The Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands located in Southeast Asia, bordered to the east by the Philippine Sea, to the west by the South China Sea, and to the south by the Celebes Sea. The archipelago is divided into three main island groups – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Manila, situated on Luzon island, is its capital. The island’s diverse geographic terrain ranges from mountainous islands, covered in tropical rainforest, to extensive coastal lowlands.
The Philippines is a tropical country with hundreds of tourist destinations featuring stunning sceneries. In the northern part of Luzon island, the amazing rice terraces stands out with its picturesque landscape and perfect working irrigation system, constructed by skilled ancestors of the Bontocs and the Ifugao tribes. Most of these people are skilled and world-famous in woodcarving and cloth-weaving. With the influx of tourists, most young Ifugao prefer to weave Western clothes. The Visayas forms a group of islands in the central Philippines, featuring dense tropical forests that provide sanctuary to the smallest monkey in the world and the Chocolate Hills, one of the most spectacular landscapes in the Philippines. The tropical islands of Bohol province features some of the most pristine locations and magnificent beaches that offers excellent spots for aquatic activities like snorkeling and diving. The islands of Panglao, Balicasag and Pamilacan boasts with superb diving spots rated among the best of the world. Nature and adventure lovers will enjoy the challenging treks through lush forests and mountain trails up highest peak in the country, Mt. Apo. With its numerous islands and a long and extensive coastline, the Philippines is blessed with long, white sand beaches and warm crystal clear waters with a variety of colorful marine animals, claimed as Asia’s Beach Capital. Famous Boracay island topped the list among the best beaches found in the country. Other famous beach destinations include Pagudpud beach, having long white sand with clear blue waters and Hawaiian-like powerful waves and strapping winds, that makes an ideal place for wind and wave surfing activities; Camiguin, referred as the “Garden of Eden†having splendid high waterfalls that create both hot and cold springs; El Nido, prides itself as having the most scenic seascapes in the province of Palawan, dominated by immense marble cliffs.
The Philippines is also very rich in history and one of the predominantly Christian nations in East Asia (along with South Korea). Its history is strongly influenced by its colonial past. Discovered in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, actually governed from Mexico, lasted for more than 350 years, thus there is a considerable presence of Spanish and Mexican influence in many facets of the Filipino culture. A culture so diverse, it is a mixture of indigenous Filipino traditions with a blend of Spanish and American cultures, mixed significantly with Chinese and Malay traditions. This unique blending of cultures is a result of centuries of trading with the east and west along with the country’s long history of colonization from the Spaniards and Americans. As a result, the country’s cultural, social and political tradition is a unique intermingling of these various influences. Filipinos are well-known and distinguished in hospitality, spirit of kinship or “bayanihanâ€, close family ties, and piousness.