The entire landmass of the Philippines is made up islands, making it the second-largest archipelago in the world.
There are about 175 languages spoken in the Philippines, with 171 of them considered “living,” while four tribal dialects have no known living speakers. The country’s official languages are Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English, with Cebuano and Ilocano also popular in some regions.
About 11% of the population of the Philippines – more than 11 million people – work overseas. In fact, the Philippines is the top supplier of nurses in the world, with about 25% of all overseas nurses coming from the country. In the United States, Filipinos are the second-largest Asian-American group behind only Chinese.
The Philippines produces and exports more coconuts than any country in the world, shipping off about 19.5 million tons of the fruit (called “buko”) every year.
While most of their Southeast Asian neighbors practice Buddhism, the Philippines is the only Asian nation that’s predominantly Christian, with 90% practicing that religion (and about 80% of its population, Roman Catholic) because of its Spanish colonial influence.
The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence after World War II, in 1945.
The Philippines has the highest rate of discovery of new animal species with 16 new species of mammals discovered just in the last 10 years.
The world record for most women breastfeeding simultaneously was 3,541, set in Manila, Philippines, on May 4, 2006.
According to Filipino custom, it is considered rude to open gifts immediately after they are given.
