{"id":37413,"date":"2014-07-17T03:03:47","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T07:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=37413"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:48:10","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T20:48:10","slug":"philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/philippines\/","title":{"rendered":"Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philippines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago and sovereign state consisting of 7,641 distinct islands located in the western Pacific Ocean, near mainland Southeast Asia. It was a Spanish colony for over 300 years until governing authority was passed to the United States in 1898; it was finally granted full independence in 1946. Today, its government is a democratic, constitutional republic with a president elected by popular vote as head of state. It is now considered a \u201cnewly industrialized\u201d country, as its economy transitions from a focus on agriculture to services and manufacturing. Its unit of currency is the Philippine peso.<\/p>\n

The Philippines<\/a>\u2019 many islands are divided into three main geographical regions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. These are further subdivided into administrative regions, provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays. Its capital city is Manila, but its most populous city is Quezon City, which together with 14 other cities form the Metro Manila area \u2013 the 11th most populous metropolitan area in the world. The country has both Filipino (a standardized form of Tagalog) and English as its official languages but also recognizes 30 other regional languages and about 150 dialects that are spoken in different parts of the country. Although nominally a secular state, the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, with over 90% of its population adhering to the faith. A small percentage of the population is Christian Protestant, with some adherents to Islam, Buddhism, and Philippine traditional religions.<\/p>\n

Culturally, the Philippines has been shaped by a combination of Spanish, American, and Malay\/Polynesian influences. Spanish names and colonial-style architecture persist throughout the country to this day, and pop culture imports include Latin-American telenovelas, anime, and Hollywood movies. The country\u2019s most popular sports include basketball, boxing, football (soccer), and various martial arts.<\/p>\n

Rice is a staple food, with the national cuisine favouring robust flavours using such local ingredients as calamansi (a type of citrus), coconuts, mangoes, soy sauce, fish sauce, and seafood. Unlike in many other Asian countries, Filipinos use forks and spoons or eat with their hands, rather than utilizing chopsticks.<\/p>\n

The Philippine islands host a number of active volcanoes and experience frequent seismic activity, though the country\u2019s numerous earthquakes are generally minor and non-disruptive<\/a> to everyday life. It is considered a \u201cmegadiverse\u201d country, due to the thousands of plant and animal species inhabiting its mountains, rainforests, beaches, and coastal shorelines. The Philippines recognizes three distinct seasons: the hot dry season, the rainy season, and the cool dry season. Due to its consistent year-round warmth, the Philippines is a popular tourist destination for beachgoers and wilderness explorers alike.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Visas Options in the Philippines<\/b><\/h2>\n

Luckily for the adventurous spirits out there, there are some easy and convenient methods through which to obtain\u00a0visas to live abroad in the Philippines.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n