Philippines - interesting facts

The Philippines is a former colony of Spain and the United States, with many people speaking Spanish and English. Most people are Catholics. We present interesting facts about the Philippines.

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A few facts from history:

• People appeared on the islands 50 thousand years ago. The first written references to the islands date back to the 5th century. The main racial belonging of the indigenous population is Negrito (people with dark skin, low height).
• The Philippine islands were discovered by Magellan, who died on them. The Magellan Cross was erected at his burial site on Mactan Island.
• The Spanish conqueror Miguel López de Legaspi was given the title of Adelantado by the Spanish king. This title was given to the leaders of the conquistadors, who recovered to explore and conquer lands that lie outside Spain. Miguel López de Legaspi was honored by the name of the Philippine city of Legaspi (the administrative center of the province of Albay).
• The Philippines owes its name to the Spanish king of the Habsburg dynasty, Philip II. Philip's daughter Yaroslav the Wise brought his name to Western Europe, and she named her son so. Prior to that, this Greek name had not been widely used in Western European countries. So the name of the island was given to the Ukrainian.
• Leyte Island is the place of the largest naval battle in the history of the Second World War between Japan and the United States.

Geography

Geographical features of the Philippines:

• The Philippines is an island nation with more than 7,000 islands, 2/3 of which are uninhabited.
• The Philippine islands are prone to various natural disasters, from typhoons to earthquakes. Therefore, there are no indigenous homes on the coast that were afraid of a tsunami.
• The Philippines has one of the smallest volcanoes in the world. Its name is Ta'al. It is located 50 kilometers from the capital of the state on the island of Luzon. Despite its small size, its eruption in 1911 killed about 1300 people. The volcano is active, the last eruption was recorded in 1977.
• The largest underground river in the world, Puerto Princesa, is about 8 kilometers long. It passes through a cave, and tourists are allowed to swim along this underground river for about one kilometer.
• There is no change of seasons in the Philippines. The weather is measured by the humidity of the air, it is either dry or wet.

Flag

Features of state symbols:

• The Philippines is the only country with two officially recognized national flags.
• The flag, consisting at the top of a strip of blue hangs in peacetime. During wartime, it is turned over, and then the top becomes red.

The capital city

Interesting facts about the capital of the Philippines:

• The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is named after a mangrove tree that grows on the islands.
• Manila is the city with the largest population in terms of area.
• The capital of the Philippines has a monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in Mekhan park.
• In the capital there is a strict ban on the use of nicotine (smoking) in public places and on the street, for violation of the ban waiting for a fine, after the third fine can be imprisoned.
• Most of the capital's streets are located below sea level, so flooding is common.

Laws

Laws in force in the Republic of the Philippines:

• Philippine law does not provide for the possibility of divorce and the family is created for life. Families, according to statistics, have three or more children. Artificial termination of pregnancy is prohibited.
• In December of each year, a Filipino employer is required to pay its employees a monthly wage of 13.

Nature

The nature of the islands:

• There are about 800 species of orchids on the island. Biologists know about 1000 species of this exotic plant.
• The longest crocodile in the Guinness Book of Records was caught in the area of the Philippine city of Bunawan. He was called Lulun, the crocodile is 7 meters long and weighs more than 1,000 kilograms.
• The Philippines is home to the world's smallest deer, which is 40 centimetres tall in the hills.
• The Philippine Islands is the habitat of the most ocular animal world - the long-domed, belonging to the group of primates. The animal is friendly, comes into contact with people, it can often be stroked (cautiously, you can meet a rabid animal).
• Philippine fisherman near Palawan Island has caught the world's largest pearl, its weight was about 34 kilograms, length - more than 65 centimeters, width - 30 centimeters.
• The islands occupy the first place in the detection of new species of animals. Over the past decade, more than 15 species of new mammal species have been studied and described.

Kitchen

Features of Philippine cuisine:

• The functions of a disposable plate are often performed on islands by banana leaves.
• The main product of Philippine cuisine is rice, which is eaten three times a day. The terraces on which these plants are grown are protected by the UN.
• Filipinos often carry toothpaste and a toothbrush to brush their teeth after each meal (careful, if you brush too often, you can damage your gums with a brush).
• In Philippine cafes you can try ketchup made of bananas.