The Philippines is an archipelago nation made up of 7,107 islands spanning 1,840 kilometers north to south. It is part of the East Indies, a vast island group Lying south and east of mainland Asia, with Taiwan at it northernmost coast and Borneo on the south. The three main Philippine Island groups are Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Luzon is the island of contrasts. The most modern districts in the Philippines, including the capital city of Manila, are in Luzon, but so are some of the oldest tribal communities in the nation like the Ifugao of the Cordilleras. Luzon is also where a visitor can see the latest model luxury cars overtaking a carabao sled or modern skyscrapers within driving distance of primordial volcanoes.

The Visayas is famous for its charm, a trait shared by many other southern regions in the world, but here seems to run deeper among a people who are intrinsically connected to their sun soaked island home. The Visayas is also famous as a seat of history, being one of the earliest Landfalls of western voyagers. It has also gained a reputation as being a cradle of the nation's future, if the unprecedented economic growth of Cebu City continues.

Mindanao is our offering to the Guinness Book of Records with the world's largest clam; the world's largest Eagle, the nation's highest peak and the world's largest city. Mindanao is also home to the Philippines' Muslim population.

With a land mass of 300, 780 square kilometers, the Philippines is considered a medium- sized nation, about two- thirds the size of its first colonizer, Spain and a little larger than the British Isles. Manila is only one hour and 40 minutes from Hong Kong by jet; Sydney only 7 1/2 hours away. Flights to Europe take 17 hours and to the American West Coast 15 hours.

The Philippines has many things to offer the visitor: a mixture of the old and the new, a diversity of art and culture and a warm, friendly people. Blessed by nature, the Philippines has something to offer every sportsman too . . . extraordinary dive sites, surf spots, forests to roam, mountains to climb, caves to explore.

The Philippines has developed a mixed culture from the blending of foreign influences with native elements. Today some of the isolated tribes are the only people whose culture remains unadulterated by earlier Muslim and later Spanish and American influences.

Although traditional theatre, literature and kundimans (love songs) in the national language have experienced a resurgence since Cory Aquino's People Power movement, visitors are more likely to witness beauty contests, lurid soap operas, violent and sentimental Filipino movies, and local bands perfectly imitating Western pop tunes.

A tiny minority of Filipinos (the so-called cultural minority groups or tribal Filipinos) retain their traditional culture. There are some 100 ethnological groups, ranging from the Badjao of the Sulu archipelago, who are sea gypsies, to the head-hunting Kalinga north of Bontoc.

The Philippines is one of the only Christian countries in Asia. Over 90% of the population claim to follow Christian faiths. The largest of the minority religious groups is the Muslims, who live chiefly on Mindanao and in the Sulu archipelago. There is also a Philippine Independence Church, some Buddhists, and a small number of animists.

The geography and history of the Philippines have conspired to produce a multiplicity of languages, some 80 dialects in total. The concept of a national language developed after the Spanish-American War in 1898 and Tagalog was declared the national language in 1936. There were several other contenders for this role, including Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Ilocano. A compromise reached in 1973 confirmed Pilipino as the national language. This is based on Tagalog, but has linguistic elements of other Philippine languages. Despite this, English remains the language of commerce and politics in the Philippines.

Filipino cuisine has Chinese, Malay and Spanish influences. Popular morning and afternoon snacks are called merienda, and pulutan (small morsels) are served with alcoholic drinks. Barbecued sticks of meat or seafood are popular evening snacks. Standard dishes, always served with rice, include meat and vegetables cooked with vinegar and garlic, grilled grouper (or groper), meat stews and a huge variety of soups: rice, noodle, beef, chicken, liver, offal and sour vegetable. Side dishes include strips of unripened papaya, fermented fish or shrimp paste and bite-sized pieces of crispy pig skin. Halo-halo is a dessert made from crushed ice mixed with fruit preserves, sweet corn, young coconut and various tropical delights, topped with a wad of crème caramel and a scoop of ice-cream..

The first inhabitants of the Philippines arrived around 250,000 years ago, probably migrating over a land bridge from the Asian mainland. The Negrito people arrived 25,000 years ago, but they were driven back by several waves of immigrants from Indonesia, followed by maritime immigrations of Malayan people. In 1380, the Arab-taught Makdum arrived in the Sulu archipelago and began to establish what became a powerful Islamic sphere of influence over the next hundred years.

Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521 and claimed the archipelago for Spain. Magellan was killed by local chiefs who quite naturally disapproved of this notion. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos followed in 1543 and named the territory Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain. Permanent Spanish occupation began in 1565, and by 1571 the entire country, except for the strictly Islamic Sulu archipelago, was under Spanish control.

A Filipino independence movement grew in the 19th century and Filipinos fought on the side of the Americans in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. When the Spanish were defeated, General Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent. The USA, however, had other plans, and promptly purchased the islands from the Spanish for US$20 million.

The USA eventually recognised the Filipinos' desire for independence and Manuel L Quezon was sworn in as President of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935 as part of a transitional phase pending full independence. Japan invaded the Philippines in 1942, brutally interrupting this process and ruled until the USA re-invaded two years later. The Philippines received full independence in 1946.

Ferdinand Marcos was elected president in 1965, declared martial law in 1972 and ruled virtually as a dictator until 1986. His regime was attacked by both communist and Muslim guerrillas, and he was accused of ballot-rigging and fraud. The assassination of prominent opposition figure Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr in 1983 sparked massive anti-government protests. A snap election in 1986 saw the opposition parties rally around Aquino's widow, Cory. Both parties claimed victory, but Aquino was widely believed to have polled most votes. She initiated a programme of non-violent civil unrest which resulted in Marcos fleeing the country.

Aquino re-established the democratic institutions of the country, but failed to tackle economic problems or win over the military and the powerful Filipino elite. US strategic influence in the country diminished following the 1991 Mt Pinatubo eruption which destroyed the US Clark Airbase, and after the Philippine Senate refused to ratify the lease on the Subic Bay Naval Station. Aquino survived seven coups in six years and was succeeded by her defence minister, Fidel Ramos, in 1992. Ramos aimed to revitalise the economy, attract foreign investment, cleanse corruption and expand provision of utilities.

The Philippines government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace accord in September 1996 ending, formally at least, the MNLF's 24-year struggle for autonomy in Mindanao. The peace agreement foresaw the MNLF being granted considerable autonomy in many of the island's provinces. Peace in the area remains elusive, however, following the rise of a splinter group, the militant Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which opposes the agreement. The government continues to conduct military operations in MILF-held areas in Basilan and Sulu.

In 1998, Ramos was replaced as president by the Philippines' answer to Bruce Willis, Joseph Estrada. Estrada, a former movie star elected more because of the popularity of his on-screen persona than because of any political experience, promised a lot economically and delivered it - straight into his own pocket. He was impeached and brought to trial in late 2000 on charges of taking bribes from gambling syndicates, and using the proceeds to line his own dens and build extravagant houses for his mistresses. When Estrada and his political allies tried to derail the trial by blocking prosecutors' access to his financial accounts, the people decided they'd had enough and staged mass demonstrations in the streets of Manilla.

Estrada finally threw in the towel on 19 January 2001 and the next day his former vice-president, Gloria Arroyo, was sworn in as the new president of the Philippines. In an inauguration speech which must have sounded eerily familiar to the people of the Philippines, Arroyo promised to wipe out poverty and corruption.

Since then, Arroyo's presidency has been sorely tested. Various separatist movements in the south have been linked to global terrorism, prompting the US to send military assistance. A military coup attempt on 27 July 2003 underscored the tensions below the surface in the country. A standoff lasting 20 hours ended when Arroyo issued a five-hour ultimatum. In June 2004 she won a second term as president. Shortly afterwards she was accused of election fraud and there were wide-spread calls for her resignation. However, Arroyo appears to have weathered this recent crisis.

Foreign currency may be exchanged at your hotel, most large department stores, banks and authorized money changing shops. Exchanging money anywhere else is illegal and the laws are strictly enforced.

European plug with two circular metal pins

Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades

The water in Metro Manila and the other major cities are considered potable. Bottled spring water or mineral water is often supplied by hotels and Beach Resorts and sold in all grocery stores.

The country’s dialling code is 63. Telephone service is modern and you can direct dial anywhere in the world. Public phones are plentiful. The red public phones are 75 centavos (exact change only) for a local call. The modern silver public phones are P2 for a local call.

Television is "on the air" from about noon to midnight, showing American programming as well as local programming. Channel 9 and 23 are now on 24 hours a day. The other standard channels are 2, 4, 5, 7 and 13. In some areas it is possible to receive Channel 21 which carries CNN News and ABC current events broadcasting. Channel 21 is a new station and its programming scope is constantly being enlarged. If you need more channels, most of the major hotels are on the STAR Satellite System bringing in TV programs from all over the world.

Malls are open from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM the whole week, including Saturday and Sunday.

Banks are open from 9:00 AM till 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. When banking in the Philippines, it is advisable to have your passport with you for identification.

The post offices are open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM weekdays only. Local postage is P4 for a standard letter and P16 for letters to America and Europe. Stamps for postcards are frequently available from the Concierge Desk at most major hotels. The Philippines uses ZIP codes please include them in addressing local mail.

Don’t drink what out of the faucet.

Don’t touch or feed street animals, they might have rabies.

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