Introduce the Philippines

Country name: The Republic of The Philippines (The Republic of The Philippines)

Flag: horizontal rectangle, with a length-to-width ratio of 2:1. On the side of the flagpole is a white equilateral triangle, in the middle is a yellow sun emitting eight beams of light, and three yellow five-pointed stars are on the three corners of the triangle. On the right side of the flag is a right-angled trapezoid in red and blue. The upper and lower positions of the two colors can be exchanged. Blue is on top during peacetime, and red is on top during wartime. The sun and ray pattern symbolizes freedom; the eight longer beams represent the eight provinces that initially revolted for national liberation and independence, and the remaining rays represent other provinces. The three five-pointed stars represent the three major regions of the Philippines: Luzon, Samar and Mindanao. Blue symbolizes loyalty and integrity, red symbolizes courage, and white symbolizes peace and purity.

National emblem: It is in the shape of a shield. In the center is a pattern of sun rays, and three five-pointed stars are on the top of the shield, which have the same meaning as the national flag. The lower left is a yellow eagle on a blue ground, and the lower right is a yellow lion on a red ground. The lion and eagle patterns were the symbols of the Philippines during Spanish and American colonial rule respectively, symbolizing the historical process of the Philippines getting rid of colonial rule and gaining independence. The white ribbon under the coat of arms reads "The Republic of the Philippines" in English.

National flower: Jasmine

National tree: Nala tree

National stone: Pearl

National bird: Philippine eagle (phillipine eagle)

Important holidays: Independence Day: June 12 (1898); National Day: June 12 (1898); Freedom Day: February 25; Bataan Day: April 9 (Commemorating the fallen soldiers of World War II); Mayflower Festival: the last Sunday in May; National Heroes Day: August 27; Heroes Day (commemorating the death of the national hero Rizal): December 30.

National dignitaries: President Arroyo, took office in January 2001; Vice President Guingona Jr.; took office in February 2001; Speaker of the House of Representatives Jose de Venecia (Jose De Venecia), Speaker of the House of Representatives from July 1992 to June 1998, and was re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in July 2001. Senate President Franklin Drilon was re-elected in July 2001.

Physical geography: Located in southeastern Asia, facing Taiwan Province of China across the Bashi Strait to the north, facing Indonesia and Malaysia across the Sulawesi Sea and Balabac Strait to the south and southwest, and facing the Pacific Ocean to the east. To the west is the South China Sea. It is composed of 7,107 large and small islands with a total area of ??299,700 square kilometers. It is an archipelago country located in southeastern Asia. Among them, 11 major islands including Luzon, Mindanao, and Samar account for about 96% of the country's total area. The coastline is 18,533 kilometers long. It has a tropical maritime climate with high temperatures, rainy weather and high humidity. The average annual temperature is 27°C and the annual precipitation is 2000-3000 mm.

Population: 81.2 million (2001). The United Nations ranked the Philippines as one of the most densely populated countries in the world in a 1998 report. The Malays account for more than 85% of the country's population, including Tagalogs, Ilocos, Pampangas, Bisayas, and Bicols; ethnic minorities and foreign descendants include Chinese, Indonesians, and Arabs , Indians, Spanish and Americans, as well as a few indigenous peoples. There are more than 70 languages ??spoken in the Philippines. The national language is Filipino based on Tagalog, and English is the official language. About 84% of the citizens believe in Catholicism, 4.9% believe in Islam, a few people believe in independent Christianity and Protestant Christianity, most Chinese believe in Buddhism, and most aborigines believe in primitive religions.

Capital: Manila, population: 10.5 million (May 2000).

Administrative divisions: The country is divided into three parts: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. ***Comprises the Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, as well as Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Central Luzon Region, Tagalog Sur, Bikel Region, Western Region There are 13 regions including Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Western Mindanao, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Central Mindanao and Caraga. It consists of 73 provinces, 2 sub-provinces and 60 cities.

Filipinos have a tradition of setting off fireworks when welcoming the New Year. The picture shows a Filipino vendor sorting out a roll of firecrackers in Bocahue.

Brief history: The ancestors of Filipinos are immigrants from the Asian continent. Before the Spanish invasion, there were many separatist kingdoms established by Turkish tribes and Malay immigrants in the Philippines. Spain invaded the Philippines in 1565 and established a permanent colony that lasted for more than 300 years. Declared independence on June 12, 1898, establishing the first independent republic in Philippine history. In the same year, the United States occupied the Philippines through the Treaty of Paris signed after the Spanish-American War, and the Philippines became a colony of the United States. The Philippine Autonomous Government was established in November 1935. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese army invaded the Philippines. The United States resumed colonial rule over the Philippines in 1945, and on July 4, 1946, the Philippines declared independence.

On September 2, 1996, the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front, the largest anti-government organization, signed a peace agreement, ending 24 years of war in the south.

Politics: The current Constitution of the Philippines was adopted on February 2, 1987, and was officially declared effective by the President on February 11 of the same year. The Constitution stipulates: A system of government with separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers. In the presidential cabinet system, the president is the head of state, head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Possessing executive power and is directly elected by voters for a six-year term and cannot be re-elected. The president has no power to implement martial law, dissolve Congress, or arbitrarily arrest opponents; military intervention in politics is prohibited; human rights are protected, personal dictatorship is banned; and land reform is carried out . Parliament, called Congress, is the highest legislative body, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court and courts at all levels.

Philippine minibus

Economy: The Philippines is an agricultural country, with the agricultural population accounting for more than 2/3 of the total population. The main food crops are rice and corn. Coconut, sugar cane, abaca and tobacco are the four major cash crops in the Philippines. The Filipinos are proud of their fruit production. The Philippines is rich in coconuts, bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Coconut production and exports account for more than 60% of the world's total production and exports. The Philippines' industry is mainly based on the processing of agricultural and forestry products, and there are also some textile, cement, automobile assembly and other industries. Mineral resources mainly include more than 20 kinds of copper, gold, silver, iron, chromium, nickel, etc. The reserves of copper are approximately 3.716 billion tons, gold are 136 million tons, and nickel are 127 million tons. It is rich in geothermal resources and is expected to have 2.09 billion barrels of crude oil standard energy. Since 1976, oil has been discovered in the northwest waters of Palawan Island, with reserves of 350 million barrels. It is rich in forest resources, including redwood, camphorwood and other precious woods, covering an area of ??12.5 million hectares and a coverage rate of about 40%. It is rich in aquatic resources, with more than 2,400 species of fish, and its tuna resources rank among the best in the world. Tourism is one of the important sources of foreign exchange earnings for the Philippines. The main tourist spots include: Pagsanjana Beach, Blue Harbor, Baguio City, Mayon Volcano, and the original rice terraces of Ifugao Province.

Filipino soldiers guarding a substation in Mindanao

News and publications: Major English daily newspapers: "Manila Bulletin", "Philippine Star", "Philippine Inquirer", "Free Press", "Manila Times", "Manila Chronicle". Philippine daily newspapers: "Noticias", "Philippine Express". Chinese daily newspapers: "World Journal", "Business Daily", "Philippine Times", "United Daily News" and "Global Daily". The Philippine News Agency, established in 1973, is the official news agency. News organizations include the National Journalists Club of the Philippines, the Philippine Press Photographers Association, and the Philippine Publishers Association. There are 257 publishing organizations across the country. There are 629 radio stations and 137 television stations in the country, of which the Broadcasting Bureau and People's Television Station are official, and the rest are privately owned. The languages ??used by Philippine radio and television stations are mainly English, Tagalog and Chinese.

Women fight a bull during a cattle-chasing competition in Manila.

Diplomacy: Claims to pursue an independent foreign policy and develop political and economic relations with all countries on the basis of balance, equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect. The three major goals of foreign policy are: strengthening national security, promoting economic development, and protecting overseas Filipinos. It attaches great importance to relations with major countries such as the United States, China and Japan, actively promotes cooperation within ASEAN, and develops friendly relations with Islamic countries. Vigorously promote economic diplomacy and actively participate in international and regional affairs.

Relations with China: The people of China and the Philippines have a long history of friendly exchanges. As early as the Tang and Song Dynasties, China and the Philippines had economic and cultural exchanges. On June 9, 1975, China and the Philippines established diplomatic relations. President Aquino and President Ramos visited China in April 1988 and April 1993 respectively. In November 1996, President Jiang Zemin went to the Philippines to attend the 4th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and paid an official visit to the Philippines. In May 2000, Philippine President Estrada paid a state visit to China, and the two governments signed the "Joint Statement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on the Framework for Bilateral Cooperation in the 21st Century" . In October 2001, President Arroyo went to Shanghai to attend the 9th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and paid a state visit to China.