
vote by party-NA; seats by party-LAMP 12, Lakas 5, PRP 2,
LP 1, other 3; note-the Senate now has only 23 members with
one seat vacated when Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO became vice
president; the seat can only be filled by election and is
likely to remain open until the next regular election in
2001; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-NA;
seats by party-LAMP 135, Lakas 37, LP 13, Aksyon Demokratiko
1, other 35
Judicial
branch: Supreme Court, justices are appointed for four-year
terms by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial
and Bar Council
Political
parties:
Laban Ng Masang Pilipino or LAMP (Struggle of the Filipino
Masses); Lakas; Liberal Party or LP ; People's Reform Party
or PRP; Aksyon Demokratiko or Democratic Action .
International
organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Flag
description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top)
and red with a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist
side; in the center of the triangle is a yellow sun with
eight primary rays (each containing three individual rays)
and in each corner of the triangle is a small yellow five-pointed
star
Economy
Economy-overview:
In 1998 the Philippine economy-a mixture of agriculture,
light industry, and supporting services-deteriorated as
a result of spillover from the Asian financial crisis and
poor weather conditions. Growth fell to about -0.5% in 1998
from 5% in 1997, but is expected to recover to more than
2% in 1999. The government has promised to continue its
economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace
of development in the newly industrialized countries of
East Asia. The strategy includes improving infrastructure,
overhauling the tax system to bolster government revenues,
and moving toward further deregulation and privatization
of the economy.
GDP:
purchasing power parity-$270.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP-real
growth rate: -0.5% (1998 est.)
GDP-per
capita: purchasing power parity-$3,500 (1998 est.)
GDP-composition
by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 32%
services: 48% (1997 est.)
Population
below poverty line: 32% (1997 est.)
Household
income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1994)
Inflation
rate (consumer prices): 9.7% (1998)
Labor
force: 31.3 million (1998 est.)
Labor
force-by occupation: agriculture 39.8%, government and
social services 19.4%, services 17.7%, manufacturing 9.8%,
construction 5.8%, other 7.5% (1998 est.)
Unemployment
rate: 9.6% (October 1998)
Budget:
revenues: $14.5 billion
expenditures: $12.6 billion (1998 est.)
Industries:
textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food
processing, electronics assembly, petroleum refining, fishing
Industrial
production growth rate: -1.7% (1998 est.)
Electricity-production:
32.2 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-production
by source:
fossil fuel: 62.11%
hydro: 20.19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 17.7% (1996)
Electricity-consumption:
32.2 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-exports:
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity-imports:
0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture-products:
rice, coconuts, corn, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, mangoes;
pork, eggs, beef; fish
Exports:
$25 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports-commodities:
electronics and telecommunications 51%, machinery and transport
10%, garments 9%, other 30%
Exports-partners:
US 34%, Japan 17%, EU 17%, ASEAN 14%, Hong Kong 4%, Taiwan
4% (1997 est.)
Imports:
$29 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports-commodities:
raw materials and intermediate goods 43%, capital goods
36%, consumer goods 9%, fuels 9%
Imports-partners:
Japan 21%, US 20%, ASEAN 12%, EU 10%, Taiwan 5%, Hong Kong
4%, Saudi Arabia 4% (1997 est.)
Debt-external:
$46.4 billion (September 1998)
Economic
aid-recipient: ODA, $1.1 billion (1998)
Currency:
1 Philippine peso (P) = 100 centavos
Exchange
rates: Philippine pesos (P) per US$1-38.404 (January
1999), 40.893 (1998), 29.471 (1997), 26.216 (1996), 25.714
(1995), 26.417 (1994)
Fiscal
year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones:
1.9 million (1997)
Telephone system: good international radiotelephone and
submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service
adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth
stations international: submarine cables to Hong Kong, Guam,
Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan; satellite earth stations-3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 261, FM 55, shortwave 0
Radios:
9.03 million (1992 est.)
Television
broadcast stations: 37 (includes six stations of the
US Armed Forces Radio and TV Service) (1997)
Televisions:
9.2 million (1998)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 897 km of which 492 km in operation narrow gauge:
492 km 1.067-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total: 161,313 km
paved: 290 km
unpaved: 161,023 km (1997)
Waterways:
3,219 km; limited to shallow-draft (less than 1.5 m)
vessels
Pipelines:
petroleum products 357 km
Ports
and harbors: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao,
Guimaras Island, Iligan, Iloilo, Jolo, Legaspi, Manila,
Masao, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic Bay, Zamboanga
Merchant
marine:
total: 513 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,544,029
GRT/10,052,418 DWT ships by type: bulk 179, cargo 131, chemical
tanker 6, combination bulk 13, container 9, liquefied gas
tanker 12, livestock carrier 10, oil tanker 48, passenger
4, passenger-cargo 13, refrigerated cargo 19, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 17, short-sea passenger 31, specialized tanker 1,
vehicle carrier 20
note: a flag of convenience registry; Japan owns 19 ships,
Hong Kong 5, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Netherlands
1, Singapore 1, and UK 1 (1998 est.)
Airports:
260 (1998 est.)
Airports-with
paved runways:
total: 75
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)
Airports-with
unpaved runways:
total: 185
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 61
under 914 m: 121 (1998 est.)
Heliports:
1 (1998 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international:
involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with
China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; claim
to Malaysia's Sabah State has not been fully revoked
Illicit
drugs: exports locally produced marijuana and hashish
to East Asia, the US, and other Western markets; serves
as a transit point for heroin and crystal methamphetamine
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