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| PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES | ||||
The Philippines has over 50 different ethnic groups. The majority, about 95% of the population of the Philippines are descended form Malaysia. The remaining 5% are made up of ethnic minorities of Chinese, Japanese and Americans. The longer they stay outside the darker their skin becomes. As a result most Filipina will seek shelter. OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of the Philippines CAPITAL: Manila SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Unitary Republic AREA: 299,679 Sq Km (115,707 Sq Mi) ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION: 74,448,900 DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS: Density; 208 persons per sq km (539 persons per sq mi) (1991). Urban-Rural; 42.7% urban, 57.3% rural (1990). Sex Distribution; 50.2% male, 49.8% female (1990). Life Expectancy at Birth; 62.8 years male, 66.4 years female (1990). Age Breakdown; 39% under 15, 29% 15 to 29, 18% 30 to 44, 9% 45 to 59, 4% 60 to 74, 1% 75 and over (1990). Birth Rate; 30.0 per 1,000 (1990). Death Rate; 7.0 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 23.0 per 1,000 (1990). Infant Mortality Rate; 40.0 per 1,000 live births (1993). RELIGIONS: Mostly Christians with around 84% of the population Roman Catholic while 6% are Protestant. The principal religious minorities are Muslims which account for less than 5% of the population while less than 1% are Buddhists. LANGUAGES: The official
languages are Filipino and English, with English the language of the
government, commerce and media while 55% of the population speak
Filipino. Some 87 languages and dialects are also spoken throughout
the islands. EDUCATION: Aged 25 or over and having attained: incomplete primary 11.7%, primary 53.8%, secondary 18.8%, higher 15.2%, unspecified 0.5% (1980). Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over 25,139,700 or 88.7% (1980).
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