For those new to the country, the Philippines consist of 7'107 islands, many of them so small that they are not even inhabited. The whole country stretches for some 1'840 Km, South to North, or from 4°30' N through 21° N, equivalent to the distance from Naples to the northern tip of Denmark, or from the southern tip of Florida to New York. The whole area are some 300'000 km˛, inhabited by approximately 80 million people. 85% of the population are catholic, the Philippines being the largest Christian country in Asia, with some Muslim groups, mostly living on the southern islands.
The national language is Filipino, with many local dialects (Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano, etc.) but English is widely understood and spoken, as it is the second language of the country.
Those interested in the current weather situation can check it out below.
The local currency is the Philippine Peso, divided into 100 Centavos (approximate rates as of January 2008: US$ 1.00 =
Want to know the current exchange rates? Click on the following link to convert from any of 164 currencies to any other one, provided by OANDA.
The island of
Bohol lies some 80 km to the south of Cebu City, and approximately 800 km to the south of
Manila.
