Tourism and recreational potential of the Philippines. natural resources of the philippines. Fragments from the presentation

Philippines - Republic of the Philippines (Republic of the Philippines, Republika ng Pilipinas)

State in Southeast Asia. It consists of many islands located in the Pacific Ocean between Indonesia and Taiwan. The Philippines is primarily famous for its picturesque beaches and coral reefs. There are numerous national parks, faunal reserves and forest reserves on the islands. The Philippines has sufficient recreational resources, natural and socio-cultural. Today, the islands offer almost all types of tourism: cognitive, beach, extreme, sports, ecological.

general information

Location, territory and landscape

The Philippines occupy the Philippine Islands, which are part of Malay Archipelago. The largest of more than 7100 islands belonging to the Philippines are Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Panay, Palawan, Negros, Mindoro, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu. The length of the Philippine archipelago from north to south is about 2000 km, from west to east - 900 km. In the west, the islands are washed by the South China Sea, in the east by the Philippine Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea, in the north the Philippine Islands are separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Strait.

Territory country is 299,764 km².

The main relief of the islands is made up of mountains, the highest of them is the Apo volcano (2954 m), which is located on the island of Mindanao. The mountain ranges are of volcanic origin, because the archipelago itself is located at the junction of the continental and oceanic lithospheric plates, it is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is characterized by increased seismicity and volcanism. A distinctive feature of the Philippines are deep-sea trenches and volcanic islands. off the coast of Mindanao one of the deepest oceans in the world Philippine trench up to 10,830 m deep.

Population: over 105 million 700 thousand people.

Capital: Manila (population 1.6 million).

Largest cities: Manila (as part of the Metro Manila conurbation), Quezon City.

Languages: the state language is Tagalog (pilipino), a significant part of the population speaks English. Spanish (3%), Spanish-Creole Chabacano (1%), and Chinese are also common.

Religion: 80.9% of the population professes the Catholic religion, 11.6% Protestants, 5% Muslims, some Filipinos adhere to traditional beliefs.

Timezone: UTC+8.

Telephone code: +63.

Currency: Philippine peso (PHP), 1 Philippine peso = 100 centavos (centimo). 1.00 USD PHP 43.83, 1.00 EUR ≅ 59.64 PHP.

Credit cards of payment systems: Visa, MasterCard, American Express.

Climate and average temperature

The islands are characterized by a tropical, monsoonal climate, turning into subequatorial in the south. The average temperatures on the coast are 24-28 ° C, in mountainous areas a little cooler. The rainy season in the country traditionally lasts from May to November, when the southwest monsoon blows. The dry season (November to April) is pronounced in western Luzon, Palawan and the Visayas. On northern regions countries are often hit by powerful typhoons, and tsunamis are also possible. The amount of precipitation per year varies from 1000 to 4000 mm.

Flora and fauna

More than half of the territory of the Philippines is covered with tropical rainforests, dominated by palm trees, rubber trees, banyan, apitong, mayapis, lauan, bamboo, orchids, and cinnamon are also very common. At an altitude of over 1200 m above sea level, there are meadows and shrubs. Among the animals that live in the Philippine Islands, wild boar, deer, and mongoose are more common than others. The fauna of this country is characterized big variety species of birds and reptiles. In the coastal waters there are many species of fish and shellfish, among the latter, pearl mussels are especially remarkable - shellfish that are capable of forming pearls.

How to get there

The best option for tourists from Ukraine would be a flight with KLM or Qatar Airways and connections via Bangkok, Amsterdam or Dubai. Usually the fares are better with European carriers, but traditionally the most economical in terms of time are the offers of airlines from China and South Korea.

Korean Air and KLM operate their regular flights from Moscow to Manila with transfers in Seoul and Amsterdam, respectively. Moreover, the last option is not the most convenient because of the long connection in Amsterdam. It is considered quite convenient to fly Qatar Airways (via Doha to Manila or Cebu, flight time is about 17 hours, including connections) or Emirates Airlines (via Dubai to Manila, about 18 hours, including connections). Flights are operated from Almaty with a connection in Dubai.

Best time to visit

The monsoon climate and the rainy season, which lasts more than 6 months, do not contribute to the development of beach tourism. The best time to visit the country is from late September to mid-May.

Popular tourist sites

Manila - the capital of the Philippines, its political, economic and cultural center. Ethen a whole conglomerate of 18 cities that form a single large metropolis. The central city is called Metro Manila. Here you can enjoy dinner in a restaurant on a street in the style of ancient Spain, visit modern mega malls and glass skyscrapers business Makati, and in the evening take a walk along the promenade with restaurants of national cuisine and small bars in the fresh air.

Main resorts: Boracay, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, Mindoro, Negros, Mactan, Mindanao and Panglao .

2. Natural conditions and resourcesRelief
mostly composed of mountains
the highest of which is the Apo volcano (2954 m),
located on the island of Mindanao
Mountain ranges - volcanic
origin, since the archipelago is located
at the junction of continental and oceanic
lithospheric plates and is part of the Pacific
fiery ring, characterized by increased
seismicity and volcanism.

Minerals

Minerals

Natural resources

Water resources

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11. Water resources

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13. 4. Climate

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17. 5. Population

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19. 6. Economy

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24. 7. Transport and communication

25.

26. Largest islands:

INDONESIA, SINGAPORE, PHILIPPINES (COURSE)

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the course work is a comprehensive regional study of the region of the islands of Southeast Asia, in particular, the countries of Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. The practical significance of this work is to summarize information on the above countries from various published sources and the Internet, as well as to summarize the development of countries, tourism development and prospects.

The countries of the region have unique recreational resources. Each country has its own specific features that attract tourists from all over the world. Singapore - a thriving business, financial and cultural center of Southeast Asia with one of the highest standards of living - is an incredible combination of East and West. Here you can find all the best that is produced in the world. Among the thousands of Indonesian islands surrounded by seas, hundreds are perfect for seaside resorts. Thousands of ancient temples and places of worship are hidden in the lush tropical greenery, and the jungle is inhabited by many exotic animals and aboriginal tribes, many of which are at the level of the Stone Age in terms of their level of development. Therefore, here you can perfectly combine active and beach holidays, ethnological and historical excursions, wildlife watching and hiking of the highest category of complexity. The Philippines is made up of 7,000 small islands surrounded by warm waters. Pacific Ocean. A pleasant and mild climate, amazingly beautiful nature, mysterious healers-healers and the possibility of romantic adventures attract tourists here throughout the year.
The ocean coast of the Philippines is endless sandy beaches, crystal clear water, underwater coral gardens, the richest marine fauna. This is one of the few places on earth where you understand that the magic word "exotic" has not yet lost its original meaning.

The following research methods were used in the work: bibliographic, cartographic and statistical.

PHYSICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

The region is located on the islands of the Malay Archipelago and is washed in the south and southwest by the Indian Ocean, the Timor and Arafura Seas, in the east and northeast by the Philippine Sea, in the west and northwest by the South China Sea. In the north, Singapore is separated from Malaysia by the narrow Strait of Johor, which is only 1-3 km wide. The Singapore Strait, about 20 km wide in the south, separates the island from the Riau archipelago, which is part of Indonesia. The Sulawesi Sea separates Indonesia from the Philippines, in addition, the Java Sea lies between the islands of Java and Borneo, and the Banda Sea lies between the islands of Sulawesi and Timor.

Indonesia is the largest state in the region with an area of ​​1919 thousand square meters. km (15th place in the world) and stretching from south to west 5100 km occupies most of the Malay Archipelago and consists of about 13,700 islands. The main islands of Indonesia are divided into two uneven chains: the relatively long and narrow islands of Sumatra (435 thousand square meters), Java (126.5 thousand square kilometers), Timor (34 thousand square kilometers, Indonesia owns 19 thousand hectares). sq. km) and others - in the south - Kalimantan (734 thousand sq. km, Indonesia owns 539.5 thousand sq. km), Sulawesi (170 thousand sq. km), Moluccas (83.7 thousand sq. km km) and New Guinea - in the north (829 thousand sq. km, of which the province of Irian Jaya accounts for 421.9 thousand sq. km). The length of the coastline is 54716 km. Philippines with an area of ​​300 thousand square meters. km (70th place in the world) include almost 2 times fewer islands than Indonesia (more than 7100 islands). Unlike the islands of Indonesia, which are stretched in a latitudinal direction, the islands of the Philippine archipelago have a meridional direction, less than half of which have their own names, and only 462 of them exceed 2.6 square kilometers. km. The two largest islands - Luzon (105 thousand sq. Km) in the north and Mindanao (95 thousand sq. Km) in the southern parts of the Philippine archipelago account for approx. 2/3 of the entire territory of the Philippines. Other major islands are Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Masbate. The length of the coastline is 36289 km. The smallest state in the region is Singapore with an area of ​​632 km 2 (175th in the world) and located on the island of Singapore and 54 smaller islands. The length of the coastline is 193 km.

Island arcs are formed by ridge sections of underwater uplifts and are characterized by mountainous relief. This is especially pronounced in Luzon (Philippines), where two, and in some places three submeridional ridges with an average height of approx. 1800 m and maximum 2934 m (Mount Pulog). A similar system of submeridional ridges is expressed in Mindanao (Philippines) with the highest peak of the country, formed by the Apo volcano (2954 m). A chain stretched across the southern islands from Sumatra to Timor (Indonesia) volcanic mountains, rising to a height of more than 3600 m, which is much higher than the mountains of the Philippine archipelago. The highest point of this chain is Mount Keriichi (3800 m) in Sumatra; Mount Semeru (3676 m) is located in Java. The highest point in the country - Mount Punchak Jaya (5030 m) is located in West Irian (New Guinea). All these mountain structures are part of the belt active volcanoes, stretching in the marginal zone of the Pacific Ocean and called the "Pacific Ring of Fire". On Luzon there are approx. 20 periodically active volcanoes. So, in June 1991, a series of catastrophic eruptions of the Pinatubo volcano (1780 m) occurred, which caused the destruction of houses and numerous casualties. In February 1993, the most active volcano in the Philippines, Mayon, erupted. Indonesia also has about 400 volcanoes, including over 100 active ones, earthquakes happen. The best-known volcano is Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, which erupted in August 1883 and destroyed the island and killed more than 36,000 people. In 1927–1929, as a result of volcanic eruptions, a new island, Anak Krakatoa (“Son of Krakatoa”), with a height of approx. 200 m. The most powerful eruption on earth over the past 500 years is the eruption of the Tambora volcano (in 1815) on the island of Sumbawa, located east of Java. The amount of emissions into the atmosphere was so great that the inflow of solar radiation to the earth's surface was significantly reduced, the climate became colder: seasonal snow in the Northern Hemisphere melted only in June, and frosts began already in August. One of the latest occurred in February 1994 in Sumatra, resulting in the death of 180 people.

Each of the major islands has mountain ranges surrounded by coastal plains. The island character and mountainous relief predetermined the limited area of ​​plains and lowlands, located mainly in narrow strips along the coasts of the islands, along the course of rivers or between mountain ranges. The most extensive plains are located in Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, New Guinea, Luzon, Mindanao and Panay.

In Singapore there are no such high mountains as in the Philippines and even more so in Indonesia. The highest point, Bukit Timah, is only 166 meters above sea level. The country has a mostly flat lowland relief.

From the above, we can conclude that the region under consideration is not homogeneous. Compared to the largest island country, Indonesia, located on fairly large and many small islands, Singapore is a tiny state that occupies miniature islands. The relief is also quite diverse: from the highest mountains and volcanoes of Indonesia to plains and lowlands.

ECONOMIC-GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOPOLITICAL POSITION.

Singapore is the largest port and the largest industrial center in Southeast Asia with a high standard of living. Due to its important strategic location at the crossroads sea ​​routes between Europe, Asia and Australia, Singapore has become one of the world's leading shopping centers. In relation to other countries of Southeast Asia, it traditionally plays the role of a “marketplace” - goods produced in neighboring countries arrive here - for example, rubber and tin from Malaysia, rice from Thailand, which are then sent to other regions. At the same time, manufactured goods are brought here from the USA, Europe, and Japan. In terms of cargo turnover, Singapore ranks second in the world. It is equipped with berths for ships of various types, serves 250 lines and receives 150 ships daily. Singapore Airport is a major hub for international airlines, equipped for round-the-clock flights in any weather conditions. This is one of the most modern and comfortable airports in the world, and Singapore Airlines is trusted by passengers from all over the world. Singapore annually receives 6-8 million tourists. The total length of railways is 38 km, roads - 2597 km. The monetary unit is the Singapore dollar.

Like Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia occupy a favorable geographic position at the crossroads of the world's water and air routes connecting Asia, Australia, Europe and America. But unlike Singapore, the Asian tiger, Indonesia and the Philippines are third-tier countries. The agricultural sector in the economy of these countries plays an important role. Maritime transport plays a major role in transportation. The main ports of Indonesia: Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Ujungpandang, Semarang, Surabaya, Cheribon. The Port of Jakarta is one of the largest ports in Asia. The leading role in the transportation of both goods and passengers in Indonesia is played by rail, road, water transport and pipeline transport.

Of the land modes of transport in the Philippines, as in Indonesia, road transport is especially important. In 1994, approx. 2,300 thousand cars and motorcycles, the latter accounting for 25% of the vehicle fleet. The length of the road network is approximately 100,000 km, of which less than half have a modern surface (29,000 paved roads). On the island of Luzon, in addition to railway lines with a total length of 740 km, an elevated railway was built in Manila. Most of the cargo, as in other countries of the region, is transported by sea. Freight cabotage along the coasts of the islands and between them is carried out by thousands different courts with over 500 ports. Several dozen large ports, headed by Manila, receive ocean-going ships. Communication between the islands is also provided by 87 state airports, of which two are international: in Manila and on Mactan Island (near Cebu). The monetary unit of Indonesia is the Indonesian rupiah, the Philippines is the Philippine peso.

A peculiar feature of island Indonesia among the countries of the region is the presence of land borders. Indonesia borders on East Timor (on the island of Timor, the length of the border is 228 km), Malaysia (on the island of Kalimantan, 1782 km), Papua New Guinea (on the island of New Guinea, 820 km). The total length of the borders is 2830 km. The Philippines and Singapore have no land borders.

The countries of the region participate in the following international organizations: UN, ASEAN, WTO, APEC, IBRD, ADB, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, ICSP, IMF, IFC, ILO, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, IDA, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO. Indonesia and the Philippines are members of more organizations than Singapore: IFAD, IFC, UNESCO, UNIDO, WCT, WIPO. In addition, Indonesia is a member of OPEC, TKK, YDB, WMO and, unlike other countries in the region, is not a member of the LEFT and INTELSAT.

Singapore is the only country in the region under consideration that is a member of the British Commonwealth (Singapore was a British colony). He declares his commitment to the ideas of non-alignment, but is bound by military agreements with the US, Malaysia and the UK. The Philippines has developed difficult relations with some neighbors, in particular with Malaysia in connection with the presentation of claims by the Philippines to the state of Sabah and China in connection with a dispute over the territorial ownership of the Paracel Islands located in the South China Sea, as well as with Singapore. The Philippines actively participates in the activities of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference. Under President Ramos, the government focused on the economic aspects of activities within this organization and tried not to interfere in the internal affairs of other member countries. Despite strained relations with China, Singapore and Malaysia, the Philippines' contacts with its neighbors in the region are expanding, and there is interest in the viability of the ASEAN free trade area. Indonesian-Malaysian relations are somewhat complicated by territorial disputes, the illegal migration of labor from Indonesia to Malaysia, and the flight of rebels from the Sumatran Ache Special Region to Malaysia in the early 1990s.

NATURAL CONDITIONS AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The climate of the region is maritime tropical monsoon type. Its main features are as follows: constantly high temperatures with an annual average of 26-27 0 C and fluctuations in average monthly temperatures within 2 0 C, and in average daily temperatures within 10 0 C; abundance of precipitation; high relative humidity (80-90%), but due to the breezes blowing from the sea during the day, the heat is not felt as strongly in coastal areas as in continental humid tropical areas.

Seasonality is expressed not in the temperature difference, but in the amount of precipitation and is associated with a change in the direction of the monsoon winds. From November to February, and in the Philippines and April, the northeast monsoon blows from the central Pacific Ocean, connecting with the northeast trade winds. They dominate the Philippine Islands, Singapore, the northern part of Irian Jaya, the Moluccas, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Central and West Java, and Sumatra. South of the equator, they change direction to the northwest. In March, it is the turn of dry southeast monsoons that blow from the area of ​​the Australian anticyclone and change direction north of the equator to the southwest. These winds dominate in June-October in the Lesser Sunda Islands, south of Irian Jaya, southwest of Sulawesi and east of Java, causing the dry season here, lasting from 4-5 months (East Java) to 6-7 (Timor); June-September in Singapore, July-August in the Philippines. Passing over the Indian Ocean, the monsoon is abundantly saturated with moisture and brings down heavy rains on the mountainous southwestern coast of Sumatra and the southwestern Philippines. In the Strait of Malacca during the southwest monsoon, in the section between Malacca and Singapore, there are short but powerful storms that often occur at night. They have the character of squalls and bring heavy rainfall to the coast for several hours. Since these unexpected storms are formed by winds blowing from Sumatra, they are called "Sumatra". In Singapore, April-May and October are transitional seasons, characterized by light changing winds. May in the Philippines is the month of equatorial calm. More than any other area on the globe, the Philippine Islands are subject to the action of typhoons, which originate 1000-1500 km from the islands, the western part of the Pacific Ocean, and from there move northwest at a speed of 10-20 km / h, passing over Luzon and northeast of the Visayas, and sometimes over the northern part of Mindanao. Most typhoons sweep over Northern Luzon. They are most frequent from July to November, there are 3-4 strong typhoons a year and about 20-25 weak ones.

The average annual rainfall in Singapore, which has a relatively small area, is slightly more than 2000 mm. Unlike Singapore, in Indonesia and the Philippines, whose territories are much larger, the amplitude spread of the average annual precipitation in different areas is quite large. In the southeastern part of Indonesia, 600-700 mm falls. The wettest region receives an average of 6000 m of precipitation per year (Indarung in western Sumatra), the driest -540 mm (Palu valley in southwestern Sulawesi). Within most of the territory of the Philippines, the annual rainfall is 1000-4500 mm.

In Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, rivers and lakes account for 4.9%, 1.5% and 0.6% respectively. There are many rivers in Indonesia and the Philippines, but the length of most of them is insignificant due to the insular nature and complexity of the relief. Basically, rivers begin in the mountains, so in the upper reaches they are characterized by a stormy character, their banks are steep; they flow calmly over the plains and form large deltas and shoals. In the upper and middle reaches of the river, the banks are intensively washed away, landslides occur. The torrential nature of the rains often leads to floods. The longest river in Indonesia, Kapuas (Kapuas Besar, 1010 km), flows from the mountains of Central Kalimantan in a westerly direction. The large rivers Mahakam (715 km), Barito (650 km) also begin here. The largest rivers in Sumatra are Jambi (800 km), Musi (553 km), Kampar (285 km), Rokan (265 km) and Siak (260 km). Solo is the largest Javanese river (540 km). The rivers of Sulawesi are short and turbulent. The Philippine rivers are much shorter than the Indonesian ones. The main rivers in Luzon are Cagayan (350 km), Agno (270 km) and Pampanga (260 km). Mindanao is crossed by 2 major rivers: Mindanao (550 km) and Agusan (300 km).

There are many lakes in Indonesia, but they are usually small. The largest, Toba in Sumatra, has an area of ​​1.3 square meters. km. Most of the lakes are of tectonic or volcanic origin, many formed in the craters of extinct volcanoes. Another type is floodplain lakes. Unlike Indonesia, there are few lakes in the Philippines. The largest of them are located in Luzon. This is Lake Laguna de Bai, formerly part of Manila Bay, and one of the largest lakes of volcanic origin in the Southeast Asian region, Taal, or Bombon, notable for the fact that in the middle of it there is an active volcano, in the cone of which another lake is hiding. On the island of Mindanao there are large deep lakes of tectonic origin - Lanao and Buluan; On the island of Mindoro, there is a relatively large Lake Nauhan.

In the region, except for Singapore, there are areas covered with swamps. The largest are located in Indonesia - in the east of Sumatra (155 thousand square kilometers, that is, a third of the island's area), in the south and east of Kalimantan and in the south of Irian Jai.

Least of all the inland water resources of the region are located in Singapore, which is again due to the country's small area. Inland water bodies of Singapore occupy less than 20 square meters. km of territory. The largest river is Seletar (12 km), reservoirs are Nisun and McRitchie. drinking water lacks. Singapore is the only state in the region that consumes water coming from another country (from Malaysia through a pipeline).

The region is mainly represented by lateritic red soils, formed as a result of high humidity and constant high temperatures. In most cases, the soils are fertile, but where they have formed on marls and limestones, they are rather poor. On the slopes of the mountains, altitudinal soil zonality is clearly manifested: as precipitation increases and temperatures decrease, red-yellow soils are replaced by mountain lateritic, more podzolized, since organic matter persists longer under such conditions. Bog-type soils are developed in swampy delta lowlands. On the plains, especially in the valleys of the largest rivers, the soils are generally alluvial and more fertile. Although intense rains leach soils, carrying mineral substances into the sea and thereby impoverishing them, river sediments restore their fertility. In areas of volcanic activity, dark brown or black soils with a high content of humus develop on ashes and young fresh lava covers.

Due to the hot and humid climate, the variety of topography, as well as the geographical location, Indonesia and the Philippines have a rich and diverse flora. Indonesia includes approx. 35 thousand species (only Java has about 10 thousand species). With the exception of Java and Bali, about 90% of the country's territory is covered with forests, in which more than 2 thousand species of trees grow (only palms - about 300 species). To a large extent, this is already a secondary forest (belukar), which is quite common in those parts of the Outer Islands where slash-and-burn agriculture is practiced. In drier areas, under this type of land use, natural vegetation was often completely replaced by a cover of tough lalang grass. In the Philippine Islands, the floristic composition is somewhat less than the Indonesian one and has more than 10 thousand species. Includes approx. 3 thousand trees, 1 thousand ferns and ferns, 900 species of orchids. About 60 tree species are of commercial value. Forests occupy more than 40% of the country's territory.

The distribution of the natural cover over the territory is determined by the relief and hydrothermal conditions. Vertical zones are clearly expressed. The lower belt is swampy thickets of evergreen mangrove vegetation, which is very rich in the Malay Archipelago, numbering up to 30 mangrove species. Behind the tide line, mangroves give way to an evergreen tropical forest: pandanus trees, but mainly palm trees - low-growing nipe (5-6 m), coconut palm, etc. Bananas and bamboo grow on the edges of palm groves. Above, up to a mark of approximately 600-700 m in Indonesia and up to 400 m in the Philippines, there are dipterocarp forests or hylaea - tropical jungles. The crowns of trees in them form several tiers, merging into a continuous canopy that does not let in the sun's rays. There are numerous creepers and epiphytes - orchids and rafflesia (the diameter of its flower reaches 1 m). Then, up to 1500 m in Indonesia and up to 900 m in the Philippines, mountain hylais stretch. Mixed forests are located in this zone, eucalyptus trees are not uncommon. Higher in Indonesia are forests of oaks, chestnuts, beeches, laurel and magnolia trees, many orchids, ferns and mosses. Evergreens grow in the Philippines oak forests with an undergrowth of palms, giving way to oak-maple-myrtle forests entwined with lianas and with mosses, lichens and orchids on tree trunks. At altitudes of 1000–2000 m (Philippines), pure pine trees grow (with island pine and Merkuza), in which such a valuable tree species as white agatis is found. From a height of 2500-2600 m in Indonesia and on the tops of the mountains of the Philippines, the forest gives way to shrubs, among which there are also cold-resistant tree species, including conifers. In Indonesia, this is followed by a belt of alpine meadows, and then a strip of eternal snow.

In the course of anthropogenic activities, significant areas of virgin forests were destroyed, as a result, many soils were subjected to severe erosion or overgrown with tough tropical grass alang-alang.

The small size of the territory of Singapore determines the limited plant resources. A dense population and a high degree of economic development have led to the disappearance of many plant species. In Singapore, forests cover only 5% of the territory.

The unique position of Indonesia at the junction of 2 continents has led to the fact that representatives of both Asian and Australian flora can be found here. The conditional line drawn by the English naturalist of the 19th century. A.R. Wallace along the outer edge of the Sunda continental shelf, east of Kalimantan and Java, corresponds to the approximate boundary of the Asian fauna in the west and the Australian one in the east. Accordingly, such large animals as elephant, rhinoceros (one-horned in Java and two-horned in Sumatra), tiger and orangutan live to the west of the designated border, and smaller monkeys are also found to the east - on the islands of Sulawesi and Timor. Even further east, many Asian species of birds, reptiles and insects (including butterflies) penetrate. As you move east of this line, the number of Australian animal species increases, which is most noticeable in the province of Irian Jaya, which is characterized by marsupials.

The advance of civilization has led to a significant reduction in the populations of large mammals. For example, wild elephants are currently found in Sumatra and are only occasionally found in Kalimantan. Sumatra has more large mammals (tigers, rhinos, tapirs, orangutans) than any other island in Indonesia. Rhinos, tapirs, leopards and orangutans live in Kalimantan. There is a gibbon monkey in Sumatra. In Java, besides the extremely rare tiger, the most famous local representative of large mammals is the wild bull, or banteng. Of the smaller mammals, Indonesia is characterized by the semi-monkey tupai, from the family of bats - the flying fox kalong (the largest bats with a wingspan of up to 1.5 m) and kalelawar. Interesting placental mammals pangolins, covered with scaly shells.

In most parts of Indonesia, snakes and crocodiles are widespread, and small island Komodo, lying between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, serves as the habitat of a giant lizard - Komodo monitor lizard. Orangutans and Komodo monitor lizards are found only in Indonesia. The avifauna is unusually rich, represented especially widely on the islands of the southeast by such extremely exotic and variegated birds as the bird of paradise, peacock, hornbill, cassowary. Added to this is a truly endless number of varieties of parrots of all sizes and the manyar bird, causing great damage to rice crops. Indonesia is teeming with insects, including termites, ants, and grasshoppers.

The marine fauna is exceptionally rich. There are approximately 1,500 species of fish, many of which are of commercial importance. Of the large marine animals, sperm whales, dugongs, dolphins, sea ​​turtles; everywhere there are sharks and rays; many poisonous sea snakes.

The isolation of the island world of the Philippine archipelago led to the formation of a unique fauna, characterized by a large percentage of endemism and a small number of mammal species. This made it possible to single it out as a special subregion of the Indo-Malayan zoogeographical region. Of the large mammals in the Philippines, there are two subspecies of the Asian buffalo - carabao and tamarau (the latter - only in the central regions of Mindoro Island). Smaller mammals are somewhat more widely represented. These include five species of macaques, tarsier (a representative of the prosimians), rodents, numerous bats (about 60 species, including fruit bats that cause great damage to gardens) and shrews, as well as Javan deer (or pygmy musk deer) and porcupine living on the island of Palawan, Philippine woolly wing, pangolin lizard. Of the carnivores, there are such small animals as the short-legged mongoose, binturong (from viverrids), strange-tailed. The abundance of reptiles (crocodiles, snakes, turtles, lizards, including geckos) is characteristic. Several hundred bird species have been recorded in the Philippines. The avifauna is similar to Malaysian and Australian. More than 300 species of birds nest in the Philippine Islands, including a rare bird of prey from the hawk family - the harpy (lives in forests on the island of Mindanao, feeds on macaques). The species diversity of insects is enormous, among which there are many carriers of diseases (for example, mosquitoes) and pests of agriculture (cicadas, etc.). The diversity and beauty of butterflies is striking.

More than 2 thousand species of fish are found in the seas, many of which are of commercial importance (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.). In shallow water near the Sulu Archipelago, large colonies of mollusks, including pearl mussels, are found.

The fauna of Singapore is poorer than the Indonesian and Philippine and is distinguished by a large variety of birds. Mammals include monkeys and rare animals - lemurs. Large mammals in the natural environment, unlike other countries of the region, are not found here.

The bowels of the Philippines and Indonesia are quite rich in a variety of minerals. Singapore, by contrast, is devoid of minerals other than building materials. There are only small deposits of graphite. Therefore, Singapore must import all mineral raw materials from abroad. The greatest value in Indonesia is oil, in terms of the reserves of which the country ranks first in South and Southeast Asia. Particularly rich in oil are Sumatra, where the oil-bearing strata go under the bottom of the Strait of Malacca, as well as the eastern coast of Kalimantan, the northern coast of Java and a number of coastal regions of Irian Jaya. In terms of natural gas production, Indonesia ranks sixth in the world, and in terms of its exports - first place. In the Philippines, the situation with the fuel and energy complex is the worst, and the main wealth of the country is polymetallic ores. The Philippines surpasses many countries in Southeast Asia in proven iron ore reserves, Asian countries in copper and molybdenum reserves, and also occupy a special place in the world in chromite and nickel deposits. The Philippines is rich in ores of non-ferrous, noble and alloying metals. Significant resources of copper ores belonging to the system of the Pacific ore belt have been identified. The copper content is 0.5%, the ore is of low quality. The country also has insignificant reserves of mercury, aluminum, lead, zinc and others. The explored reserves of metal ores in Indonesia are quite modest (except for tin). Half or even two-thirds of the iron ore reserves are in Sulawesi, almost the entire rest is in Kalimantan. Iron content -35-50%; little lump ore. In the Philippines, the average iron content is 50%; Particularly promising is the use of poor iron-nickel laterite ores in Mindanao and Samara, which are also associated with the extraction of nickel and cobalt. The average nickel content is 0.9-1.3% and 0.1% cobalt. In Indonesia, the nickel content in the deposits of Central and Southeast Kalimantan is up to 4%. Reserves of manganese, chromium, tungsten, molybdenum have been discovered (both in separate deposits and in the form of accompanying inclusions in iron ores), deposits of uranium and thorium. The Philippines concentrates almost a quarter of molybdenum reserves in the capitalist and developing countries of Asia. The ore contains 0.005% MoS 0, and is usually found in combination with copper and gold (for example, in the province of Negros Occidental). In terms of gold reserves, the Philippines is one of the leading places in Asia. The average gold grade is 3-5 g/t in primary deposits and less than 0.5 g/m3. m - in placers. Reserves of gold-bearing quartzites are available in Luzon (Benguet province - four-fifths of the reserves) and Mindanao. Other noble metals include silver, platinum and palladium. In Indonesia, primary deposits occur along a mountain range that stretches through Sumatra and further east. The most important deposits are in the south of Sumatra. There are placers of diamonds in the southeast of Kalimantan. In terms of tin reserves, Indonesia ranks second in Southeast Asia (after Malaysia). Nearly all of the deposits are found on Banka, Belitung and Sinkep, sometimes referred to as the "tin islands". The metal content in the ore is 72-73%. In terms of bauxite reserves, the country also ranks second in Southeast Asia. The content of alumina in the ore is 53-55%. The main deposit is located on Bintan, off the east coast of Sumatra. The Philippines is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of chromite resources. In terms of reserves, refractory chromites noticeably predominate (the average content of chromium oxide is 31%), however, there are deposits of ores and high-quality metallurgical chromites (50% chromium oxide). The main resources of chromites are concentrated in the province of Sambales (Luzon). Large reserves of chromites have been found in deposits of lateritic iron ore in northern Mindanao.

The reserves of non-metallic minerals (coal, sulfur, pyrites, limestone, marble, feldspar) are quite modest. In Indonesia, high-grade coal is also scarce. The main reserves are concentrated in Kalimantan. There is an acute shortage of explored reserves of lead, zinc, sulfur, and phosphorites. Little quartz, sand, clay.

Thus, Indonesia and the Philippines, in contrast to the "small" Singapore, have vast land and very diverse raw material resources. In combination with huge human reserves, natural wealth opens up broad prospects for economic development.

ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

The environmental problems of the region include, first of all, industrial pollution. Air and water pollution is high in urban areas. In the Philippines, pollution of mangrove swamps rich in fish is increasing. Deforestation, especially in the Philippines in watershed areas, is also causing irreversible damage. In addition, in Indonesia and Singapore, smog coming from forests burning in Indonesia does not the best way impact on the environment of countries. Soil erosion is also an environmental problem in the Philippines.

Discharge of organic waste (kg per day)

Singapore:

State of the environment (1990-1995):

Air Pollution (1995)

Thus, the ecological situation of the countries of the region is far from being stable. From year to year, the discharge of organic waste is increasing, and in Indonesia it is much more than in Singapore.

POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHARACTERISTICS

The countries of the region are united, firstly, by the colonial past, as well as by a rather similar form of government. The first country to gain independence from the United States was the Philippines, which gained freedom on July 4, 1946, followed by Indonesia on December 27, 1949. from the Netherlands and finally Singapore on 9 August 1965 from Malaysia. The countries are unitary republics. In Singapore and the Philippines, the president is elected for a 6-year term by direct universal suffrage, and in the Philippines he is elected together with the vice president and cannot be re-elected; vice president - no more than two times in a row. In Indonesia, unlike previous countries in the region, the constitution declared the creation of a People's Consultative Congress as the highest legislative body. The President is elected by the People's Consultative Assembly for a 4-year term. The Indonesian legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law, does not recognize the supremacy of the International Supreme Court (in The Hague), in the Philippines - on Spanish and Anglo-American law, recognizes the supremacy of the International Supreme Court, in Singapore - on English common law. In Indonesia and Singapore, the legislature is a unicameral parliament - the House of Representatives in the first (500 seats - 462 deputies are elected by popular vote, 38 are appointed by military representatives; all deputies are elected for a 5-year term) and the Unicameral Parliament in the second (81 deputies; elected at least than once every 5 years based on general elections; the government is headed by the prime minister). In the Philippines, the legislature is the Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate consists of 24 people who receive a mandate for 6 years. The House of Representatives consists of 250 deputies who are elected for a three-year term. Of these, 200 represent individual districts, and 50 are appointed by the head of state on lists proposed by political parties and public organizations.

The main political parties in the Philippines: Nationalist, Liberal, New Society Movement (Kilusan bagong lipunan - KBL), Philippine Democratic, People Power. Political organizations in Indonesia: Golkar (Golongan karya, united civil servants, officers and, to a lesser extent, students, peasants, women, etc. in the so-called functional groups), National Renaissance Party, Democratic Party of Indonesia (DPI), Unity Party and Development (PER). Of the 20 political parties in Singapore, the most influential is the People's Action Party (PAP), which has been ruling since the country's independence.

The judicial power in the countries of the region is represented by the Supreme Court, whose judges are appointed by the president.

The administrative-territorial unit of Indonesia and the Philippines are provinces. Indonesia is made up of 24 provinces, 2 special regions and 1 metropolitan urban area (Jakarta). The Philippines consists of 77 provinces, which are combined into 12 economic and administrative regions for the convenience of planning, development and coordination of the activities of the provincial authorities. Another 63 large cities are vested with special rights ensuring independence from the provincial administration.

DEMOGRAPHIC SITUATION AND POPULATION REPRODUCTION

The countries of the South Asian Islands region have a high population. Indonesia ranks 4th in the world (population -228437870 people (2001, CIA)), Philippines -13th place (82841518 people (2001, CIA)). Singapore occupies only 117th place (4300419 people (2001, CIA)), but in relation to a small area, the country is one of the most densely populated countries peace. Population density -6636.4 people / km 2. The population is concentrated in the southern part of the island of Singapore. In the early 1960s, there was a very high birth rate, but thanks to the government's family planning program, the birth rate was almost halved. According to forecasts, by 2025 the population will be 4168 thousand people, and by 2050 - 4015 thousand. The population density in Indonesia is 119 people / km 2. The population of Indonesia began to increase rapidly from the beginning of the 19th century. In the 1960s-1970s, the growth rate was estimated at about 2% per year, in 1990-1995 it decreased to 1.7%. In the late 1990s, Indonesia's population grew by about 3 million annually. The population is unevenly distributed on more than 13,000 of the country's islands. For example, in Java, which occupies only approx. 7% of the area of ​​Indonesia, almost 60% of all the inhabitants of the country are concentrated. In 1995, in Java and the nearby island of Madura, the population density was extremely high - approx. 870 people per 1 sq. km. The opposite picture is observed in the province of Irian Jaya: only 1% of its inhabitants are concentrated on 22% of the country's territory (4.6 people per 1 sq. km). The island of Kalimantan, covered with tropical rain forests, also belongs to the sparsely populated areas of Indonesia. In 1995, its population density averaged 19 people per 1 sq. km. km. According to forecasts, by 2025 the population will reach 273,442 thousand people, and by 2050 - 311,857 thousand. The population density in the Philippines is 276.1 people / km 2. Annual growth in 2000 was 2.1%. It is assumed that by 2025 the population will be equal to 108251 thousand people, by 2050 – 130893 thousand people.

Indonesia and the Philippines are countries of the second type of population reproduction. The countries of this region are characterized by a high birth rate, high mortality and a large natural increase. In Singapore, the average number of children per woman is 1.2; in Indonesia and the Philippines, 2.6 and 3.5, respectively.

Population change (per 1000 people in 2001 ( CIA))

Population distribution

Indonesia:

Singapore:

Philippines:

average life expectancy

Level of health care (% of population; 1990-1996)

In all three countries, women outnumber men. There are 997 men per 1,000 women in Indonesia, 957 in Singapore, and 993 in the Philippines.

Singapore has 100% urban population. In Indonesia -35%. In Indonesia, as in most developing countries, there is a trend towards an accelerated outflow of the population from the villages. Compared with 1940, the total population of the largest cities has increased 10 times. This process is especially pronounced in Java (Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya). The cohort of the leading centers of urbanization in Sumatra includes Medan (in the north), Palembang (the most Big city on the island) and Padang (the main port on the west coast). In Sulawesi, Ujungpandang (formerly Makassar) is of the greatest importance, and in Kalimantan, Banjarmasin. In the Philippines, about half of the country's population is urbanized. In 1995 ok. 15% of the population lived in the Greater Manila area. The functions of an important administrative center of the central group of islands, the Visayas, are performed by the city of Cebu, the second most important port in the Philippines. Other major cities include Quezon City, Davao, Pasay, Bacolod, and Iloilo.

population of large cities

Indonesia:

Singapore:

In Philippine cities, except for the Manila metropolitan area, the population is relatively small. They arose mainly as centers of military bases and ports carrying goods. In Davao, the population is approximately 650 thousand people. Thus, cities in Indonesia are much larger than in the Philippines.

ETHNO-CONFESSIONAL COMPOSITION. LANGUAGE FAMILIES

These countries are characterized by ethnic diversity, with each ethnic group having its own language, customs and social structure. In Singapore, after the founding of the British colony, thanks to the development of trade, a large number of immigrants from Europe, China, India and other countries settled. Currently, 78.7% of the population are Chinese, 13.1% are Malays, and 7.1% are Indians. The Chinese population comes mainly from the southern provinces of China (Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, the Hainan Islands) and speaks various dialects of the Chinese language. The most common dialects are Guangdong, Southern Fujian and Hakka. Malays consist of 2 groups: indigenous people and people from Malaya and Indonesia. Indian population originates mainly from immigrants from southern and northern India and Pakistan. Tamils ​​are the most numerous. Other people from south india Malayali and Telugu. Immigrants from northern India and Pakistan are represented by Sindhis, Punjabis, Pashtuns. In addition to dialects of Chinese, the population speaks Malay, Tamil and English.

In Indonesia, approx. 300 ethnic and tribal groups. Of all the peoples of Indonesia, only 16 have a population exceeding 1 million people. The most numerous of them are Javanese; their share in the population of the country is 40-45%. Javanese inhabit Central, partly West and East Java, eastern and southern parts of Sumatra, south of Kalimantan. They are followed by the Sunds (Sundans) from western Java, the Madurians from Madura and eastern Java, the Malays from East Sumatra and West and East Kalimantan, the Minangkabau from western Sumatra. Other large nationalities include the Bugs from the southwest of Sulawesi, the Bataks from the northeast of Sumatra, the Balinese from the island of Bali, the Banjdars from the south of Kalimantan, the Acehs (Ache) from the north of Sumatra, the Dayaks (inhabit the central part of Kalimantan; among them are the Clementans , from which the island got its Indonesian name), Makassars from the southwestern tip of Sulawesi, Toraji (a complex group of tribes and peoples living in the central part of Sulawesi), Sasaks from Lombok. In addition, there are many small peoples with local habitats. A number of the country's ethnic groups have reached the level of a nation. This is the majority of large, ethnically homogeneous peoples, as well as some small ethnic groups, such as the Ambonians, who have a highly developed ethnic self-consciousness. There are a number of nationalities or groups of nations that form into a nation (Madurians, Banjars). In all regions, except Java, there are groups of tribes that are at the stage of formation in the nationality (Dayaks). At the lowest level of social and ethnic development are nomadic tribes of hunters, fishermen and gatherers, such as the Kuku from East Sumatra. Of the non-indigenous population, the largest group is the Chinese. During the colonial period, Chinese settlers made up the bulk of the coolies, i.e. laborers employed under contract mainly in the tin mines and rubber plantations of Sumatra. Even today, the largest Chinese communities are found in areas and cities associated in the past with colonial trade, such as the northern coast of Java or the plantation city of Medan in northern Sumatra. Arabs, Indians and Europeans also live in Indonesia. The official language of Indonesia is Bahasa Indonesia. Also used: English, French, Chinese. The languages ​​of the country's indigenous ethnic groups differ significantly, although they all belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language family. The only exceptions are the Papuan languages, which are spoken in Irian Jaya and other areas of eastern Indonesia. Bahaz Indonesia is based on Malay, which at one time acted as the main language of trade and communication between the inhabitants of the archipelago. Bahasa Indonesia is taught in all schools and is spoken by educated and urban Indonesians. In the countryside, in casual settings at home or in conversation with friends, languages ​​such as Javanese, Sundanese and Madurese are often used.

Almost all major religious denominations are represented in Singapore and Indonesia, and Singapore does not have any major beliefs (Buddhism is practiced by 30% of the population, Islam -16%, Christianity -20%, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism). Islam, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism, Confucianism coexist in Indonesia. The vast majority of Indonesians (nearly 90%) are Muslims. Although in some parts of Indonesia (Sumatra, western Java and southeast Kalimantan) Muslims strictly observe the canons of Islam, in other places this religion is usually heavily influenced by Buddhism and animistic beliefs. Almost without exception, the inhabitants of Bali profess Hinduism, which was influenced by Buddhism, while the majority of the Chinese remain adherents of Buddhism and Confucianism. Protestanism is followed by most of the Toba Bataks, some peoples and tribes of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, the Lesser Sunda and Moluccas, Irian Jaya. Protestants are predominantly Calvinist. Catholics are mainly residents of Flores. In the interior of the islands, animism is widespread - the belief that the world is filled with all sorts of spirits hiding in volcanoes, wind, rivers, trees, rocks, graves, daggers, gongs, drums, etc.

The Philippines is the only state in Asia where predominantly Christianity is practiced (94% of the population). At the same time, 84% of Filipinos are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, 5% are Protestants and approx. 4% belong to two local religious denominations - the Philippine Independent Church (informally called the Aglipayan Church) and the Philippine Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo). Approximately 5% of the inhabitants are Muslims, less than 2% adhere to local traditional beliefs.

Christian populations. The name of each ethnic group, with the exception of a few cases, correlates with the language used.

The Tagals, who live in central and southern parts of Luzon, dominate Greater Manila and make up about a quarter of the population of the Philippines. The Cebuanos dominate the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Negros East, Leyte West, and the coastal areas of Mindanao. Initially gravitating towards the northern part of Luzon, the Iloks (Ilokans) later migrated en masse to the central regions of this island or moved to the USA. The Hiligaynons (Ilongos) live in conflict with the Muslim population. Bicols are considered to come from southeastern Luzon on Panay Island, as well as in the west of Negros Island and in the south of Mindoro Island. The main part of the Bisaya (Visaya) is concentrated in the eastern Visayas, Samar Island and in the east of Leyte Island. Pampangans live in central Luzon (mainly in the province of Pampanga), and Pangasinans live in the coastal strip of Lingayen Bay on Luzon Island, from where they spread to the interior of the island.

Muslim populations. Adherents of Islam are concentrated mainly in the southern part of Mindanao and on the Sulu archipelago. In total, there are about a dozen different Muslim peoples in the country, of which the most numerous are Maguindanao, as well as Sulu (Tausog), Maranao and Samal. Sulu, living on the archipelago of the same name (mainly on the island of Jolo), were the first to convert to Islam. Maranao ("lake people") settled on the shores of Lake Lanao on the island of Mindanao. Maguindanao settled on the plains of North Cotabato on the same Mindanao. In the southern part of the Sulu archipelago live Samal - the poorest of the local Muslim peoples; boats serve as dwellings for some Samal families. Yakans are few in number on Basilan Island, Bajau in the Sulu Archipelago, Sangils in the provinces of Davao and Cotabato in Mindanao.

Mountain ethnic groups- the indigenous inhabitants of the country, inhabiting such isolated territories as the Mountainous Province in the north of Luzon, the Palawan Islands, Mindoro and Mindanao, did not undergo significant Spanish or Muslim influence. There are over 100 small mountain peoples in the Philippines, ranging from a few hundred to more than 100 thousand people. Some of the members of these ethnic communities identify themselves as Catholic or Muslim, while many others adhere to local traditional beliefs.

The main tribal groups that have settled in northern Luzon are the Ibaloi, Kankanai, Ifugao, Bontoc, Kalinga, Apayo (Isnegi), Tinguian, Gaddan and Ilongot. Mangians live on Mindoro Island, and Tagbanua, Palawans and Bataks live on Palawan. Mindanao has become home to bagobo, bilaan, bukidnon, mandaya, manobo, subanon, t "boli and tirurai. Representatives of the aeta (or negrito) group are found on the islands of Luzon, Mindanao, Negros and Panay.

The religion of all mountain ethnic groups includes complex systems of beliefs in various spirits, main and other deities, as well as the corresponding ritual practice. Bagobo, for example, come from the existence of nine heavens, each of which has its own god. Rites are performed mainly to appease the spirits that cause illness.

Chinese. Approximately 1.5% of the population of the Philippines are ethnic Chinese. Inter-ethnic marriages have become more frequent, especially among Chinese men and Filipino women. Chinese merchants and artisans, who appeared on the archipelago hundreds of years ago, have always played an important role in its economic life, acting as intermediaries between the Spanish rulers and the general population, and later between European merchants and local merchants.

In the Philippines, as in Indonesia, the languages ​​belong to the Austronesian family of languages. Eight of them play the role of the first language for more than 85% of the total population of the country. In the Visayas, Cebuano is widespread, in the central part of Luzon and in Manila - Tagalog (Tagalog), in the north of Luzon - the Ilokan language. Since 1939, official authorities have promoted the introduction of a single state language - Pilipino, based on Tagalog. Pilipino is owned today by more than half of the country's inhabitants. English remains the main language of communication, administration, education in universities and the media. On it, in addition to mother tongue, says now ok. 50% of the country's population.

CULTURE AND SCIENCE

Literacy rate of the population (%; 1995)

Singapore is the initiator of the creation of the regional Organization of Ministers of Education of the countries of Southeast Asia, established in 1965 to promote the development of cooperation between the countries of Southeast Asia in the field of education, science and culture. Indonesia and the Philippines are also members of this organization. Education in Singapore is valued as a way to get more high position in society. Schooling is not compulsory, but most children complete the full course of primary school. There are the National University of Singapore, the Singapore Polytechnic Institute, the Ngi-Ann Technical College, the Singapore National Academy of Sciences, several higher technical and humanitarian colleges.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Indonesia successfully invested heavily in primary education. In 1997, up to 95% of children aged 7–12 attended school, 77% aged 13–15 and 48% aged 16–18. Only 10% of the population over the age of 10 did not complete primary school and remained illiterate. 16% of the country's citizens received higher education. Created in 1961, the Ministry of School Education and Culture manages public schools, striving for the unification of the educational process and presenting General requirements with regard to the curriculum and textbooks, teaching methods, the principles of school administration and the foundations for the training of teaching staff. The Indonesian Institute for Scientific Research (Lembaga ilmu pengatahuan Indonesia), located in Jakarta, acts as the main sponsor of scientific activities, including its planning, publication of scientific literature and organization of scientific conferences. The universities "Gaja Mada", "Airlanga", "Khasanuddin" and others are functioning.

In 1990, over 90% of the country's population over 14 years of age was literate in the Philippines. Secondary and higher education in the Philippines is received mainly in private educational institutions. The higher education system in the Philippines follows the American model. It can be obtained free of charge at public universities and colleges, as well as at teacher training or technical schools. Approximately one third of all private educational institutions are under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church, and approx. 10% are affiliated with other religious organizations. Higher education institutions operate in almost all provinces, but most of them are located in Greater Manila. The State University of the Philippines at Quezon City, opened in 1908, has a large number of faculties and colleges. Prestige is also enjoyed by the Catholic University of Santo Tomas (founded in 1611), the Far East University in Manila, the University of Manila, Adamson University, Ateneum University, the Philippine Women's University, and the University of Mindanao in Marawi City, located in the metropolitan area of ​​Manila. American missionaries founded Sillimanan University in Dumaguete and Central Philippine University in Iloilo.

There are a number of large museums and libraries in the countries of the region, some of them directly attached to universities. Valuable collections of documents related to the history of the Philippines and works of art are displayed in Memorial Museum and the Lopez Library (where the letters and manuscripts of the national hero Jose Rizal (Filipino educator and writer) are stored), in the library of the University of St. Thomas, at the exhibitions Araneta (painting) and Loksin (ceramics). In Manila, the old city of Intramuros is remarkable, in which almost all the main cultural monuments are concentrated. In addition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History and Anthropology of Santo Tomas, the National Museum, and the Botanical Garden are of interest. At the entrance to Manila, there is a church in Las Piñas with the only bamboo organ in the world. Many churches are architectural monuments, such as the church of St. Augustine in Manila (17th century), the church of Paoay in the province of North Ilocos.

The National Library of Singapore has over 1 million volumes of books and other publications, half of which are in English. The Singapore Botanic Garden is widely known as major center botanical research in Southeast Asia, as a center for the study, systematization and classification of the flora of the region. One of the main attractions of Singapore is Tiger Balm Park, which presents sculptural compositions that reproduce scenes from mythology, Chinese folklore, ancient legends and chronicles. The Van Cleef Aquarium is popular, with over 70 exhibition tanks containing over a thousand fish of about 250 species, as well as sea turtles and many invertebrates. Singapore has many Christian churches of various persuasions, Buddhist temples, Muslim mosques, some of which are interesting architectural monuments. Among them are the Anglican Cathedral of St. Andrew, the Sultan Mosque, the Hindu temple of Sri Mariamman, the Buddhist temple of Tian Hok-Keng.

In Indonesia, the Center for Scientific Documentation and the Center for Scientific Documentation in Social Sciences, established at the Indonesian Institute of Scientific Research, have been established. One of the centers of Indonesian culture is the island of Bali. It is called the "island of a thousand temples", the most beautiful of which is the temple of Singsida. Of interest are the Royal Graves (11th century), the Elephant Cave with a statue of Ganesha (13th century). The island is also known for colorful religious festivals and dances. Of the monuments of the early Middle Ages, the most famous is the temple of Buddha - Chandi Borobudur near Magelang in Central Java (8-9 centuries) - a stone chronicle of the life of Buddha. Another famous architectural and temple complex, also located in Java, is the Hindu Prambanan, dedicated to Shiva. Notable in Jakarta are: the center of the old city with buildings and canals of the 17th-18th centuries, the Panang Gate (17th century), the Portuguese Church.

ECONOMY

Singapore is the most economically developed country in the region, the economy of which is based on international trade, the banking sector and developed industries, the main of which are mechanical engineering and electronics. In terms of economic development, Indonesia and the Philippines lag far behind Singapore and are among the newly industrialized countries whose economies are based on in the extraction of natural resources and the agricultural sector. The industrial development policy of Indonesia and the Philippines basically has two main goals: the development of import-substituting industries and the mechanization of agriculture.

The basis of industry in Indonesia and the Philippines is the mining industry. Most of the extracted natural resources are exported and the well-being of the industry depends on price fluctuations in world markets. In Indonesia, oil production is the most important industry, while the Philippines produces oil in small quantities and the country is forced to import this fuel (in 1993, only 2% of the oil consumed was produced in the Philippines). Indonesia mainly specializes in the supply of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) and some metals (tin, bauxite, nickel, manganese, lead, copper, zinc, chromium). The Philippines also has metal mining and, unlike Indonesia, the Philippines exports a significant amount of iron, as well as gold and silver. Singapore, which has no minerals (except granite), is forced to import energy and industrial minerals.

The manufacturing industry in Indonesia and the Philippines is not as well developed as in Singapore. Oil is mostly refined in Singapore and less so in Indonesia. Singapore is home to the largest industrial center in Southeast Asia, Jurong, which specializes in a variety of industries. Heavy industry enterprises in the Philippines and Indonesia, in contrast to Singapore, are located close to sources of raw materials. In addition, Singapore mainly uses scrap metal in metallurgy, which is rare in Indonesia and the Philippines.

The textile industry is the main light industry in Indonesia and one of the main industries in the Philippines.

A significant difference between the economies of the countries of the region is that the main branch of the Indonesian and Philippine economy is agriculture, while in Singapore agriculture occupies less than 2% of the economy. The agricultural sector in Indonesia and the Philippines accounts for over 20% of GNP. The countries are mainly engaged in crop production and animal husbandry, but the former is much more prevalent. Rice is the dominant crop. Countries - large producers of fruits, corn; timber and tobacco exporters. Indonesian rubber is valued and revered for its high quality throughout the world. Singapore is unable to self-sufficient food and imports most types of food.

The value of exports is the largest in Singapore - 122 billion dollars (2001, CIA), in Indonesia and the Philippines, significantly less - 56.5 and 37, respectively. The value of imports is also the largest in Singapore - 116 billion dollars, 38.1 and 30 in Indonesia and the Philippines.

International trade (CIA , 2000)

Indonesia has the largest external debt - $135 billion, the Philippines -50. Thanks to the right economic policy and strategic planning, Singapore's debt is significantly different from Indonesian and Philippine and is about $8 billion. The government of Indonesia has been given the difficult task of settling economic problems, creating the image of a civilized and rule of law state in order to attract foreign investors.

Industry, agriculture and the mining industry play the main role in the structure of Indonesia's GDP. In the Philippines, the structure is somewhat different: the first place is occupied by the service sector, and then by industry and agriculture. In Singapore, the GDP system resembles the Philippine one: services and industry.

Economic Performance Indicators (1999)

As can be seen from the table, Singapore's GNP per capita is significantly higher than in the rest of the countries in the region under consideration, and it is also the highest among the countries of Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, widespread unemployment and a sharp fall in the Indonesian rupiah (1997; the reason is the default of Indonesian firms on short-term loans) led to a low GNP per capita. In the Philippines, income distribution is highly unequal, with over a third of the population living below the poverty line. In terms of living standards, Singapore ranks 25th in the world, the Philippines -77th, and Indonesia -110th.

The economic policy of Singapore is aimed at reducing dependence on foreign economic processes, and the government is making a lot of efforts to establish Singapore as the financial and highly industrial center of Southeast Asia. Indonesia and the Philippines are largely dependent on foreign economic processes, which manifested itself in the economic crisis of Asian countries in 1997. A distinctive feature of the Indonesian economy is central planning, although in recent years, as in the Philippines, there have been trends towards decentralization and the development of private entrepreneurship.

CONCLUSION

As a result of the characteristics of the countries of the region of the islands of Southeast Asia, it can be concluded that the development trends of Indonesia and the Philippines have many common features and differ significantly from the development trends of Singapore, which is considered one of the four Asian tigers. Indonesia and the Philippines have rich natural resource potential for industrial development. Although the agricultural sector occupies an important part of the economy, industrialization is gradually increasing the pace of development and the share of the non-manufacturing sector is growing. The economy of Indonesia and the Philippines is characterized by a rather unstable state and a high exposure to external crises.

Tourism is an important sector of the economy, attracting foreign capital to the country.

The geographical landscape of Indonesia and the Philippines is a very attractive factor for tourism. The nature of the relief is quite diverse: from swamps and lowlands to the highlands and snowy peaks of Indonesia. Unusual flora and fauna. In Indonesia, for example, there is the largest flower in the world (Rafflesia Arnoldi). Beaches, volcanoes, hot springs - natural objects of world importance - are very popular among tourists.

The natural part of Singapore's recreational resources is not as rich as the Indonesian and Philippine, but the technogenic component is much larger and is at one of the highest levels in Southeast Asia and the world as a whole. In Indonesia and the Philippines, many cultural attractions are associated with the architectural buildings of the early and late Middle Ages, which you will not find in Singapore. But unlike Indonesia and the Philippines, Singapore provides a huge variety of entertainment options: from Chinese opera and Broadway musicals to all kinds of sports and exciting attractions.

The convenient geographical position of countries at the crossroads of sea and air routes also play a huge role in the development of the economy.

Thus, the newly industrialized countries of Indonesia and the Philippines have great development prospects, and the government of the countries is trying to take its rightful place among the newly industrialized countries of Southeast Asia, while Singapore is trying to maintain and strengthen the name of a prosperous highly industrialized, financial and cultural center South-East Asia.

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Turistsko-recreational potential Forppin

Fulfilled

2nd year student GT-13

Goryachev Andrey Sergeevich

checked

Dengin Dmitry Dmitrievich

Nizhny Novgorod, 2014

Introduction

Chapter 1. Features of the tourist and recreational resources of the Philippines

1.1 Geographic location of the Philippines

1.2 Natural resources of the Philippines

1.3 Demographics in the Philippines

1.4 Features of economic and geographical development

Chapter 2. Geographical characteristics of the tourist and recreational resources of the Philippines

2.1 The role of tourism in the economy of the Philippines

2.2 Natural resource potential of the region and its use

2.3 Historical and cultural heritage of the Philippines as a tourism resource

2.4 Main tourist areas, routes and centers

Conclusion

List of sources used

Applications

Introduction

In many countries of the world, tourism is developing as a system that provides all the opportunities to get acquainted with the history, culture, customs, spiritual and religious values ​​​​of a given country and its people, and generates income for the treasury. In addition to a significant source of income, tourism is also one of the powerful factors in strengthening the prestige of the country, the growth of its importance in the eyes of the world community.

Tourism is not only the largest, but also one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the world economy. For its rapid growth, it is recognized as the economic phenomenon of the century.

The potential dynamism of tourism development is due to a number of objective factors:

This is an important sphere of attraction for the labor force, a factor in ensuring employment of the population;

A powerful incentive for the development of such sectors of the economy as transport, communications, trade, construction, agriculture, production of souvenirs and related products;

This is a condition for the development of social and industrial infrastructure;

This is a possible means of increasing foreign exchange earnings in the region;

This is a factor in the development of national and folk crafts, original culture indigenous peoples;

Condition for the development of international contacts and exchange of cultures.

The relevance of this study: in recent decades, tourism and recreation have taken the position of one of the leading sectors of the world economy and have become an important part of the national economy and a source of well-being in various countries of the world. New trends in the development of the country's economy dictate a different attitude towards the formation of a regional tourist and recreational product. Under these conditions, there was a very obvious need to carry out a special recreational study of the territory of the Philippines.

The purpose of this study is: to study the tourism and recreational potential and features of the development of tourism in the Philippines.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks are solved in the work:

The study of the theoretical and methodological foundations of tourism and tourist and recreational potential

Studying the general characteristics of the economy

Identification of features of recreational resources

Study of tourism infrastructure

Formation of tourist routes

Study of the current state of the tourism industry and development prospects. philippines development geographic resource

To achieve this goal, the following methods were used: statistical, analytical, cartographic, stock, comparative, expert assessment methods, zoning method, as well as a descriptive method.

The object of the study is the Republic of the Philippines.

The subject of the research is the analysis of the state of tourism.

The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the study carried out a comprehensive assessment of the current state of tourism in the Philippines.

As an information base, Internet resources were used in the form of: statistical collections, educational and methodological materials and literary sources, demographic dictionaries and encyclopedias, various cartographic materials, magazines, as well as scientific and popular science literature.

Chapter 1.Features of tourist and recreational resourcesPhilippines

When planning a tour to a distant, unfamiliar country, everyone tries to learn at least a little about the world where they are going to go. What are the Philippines? This is a paradise on 7000 islands. Getting here, you understand that parallel worlds exist. Tourism news periodically reports the opening of new hotels and tourist complexes on the islands. The popularity of Philippine resorts is increasing every year. There are a lot of exotic things here, like in Cambodia, service is not worse than Thai, skyscrapers like in Hong Kong, and many more interesting things.

A visa is not required to stay in the Philippines. The visa-free regime allows you to enjoy the beauties of the islands for up to 21 days. All you need is to present a valid passport, a return ticket and enough money at the airport to have a rest in the country. Feature of the Philippine rhythm of life - in the absence of haste. You can forget about punctuality here. Being late for 20 minutes is the norm, and for a longer wait, no one will be offended by you.

The climate on the islands is humid and hot. An obligatory attribute of walks here can be called an umbrella. There is always a chance of rain in the Philippines. As for the rules of conduct, cigarette lovers should be careful. Smoking in the Philippines is prohibited in public places, transport and hospitals. Violation of the law is punishable at best by a hefty fine, at worst by imprisonment. Going to the islands, do not forget about the first aid kit. Local pharmacies are full of drugs, but there is no guarantee that you will find what you need.

The Philippines is known not only for its exoticism and luxury resorts, but also by loud names of natural disasters. Earthquakes, typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions occur here with enviable regularity. The vast majority of cataclysms are more frightening in name than in consequences. Incidents with tourists do not happen in Mindanao, which lies outside the typhoon belt. When there is a hurricane on other islands, only torrential rains pass here. Cyclones and storms turn into only trouble for tourists in the form of impassable roads and canceled flights at airports.

As for the precautions at the resorts, it is enough not to leave expensive things unattended, to thermally process fish, meat, milk, if you cook yourself, not to drink unboiled water (it is also not recommended to brush your teeth with it), to peel fruits. Communication problems will not arise if you know English. It is the second official language in the Philippines and is spoken even in the outback.

Each resort of the islands has its own zest. The most popular are the capital of the state Manila, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Mindoro, Palawan, Mactan, Negros, Mindanao, Panglao. Lovers should go to the Philippines beach holiday and ecotourism. The island state is full of "white spots". Unique ecosystems with the rarest representatives of fauna and flora have been preserved here. There are also tribes in the Philippines that live outside of time.

The main architectural sights are concentrated in Manila and other major cities. Pride island nation is its nature. The Philippines has active volcanoes, national parks, mountains, caves. Organizing a tour of the protected areas is not difficult. It can be offered to you in almost any hotel.

You can get to the Philippines by plane. There are regular flights from Moscow to Manila. Docking is carried out in Seoul and Amsterdam.

Types of tourism:

The warm waters of the coastal seas, the temperature of which does not drop below +25 degrees throughout the year, white sand and developed infrastructure make the Philippines one of the leaders in beach holidays in the world. Many islands of the archipelago have been turned into resort areas. Among them, the most popular is the island of Boracay with its unique White Beach (white beach), on the island of Mindoro is located resort area Muelle Bay in Puerto Galera, Palawan, sunbathe at Honda Bay and be sure to visit the small island of Malapascua in Cebu.

The coastal waters of the Philippines are one of the best diving sites in the world. The most sophisticated divers will be surprised by the diversity of the underwater world that is presented here - more than 500 varieties of corals and more than 2000 species of fish, 6 species of sea turtles, more than 20 species of whales and dolphins, as well as the most dangerous White shark. Fans of wreck diving are invited to explore the sunken ships that littered the bottom of the island shelf after the Second World War. You can dive from the shore, from a boat in the open sea or from a "bank" (a local boat similar to a canoe). The most popular dive sites are in the Palawan area. One of them is El Nido, the other is the Tubbataha Reef, which has become a National Reserve protected by UNESCO. The northern part of Tubbatah is known for a large number of turtles, but strong currents are also observed there, and Amos Rock, ideal for night diving, is located nearby. Mindoro Island is known for San Jose's Apo Reef, a place suitable for drift diving due to strong currents. in the waters south coast In Mindoro, from November to April, tiger sharks and hammerhead fish swim through the coral-covered underwater canyons. There are many interesting places in the vicinity of Luzon island. In Subic Bay, not far from Manila, there used to be a US naval base, so the most popular place is "New York", so named because of the American ship that sank here, coral gardens are very interesting - In La Union, divers will see caves, tanks from the Second World War. World War II, in which moray eels live, whale and white-tailed sharks, leopard rays, giant barracudas, Spanish mackerel, and turtles can occasionally appear here. Nasugbu Bay is home to the Blue Holes, home to giant octopuses, cuttlefish and turtles. In the Bohol area, the depth of a possible dive reaches 100 m, here you will see caves, huge arches, large fish, including hammerhead fish. In addition to divers, coastal waters also attract surfers.

A high wave is observed here from October to January. For beginners, the northwest of Luzon is suitable - La Union and Boracay Island in the White Beach area. The waves in Baler and Infanta are higher, so they are suitable for the average level. Fans of extreme sports should go to the East Coast.

The Philippine archipelago is part of a belt of active volcanoes, the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire". Most often, excursions are offered to the volcanoes of the island of Luzon, because there are about 20 of them. The Pinatubo volcano is remembered for its powerful destructive eruption in 1991; the Mayon volcano (2450 m) has the shape of a regular cone and has erupted 4 times since the 20th century seridina, and 47 times since 1616 (!); Taal Volcano, 50 km south of Manila, is the smallest volcano in the world. The extinct volcano Apo (3144 m) is the highest point of the islands, located on the island of Mindanao.

ECOTOURISM

Once the territory of the Philippine Islands was completely covered with impenetrable tropical forests, now there are not so many of them left, but the flow of tourists who want to look at the local ecosystems still does not dry out. If you want to learn more about the flora and fauna of the Philippines, go to Palawan Island. The local tropical rainforests are known for their giant trees, many of which are endemic, about 25% of the animal species living in the archipelago are found only on this island. If you are lucky, you will see a king cobra and huge butterflies larger than the palm of your hand.

Health and medical tourism

The Philippines is one of Asia's top medical tourism destinations. The popularity of this type of travel and the predicted potential for the development of medical tourism in the Philippines is explained by the low cost of medical services with a rather high quality of staff. The Medical Tourism Development Campaign has been run by the Philippine Tourism Department since 1998. Also popular are trips to traditional Filipino healers - healers, spa treatments and a national form of massage - hilot.

Attractions

White beach on Boracay island

Intramuros -- spanish fortress in Manila

Baguio - mountain resort

Rice terraces in Banaue

Chocolate Hills of Bohol

Magellan's tomb in Cebu

Vigan Historic Center

Volcano Taal

Volcano Mayon

Puerto Princesa Underground River

1.1 Geographical positionPhilippines

The Philippines occupies an archipelago of the same name in the Pacific Ocean, which is part of the Malay Archipelago.

The Philippine archipelago consists of over 7,107 islands, but only 2,000 of them are inhabited. The largest of them: Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Panay, Palawan, Negros, Mindoro, Leyte. The islands of Luzon and Mindanao make up 66% of the country's territory. The archipelago is conventionally divided into three island groups: Luzon in the north, the Visayas in the center and Mindanao in the south.

The length of the archipelago from north to south is about 2000 km, from west to east - 900 km.

In the west, the islands are washed by the South China Sea, in the east by the Philippine Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea, in the north the Philippine Islands are separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Strait. The length of the coastline is 36.3 thousand km. total area islands - 299.7 thousand km².

Most of the major islands are of volcanic origin. largest Mountain chain- Cordillera - is located in the central and northern part of the island of Luzon. The highest peak is the volcano Apo (Apo) (2954 m) on the island of Mindanao. The Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and there are many active volcanoes on the islands.

The largest river in the Philippines, the Cagayan on the island of Luzon, has a length of 354 km. The largest lake, Laguna de Bai is also located in Luzon.

1.2 natural resources of the philippines

Geographical position

The Philippines occupies the Philippine Islands, which are part of the Malay Archipelago. The largest of more than 7100 islands belonging to the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Panay, Palawan, Negros, Mindoro, Leyte, Bohol, Cebu. The length of the Philippine archipelago from north to south is about 2000 km, from west to east - 900 km. In the west, the islands are washed by the South China Sea, in the east by the Philippine Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea, in the north the Philippine Islands are separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Strait. The northernmost point of the Philippine Islands is the Batanes Islands. The southernmost is the island of Sibutu. The westernmost is Balabac Island and the easternmost is Mindanao Island. The length of the coastline is 36.3 thousand km. The total area of ​​the islands is 299.7 thousand km².

The relief of the islands is mainly made up of mountains, the highest of which, the Apo volcano (2954 m), is located on the island of Mindanao. Mountain ranges are of volcanic origin, since the archipelago is located at the junction of continental and oceanic lithospheric plates and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is characterized by increased seismicity and volcanism. Deep-sea trenches and volcanic islands are a hallmark of the Philippines. Off the coast of the island of Mindanao, the Philippine Trench runs to a depth of 10,830 m - one of the deepest in the world's oceans.

The climate of the islands is tropical, monsoon, turning into subequatorial in the south. Temperatures on the coast are 24--28 ° C, in mountainous areas it is cooler. The rainy season lasts from May to November, when the southwest monsoon blows. The dry season (November to April) is expressed in the west of Luzon, Palawan and the Visayas. Typhoons often hit the northern regions of the country, tsunamis are possible. The amount of precipitation per year varies from 1000 to 4000 mm. The warm and humid climate of the Philippines is combined with the rainy seasons, so before you go on a trip to one of the most exotic countries, it will be useful to get acquainted with the climatic features of the islands of the archipelago.

The Philippines is located in the zone of tropical monsoon and subequatorial climate. The average annual temperature in the plains is about 27°C, much cooler in the mountainous regions. The rainy season in the Philippines lasts from May to November, dry weather sets in late November and lasts until April.

The northern part of the islands, including the island of Luzon, where the capital of the state, the city of Manila, is located, is prone to typhoons, and tsunamis occur quite often. The amount of annual precipitation can reach 3500 mm.

As a rule, the weather in the Philippines is stable and predictable: it is hot and humid throughout the year. At the same time, even during the rainy season, there are long breaks in precipitation. Downpours are heavy, and after a while sunny clear weather sets in, when you can relax on the beach, walk around the city, climb mountains. In the south and north of the islands, the air temperature in January, February and March differs from the temperature in May, June and August by only 2-3 degrees.

But not only the warm weather made the Philippines a popular world resort. Clean sea air magnificent beaches, luxurious nature, cheap products, excellent service - all this is highly appreciated by vacationers.

Of course, tourists tend to come here not during the rainy season, but in early autumn or spring, when it is dry and warm on most of the islands. Holidaymakers are especially pleased with the comfortable weather in the Philippines in January - a real holiday for tourists who went to the islands to spend their Christmas holidays. Transparent blue sky, serene ocean, soft sun - as if there are no raging typhoons and roaring storms here.

Flora and fauna

About half of the territory of the Philippines is covered with tropical rainforests, which are dominated by palm trees, rubber trees, banyan, apitong, mayapis, lauan, bamboo, orchids, and cinnamon are often found. At an altitude of over 1200 m above sea level, shrubs and meadows grow.

Among the animals living in the Philippine Islands, deer, mongoose, wild boar are more common than others. The fauna of the country is characterized by a wide variety of species of birds and reptiles. In coastal waters there are many species of fish and shellfish, among the latter, pearl mussels are especially remarkable - shellfish capable of forming pearls.

1.3 Demographic situation in the Philippines

Most of the Filipinos (about 95%) belong to the Austronesian peoples.

Minorities are represented by "mestisos" - a mixed population from marriages with Spaniards, Americans, Chinese and other ethnic groups. The national minority is also made up of negritos. The official languages ​​are Filipino and English. Spanish is widely spoken. In addition, about 150 different languages ​​\u200b\u200bare spoken in the archipelago, some of which are recognized as regional.

The most significant ethnic groups are the Cebuanos, Iloks, Tagals, Pangasinans, Pampangans, Bikols and Warays. Since the 1930s the government of the country promoted the use and development of the official language of the Filipino, based on Tagalog. In the Visayas in the central part of the archipelago, Visayan languages ​​are also common, and Ilokan is the lingua franca in northern Luzon. English is considered the official language, is common in communication and educational areas, and is well understood by most of the population. Of the non-indigenous languages, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic are also common.

Population: 97,976,603 (2010 est.) -- 12th in the world.

Age groups:

0 -- 14 years old: 35.2%

15 - 62 years old: 60.6%

65 years and over: 2.1%

Population growth: 1.957% (2010)

Birth rate: 26.01 per 1000 people

Mortality: 5.1 per 1000 people

Urban population: 65%

Infant mortality: 20.56 per 1000 live births.

Life expectancy: 71.09 years (total population)

Men: 68.17 years

Women: 74.15 years

Fertility: 3.23 children per woman (2010 est.)

Literacy rate: 92.6%

The family is considered to be the basic unit of society. Numerous relatives - usually down to fourth cousins ​​- form the inner circle of every Filipino. Mutual assistance and mutual responsibility are developed among relatives. Godparents are sometimes no less important in the life of a Filipino than the closest relatives. Divorces and abortions are prohibited.

The Philippines is currently one of the main exporters of labor to the United States, Canada, and Japan. Perhaps due to deteriorating demographics, Filipinos are seen as a promising human resource in Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, and Russia.

1.4 eco featuresnomic and geographical development

The economy of the Philippines is a developing, predominantly agrarian country with a diversified economy: from naturally patriarchal to developed capitalist forms. After the declaration of independence (1946), the country embarked on the path of overcoming the colonial legacy in the economy. The adoption of a number of reforms and laws (1961 on basic industries, 1967 on encouraging investment, and others) and the implementation of economic development programs contributed to certain shifts in industrial and agricultural production. production (for 1950-70 industrial production increased 6-7 times, agricultural - 3 times). In the total value of the gross national product in 1974 (UN data), the share of agriculture was 29%, industry and construction 24%, trade 7%, transport 2%. National industrial and banking capital has grown, and the public sector (construction, transport, irrigation, etc.) has been expanded. The limited nature of their own financial base, the resistance of the bloc of large landowners, and the so-called. the old bourgeoisie to socio-economic transformations complicate the restructuring of the socio-economic structure. In the 1970s the government has proclaimed a policy of predominantly relying on its own national and regional forces, but not without attracting foreign sources of funding, which keeps the Philippines dependent on foreign capital. The external debt of the Philippines by 1976 reached 4.0 billion dollars, mainly the United States, Japan, Germany, France, IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The country's economy is largely oriented to the foreign market. On the world market, the Philippines act as a supplier of traditional agricultural products. goods (raw sugar, copra) and timber, and minerals (copper, iron ores, chromites, etc.).

Agriculture

The agriculture of the Philippines is known for its research on the diversity of rice, which takes place at the International Rice Research Institute. This institution also played a major role in the Green Revolution which increased rice production in a major way.

Rice in Philippines Agriculture is the main crop, as more than 75 percent of the people in the country prefer rice. Because most of the farmers are poor and grow mainly grain and rice. This cultivation of rice and grain accounts for half of the cultivated land of the Philippines and the country's Agriculture.

Renting land has somewhat hampered the issue of land and also to some extent production as well. Much of the land that is available for cultivation is part of the estates formed by the Spanish people. The conversion of land and other rules also faced certain difficulties, as most of the leaders in the country come from a landowner background of form and provide very little opportunity for a proper conversion.

The main areas in Agriculture of the Philippines where rice and grain are mostly produced are in the Central Plain Northern part of Manila, and the lowland areas of Luzon. The International Rice Research Institute was established in the year 1960 and this institution has produced varieties of seeds that provide three times the production that conventional seeds. The use of this kind of crop seeds has made the Agriculture of the Philippines self dependent in the production of food crops and other essential crops.

Rice and other food crop cultivation needs a lot of labor to work hard, which allows a lot of people in the Philippines to involve themselves in cultivation. More than 35 percent of the total workforce is involved in cultivation.

One can also find foods like sweet potatoes, cassava, peanuts are some of the things that are also grown in Philippines Agriculture that are usually considered for people who are below the poverty line.

The agriculture of the Philippines also grows a lot of fruits which bring in a good amount of foreign exchange and also provides foreign trade for the country.

mining industry

The Philippines is one of the top 10 chromium producers in the world. From ore minerals there are gold, copper, nickel, iron, lead, manganese, silver, zinc and cobalt. Among the identified minerals are coal, limestone, raw materials for the cement industry. Currently, only a small part of the available deposits of commercial importance is being exploited. Copper ore is mined mainly on the island of Cebu and in the southern part of the island of Negros; gold - in the north of Luzon and in the northeastern part of Mindanao; iron ore - on the island of Samar and in the southeast of Luzon; chromite - in the west of Luzon and in the northern part of Mindanao; nickel - in the northeast of Mindanao; coal - on the island of Cebu and in the west of Mindanao.

An oil field was discovered off the coast of Palawan in 1961, and its commercial development began in 1979. However, in 1993, only 2% of the oil consumed was produced in the Philippines.

Energy

For the past 20 years, the Philippines has been trying to become self-sufficient in electricity. In 1996, 63% of electricity was produced by thermal power plants, incl. 42% - working on liquid fuel, 15% - hydroelectric power stations and 23% - geothermal stations. Hot steam released from the bowels of the earth was first used as a source of energy in 1980, and now the country ranks second in the world after the United States in terms of the development of geothermal electricity. Under Aquino, the earlier construction of a nuclear power plant on the Bataan Peninsula was suspended. In 1992, its construction was resumed, at the same time, the possibilities of transferring this station to other primary energy sources were discussed. The problem of power supply reached a particular acuteness in 1992, when power cuts occurred for 258 days; in May 1993, these outages averaged 8 hours a day. With the commissioning of new capacities, the energy crisis was overcome.

Manufacturing industry

The sharp increase in the share of manufactured products in exports - from less than 10% in 1970 to 75% in 1993 - made this branch of the economy the main source of foreign exchange earnings of the Philippines. Electronic equipment and clothing occupied a particularly important place in the export.

In addition, the Philippine industry produces other consumer goods: food, beverages, rubber products, shoes, medicines, paints, plywood and veneer, paper and paper products, electrical household appliances. Heavy industry enterprises produce cement, glass, chemical products, fertilizers, ferrous metals, and refine oil.

The manufacturing industry in the Philippines attracts numerous foreign investors, mainly from the US and Japan. Currently, approximately 30% of the assets of the top 1000 Philippine corporations are owned by foreigners. During the presidencies of Aquino and Ramos, Taiwan became a major investor.

Transport

Length (in km) of railways: on about. Luzon - 1.2 thousand, on about. Panay - 117, on about. Cebu - 86 (inactive since 1948). National airline PAL; international airports in Manila and on about. Mactan. The length of paved highways is 28.4 thousand km; under construction (1976) Trans-Philippine Highway (city of Aparri - city of Davao) with a length of 1.3 thousand km. In the fleet (1973) there are about 600 thousand cars. The total cargo turnover of the ports is over 40 million tons (1974). Main port - Manila (8.5 million tons, including 4/5 import and 1/5 export cargoes of the country), other ports - Cebu, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Batangas (about 6 million tons, mainly oil) , Davao. Developed cabotage. The tonnage of the national maritime merchant fleet is 0.9 million gross registered tons (1975), the vast majority of foreign trade cargo is transported on foreign ships. The government made a decision (early 1976) to establish a national shipping company.

Car roads

total 200037 km

coated 19804 km

unpaved 180233 km

Railways

over 1000 km

Airports

Merchant navy

Total ships: 403

Foreign owned: 66

Registered in other countries: 41 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 16, Indonesia 1, Panama 13, Singapore 5)

International trade

About 2/3 of the value of exports comes from agricultural products. products: sugar (about 25% of foreign exchange receipts), coconut palm products, mainly oil, timber and lumber, as well as copper concentrates, ores of other non-ferrous and ferrous metals. Imports are dominated by oil, machinery and transport equipment, metals, fertilizers, etc.

The main trading partners are the USA (42.4% of the value of exports and 23.2% of imports in 1974) and Japan (34.8% and 27.5%, respectively). Since 1972 trade relations with the socialist countries have been developing. In 1974, 492,000 foreign tourists visited the country.

Chapter 2. Geographical characteristics of tourist and recreational resourcesPhilippines

The Republic of the Philippines occupies more than 7 thousand tropical islands in Southeast Asia and has natural beaches, rich flora and fauna and other recreational resources.

Geographically, the Philippine Islands are divided into three large island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, administratively the country consists of regions and provinces. The center of historical and cultural tourism and shopping is the capital of the Philippines - Manila. The city of Cebu on the island of the same name, the first capital of the colonial Philippines offers holidays for every taste. Palawan is known for its amazing flora and fauna, luxurious eco-friendly getaways, and abundant marine life and great places for diving. The small island of Boracay is recognized as the best island resort in the world and the best resort Southeast Asia in 2010 Baguio is a mountain resort on the island of Luzon. Chocolate hills, the Loboc River, the tarsier center, the beaches of Panglao are popular in Bohol.

The Philippines has sufficient recreational resources, natural and socio-cultural. Today, the islands offer almost all types of tourism: beach, extreme, sports, ecological, educational. Tourism is negatively affected by the politically unstable situation in the country, conflicts between the Muslim and Christian communities. In addition, the monsoon climate and the rainy season, which lasts more than 6 months, do not contribute to the development of beach tourism.

As you know, the Philippines is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands. For tourists, this means that the country has one of the longest coastlines (more than 36 thousand km.), According to this important indicator for tourism, it ranks 5th in the world. But the Philippines not only has the longest beaches, but also some of the most stunning - Boracay (very popular with Russian tourists), El Nido, Camiguin, Pagudpud, Cebu, Bohol, etc. What do you say, for example, about the sand, which is more like flour, it is so white and fine. In addition - picturesque bays, coral gardens, rocks, volcanoes, tropical forests, banana groves, waterfalls, as well as hot and cold springs. And this is not a complete list of Philippine wonders. Local legend says that when the Lord created the Philippines, he thought, since there was so little land here, then you need to give it the best and most beautiful, and peopled it with the most amazing plants and animals that are not found in any other country (bear cat, hornbill, the world's smallest monkey Tarsier, etc.). And how not to remember the underground river of Puerto Princesa, which, according to preliminary data, the New7Wonders of Nature competition included in the list of seven wonders of the world. And finally, the amazing Chocolate Hills, reminiscent of huge truffles. In general, there is everything here to forget about the problems of city life and enjoy complete peace and quiet.

2.1 RhoThe role of tourism in the economy of the Philippines

The Philippines has become an undeservedly forgotten tourist destination. In terms of tourism income and the number of foreign tourists, the Philippines lags far behind its neighbors - the share of tourism in the country's GDP is 6%, and the total number of tourists who visited the country in 2011 was about 3.8 million people. In general, we can say that the Philippines is an underestimated paradise for tourists. The fact is that not only local beauty is important for tourism, but also comfort, and safety will not hurt. But this is where the problem lies. The Philippines has an underdeveloped tourism industry. However, in recent years, the authorities have been paying more and more attention to tourism business: golf courses, SPA, diving centers are being created, in the coming years it is planned to build almost 10 thousand new hotel rooms, roads, airports, etc. There are also first successes, for example, the worldwide project Easy Destination in the nomination "The best destination for wedding tours" The Philippine island of Cebu ranked first, the Philippines won the "Discovery of the Year" nomination in the "Travel.ru Star" competition, and Boracay Island was recognized as the best island resort in the world and the best resort in Southeast Asia. In other words, tourism in the Philippines has been gaining momentum in recent years, and the country itself is gradually turning into a center of world tourism. It is expected that the tourist flow in 2016 will grow to 10 million.

According to the Philippine Tourism Department, about 4.5 million foreign tourists will visit the country by the end of the year, according to the Tourism-Review portal. Such an optimistic forecast was made after an increase in tourist flow in the first half of the year - in the six months of 2012, 2.14 million tourists visited the Philippines, which is 11.68% higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year (1.92 million).

The country's catchy new tourism slogan, attributed to the secretary of the Tourism Department, reads: “Philippines. More fun." The country's authorities are pursuing an active policy to attract foreign tourists and investors.

Tourists from South Korea turned out to be the most active - 474,684 people visited the country in the first half of 2012, accounting for 22.15% of all foreign tourists in the Philippines. The second place went to guests from the USA - 354,259 people (16.53%), the third - to Japanese tourists (195,504 people or 9.12%).

Despite the significant expected growth in tourist flow, the Philippines is far from the first place in terms of popularity. For example, 11,632,483 tourists visited Malaysia in the first half of the year, up 2.4% from the previous year. Ironically, the Philippines is not as visited by Malay tourists as Malaysia is by Filipinos, who make up over 45% of the country's visitors.

2.2 Natural resource potential of the regionand its use

The climate of the region is maritime tropical monsoon type. Its main features are as follows: constantly high temperatures with an annual average of 26-27 degrees C and fluctuations in average monthly temperatures within 2 degrees C, and in average daily temperatures within 10 degrees C; abundance of precipitation; high relative humidity (80-90%), but due to the breezes blowing from the sea during the day, the heat is not felt as strongly in coastal areas as in continental humid tropical areas.

Seasonality is expressed not in the temperature difference, but in the amount of precipitation and is associated with a change in the direction of the monsoon winds. From November to February, and in the Philippines and April, the northeast monsoon blows from the central Pacific Ocean, connecting with the northeast trade winds. They dominate the Philippine Islands. South of the equator, they change direction to the northwest. In March, it is the turn of dry southeast monsoons that blow from the area of ​​the Australian anticyclone and change direction north of the equator to the southwest. These winds dominate in June-October in the Lesser Sunda Islands, south of Irian Jaya, southwest of Sulawesi and east of Java, causing the dry season here, lasting from 4-5 months (East Java) to 6-7 (Timor); June-September in Singapore, July-August in the Philippines. Passing over the Indian Ocean, the monsoon is abundantly saturated with moisture and brings down heavy rains on the mountainous southwestern coast of Sumatra and the southwestern Philippines. In the Strait of Malacca during the southwest monsoon, in the section between Malacca and Singapore, there are short but powerful storms that often occur at night. They have the character of squalls and bring heavy rainfall to the coast for several hours. Since these unexpected storms are formed by winds blowing from Sumatra, they are called "Sumatra". May in the Philippines is the month of equatorial calm. More than any other area on the globe, the Philippine Islands are subject to the action of typhoons, which originate 1000-1500 km from the islands, the western part of the Pacific Ocean, and from there move northwest at a speed of 10-20 km / h, passing over Luzon and northeast of the Visayas, and sometimes over the northern part of Mindanao. Most typhoons sweep over Northern Luzon. They are most frequent from July to November, there are 3-4 strong typhoons a year and about 20-25 weak ones.

Within most of the territory of the Philippines, the annual rainfall is 1000-4500 mm.

In the Philippines, rivers and lakes occupy 1.5%. The length of most of them is insignificant due to the insular nature and complexity of the relief. Basically, rivers begin in the mountains, so in the upper reaches they are characterized by a stormy character, their banks are steep; they flow calmly over the plains and form large deltas and shoals. In the upper and middle reaches of the river, the banks are intensively washed away, landslides occur. The torrential nature of the rains often leads to floods. The longest river The main rivers in Luzon are Cagayan (350 km), Agno (270 km) and Pampanga (260 km). Mindanao is crossed by 2 major rivers: Mindanao (550 km) and Agusan (300 km).

The largest lakes are located in Luzon. This is Lake Laguna de Bai, formerly part of Manila Bay, and one of the largest lakes of volcanic origin in the Southeast Asian region, Taal, or Bombon, notable for the fact that in the middle of it there is an active volcano, in the cone of which another lake is hiding. On the island of Mindanao there are large deep lakes of tectonic origin - Lanao and Buluan; on the island of Mindoro, there is a relatively large lake Nauhan.

The region is mainly represented by lateritic red soils, formed as a result of high humidity and constant high temperatures. In most cases, the soils are fertile, but where they have formed on marls and limestones, they are rather poor. On the slopes of the mountains, altitudinal soil zonality is clearly manifested: as precipitation increases and temperatures decrease, red-yellow soils are replaced by mountain lateritic, more podzolized, since organic matter persists longer under such conditions. Bog-type soils are developed in swampy delta lowlands. On the plains, especially in the valleys of the largest rivers, the soils are generally alluvial and more fertile. Although intense rains leach soils, carrying mineral substances into the sea and thereby impoverishing them, river sediments restore their fertility. In areas of volcanic activity, dark brown or black soils with a high content of humus develop on ashes and young fresh lava covers.

Due to the hot and humid climate, the diversity of the relief, as well as the geographical location of the Philippines, there is a rich and diverse flora. In the Philippine Islands, the floristic composition includes more than 10 thousand species. Includes approx. 3 thousand trees, 1 thousand ferns and ferns, 900 species of orchids. About 60 tree species are of commercial value. Forests occupy more than 40% of the country's territory.

The distribution of the natural cover over the territory is determined by the relief and hydrothermal conditions. Vertical zones are clearly expressed.

The lower belt is swampy thickets of evergreen mangrove vegetation, which is very rich in the Malay Archipelago, numbering up to 30 mangrove species. Behind the tide line, mangroves give way to an evergreen tropical forest: pandanus trees, but mainly palm trees - low-growing nipe (5-6 m), coconut palm, etc. Bananas and bamboo grow on the edges of palm groves. Above, up to a mark of approximately 400 m in the Philippines, there are dipterocarp forests or hylaea - tropical jungles. The crowns of trees in them form several tiers, merging into a continuous canopy that does not let in the sun's rays.

There are numerous creepers and epiphytes - orchids and rafflesia (the diameter of its flower reaches 1 m).

Mixed forests are located in this zone, eucalyptus trees are not uncommon. In the Philippines, evergreen oak forests grow with an undergrowth of palm trees, giving way to oak-maple-myrtle forests entwined with lianas and with mosses, lichens and orchids on tree trunks. At altitudes of 1000-2000 m, pure pine trees grow (with island pine and Merkuza), in which such a valuable tree species as white agatis is found. On the tops of the mountains of the Philippines, the forest gives way to shrubs, among which there are also cold-resistant species of trees, including conifers.

In the course of anthropogenic activities, significant areas of virgin forests were destroyed, as a result, many soils were subjected to severe erosion or overgrown with tough tropical grass alang-alang.

The avifauna is unusually rich, represented especially widely on the islands of the southeast by such extremely exotic and variegated birds as the bird of paradise, peacock, hornbill, cassowary. Added to this is a truly endless number of varieties of parrots of all sizes and the manyar bird, causing great damage to rice crops. Indonesia is teeming with insects, including termites, ants, and grasshoppers.

The marine fauna is exceptionally rich. There are approximately 1,500 species of fish, many of which are of commercial importance. Of the large marine animals, sperm whales, dugongs, dolphins, sea turtles should be noted; everywhere there are sharks and rays; many poisonous sea snakes.

The isolation of the island world of the Philippine archipelago led to the formation of a unique fauna, characterized by a large percentage of endemism and a small number of mammal species. This made it possible to single it out as a special subregion of the Indo-Malayan zoogeographical region. Of the large mammals in the Philippines, there are two subspecies of the Asian buffalo - carabao and tamarau (the latter - only in the central regions of Mindoro Island).

Smaller mammals are somewhat more widely represented. These include five species of macaques, tarsier (a representative of the prosimians), rodents, numerous bats (about 60 species, including fruit bats that cause great damage to gardens) and shrews, as well as Javan deer (or pygmy musk deer) and porcupine living on the island of Palawan, Philippine woolly wing, pangolin lizard. Of the carnivores, there are such small animals as the short-legged mongoose, binturong (from viverrids), strange-tailed. The abundance of reptiles (crocodiles, snakes, turtles, lizards, including geckos) is characteristic.

Several hundred bird species have been recorded in the Philippines. The avifauna is similar to Malaysian and Australian. More than 300 species of birds nest in the Philippine Islands, including a rare bird of prey from the hawk family - the harpy (lives in the forests of Mindanao, feeds on macaques). The species diversity of insects is enormous, among which there are many carriers of diseases (for example, mosquitoes) and pests of agriculture (cicadas, etc.).

The diversity and beauty of butterflies is striking.

More than 2 thousand species of fish are found in the seas, many of which are of commercial importance (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.). In shallow water near the Sulu Archipelago, large colonies of mollusks, including pearl mussels, are found.

The bowels of the Philippines are quite rich in a variety of minerals. In the Philippines, the situation with the fuel and energy complex is the worst, and the main wealth of the country is polymetallic ores. The Philippines surpasses many countries in Southeast Asia in terms of explored iron ore reserves, Asian countries - by reserves copper and molybdenum, and also occupy a special place in the world in terms of chromite and nickel deposits. The Philippines is rich in ores of non-ferrous, noble and alloying metals. Significant resources of copper ores belonging to the system of the Pacific ore belt have been identified. The copper content is -0.5%, the ore is of low quality. The country also has insignificant reserves of mercury, aluminum, lead, zinc and others.

In the Philippines, the average iron content is -50%; Particularly promising is the use of poor iron-nickel laterite ores in Mindanao and Samara, which are also associated with the extraction of nickel and cobalt. The average nickel content is 0.9-1.3% and cobalt 0.1%.

The Philippines concentrates almost a quarter of molybdenum reserves in the capitalist and developing countries of Asia. The ore contains 0.005% MoS0, and is usually found in combination with copper and gold (for example, in the province of Negros Occidental). In terms of gold reserves, the Philippines is one of the leading places in Asia. The average gold grade is 3-5 g/t in primary deposits and less than 0.5 g/cu. m - in placers. Reserves of gold-bearing quartzites are available in Luzon (Benguet province - four-fifths of the reserves) and Mindanao. Other noble metals include silver, platinum and palladium. In terms of chromite resources, they occupy one of the leading countries in the world. In terms of reserves, refractory chromites noticeably predominate (the average content of chromium oxide is 31%), however, there are deposits of ores and high-quality metallurgical chromites (50% chromium oxide). The main resources of chromites are concentrated in the province of Sambales (Luzon). Large reserves of chromites have been found in deposits of lateritic iron ore in northern Mindanao.

Thus, the Philippines has vast land and very diverse raw material resources. In combination with huge human reserves, natural wealth opens up broad prospects for economic development.

2.3 Historical and cultural heritage of the Philippinesas a tourist resource

Mass tourism in the Philippines began in the 1970s. Attendance rates rose only slightly until the mid-1980s, with the Philippine skyrocketing in popularity in the early 1990s. In 2008, 4 million tourists visited the Philippines. The Philippine Tourism Department predicts a doubling of visits by 2014.

The modern culture of the Philippines combines an Asian base with a significant amount of direct Western (Spanish and American) influence, as a result of the colonial past, with a secondary Latin American influence due to entry into the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Western tourists are attracted by the religious community (the Philippines is one of two (along with East Timor) Catholic countries in Asia) and the prevalence of English in the Philippines.

Culture and religion

The culture of the Philippines is a unique mixture of Eastern and Western cultures. While the majority of the population of Southeast Asia is necessarily a mixture of Chinese, Malays and Indonesians, the Filipino culture was marked by long periods of domination by Spain, and subsequently by the Americas, which could not but affect its character.

The Filipino languages, the languages ​​of the indigenous population of the islands of the Philippine archipelago, form a subgroup of the Indonesian (Malay) group or the western branch of the Malayo-Polynesian (Austronesian) language family. Of the more than 100 Filipino languages, the main regional languages ​​are: Bisai, Tagalog, Ilocan, Pampangan, Pangasinan, Bicol, Ibanagh, and Sambal; At the same time, the territorial dialects of the Bisai language are often defined as independent languages ​​- Cebuan, or Sugbu (x) Anon (about 25% of Filipinos), Panayan, or Hili-Gainon, and Samara (Waray-Waray), or Samarnon. The main languages ​​are spoken by about 85% of the population. Tagalog (25% of Filipinos) plays the role of linqua franca along with Spanish, and since the beginning of the 20th century. - with English; in 1937, this role was enshrined in law: it also received the name "national", and since 1959 - "Filipino", or "Philippino" ("Pilipino"). The Philippines is currently the third largest English-speaking country in the world. Both English and Filipino are used as official languages ​​for education, government, and commerce.

Spirit of kinship and camaraderie

The spirit of kinship and camaraderie for which the Filipinos are known was taken from Malay ancestors. Very warm and close relationship in the family - from the Chinese. Piety from the Spaniards. Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character, it is what distinguishes every native Filipino.

You will rarely find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western guests so much. Perhaps because of their Spanish background, Filipinos are very emotional. Filipinos are people who love fun. Everywhere on the islands there are fiestas, meeting and honoring foreign guests, to whom they always say "Welcome to our house!"

One of the biggest impacts of the Spanish period was the introduction of Christianity to the Philippine Islands. The Spanish clergy converted large numbers of Filipinos to the Roman Catholic faith. As a result, today, out of almost 92% of Christians, 83% are Catholics and 9% Protestants. Approximately 5% of the population are Muslims and 3% are of Buddhist or other faith.

Philippine music

Filipino music contains Christian devotional church music, Indonesian Gamelan music and, of course, American blues, folk and rock and roll. The 1920s was the start of a new form of music called kundiman, when traditional songs were sung in the style of Western ballads. At a later time, Pinoy rock appeared, which was a new form of music. Freddie Aguilar was one of his most popular and successful supporters. Pinoy rock was used to bring people together as the uprisings in the 1980s were also very popular, and in fact Freddy Aguilar's "Bayan Ko" became the anthem of the revolution in 1986.

First of all, the Catholic nature of the Filipino nation is manifested in the dominance of Christian festivals. except them New Year, military parades and all the holidays of the country are also celebrated in the Philippines very energetically. Fiesta is part of Philippine culture. In good times and bad, the fiesta must go on. Each city and region has at least one local festival of its own, usually the festival of the patron saint of the city, so the fiesta always continues, but somewhere else in the Philippines.

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The content of the article

PHILIPPINES, Republic of the Philippines, a state in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, including more than 7100 islands located between 4 ° 23 "and 21 ° 25" N. latitude. and 116°55" and 126°36" E The length of the archipelago from north to south is approx. 1800 km, and from west to east - 1100 km. In the east and northeast, the shores of the Philippines are washed by the Philippine Sea, and in the west and northwest by the South China Sea, in the south by the Sulawesi Sea. The nearest islands of neighboring states are Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sulawesi (Celebes) in the southwest, the Moluccas in the south and Taiwan in the north. Land area - 298,170 sq. km., the length of the coastline is 36,289 km.

Less than half of the islands have their own names, and only 462 of them are larger than 2.6 square meters. km. The two largest islands - Luzon (105 thousand sq. Km) in the north and Mindanao (95 thousand sq. Km) in the southern parts of the Philippine archipelago account for approx. 2/3 of the entire territory of the Philippines. Other major islands are Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol and Masbate.

NATURE

Terrain relief.

The island arcs of the Philippines are formed by ridge sections of underwater uplifts and are distinguished by mountainous relief. This is especially pronounced in Luzon, where two, and in some places three submeridional ridges with an average height of approx. 1800 m and maximum 2934 m (Mount Pulog). A similar system of submeridional ridges is expressed on the island of Mindanao with the highest peak of the country, formed by the Apo volcano (2954 m).

All these mountain structures are an integral part of the belt of active volcanoes, stretching in the marginal zone of the Pacific Ocean and called the "Pacific Ring of Fire". On the island of Luzon there are approx. 20 periodically active volcanoes. So, in June 1991, a series of catastrophic eruptions of the Pinatubo volcano (1780 m) occurred, which caused the destruction of houses and numerous casualties. In February 1993, the most active volcano in the Philippines, Mayon, erupted.

Between the mountain ranges are densely populated plains and river valleys. The largest of them are: on the island of Luzon, the valley of the Cagayan River (in the northeast), the Central Plain and the Bikol Plain (in the southeast); on the island of Mindanao - the valleys of the Agusan (in the east) and Mindanao (in the southwest) rivers; on the island of Panay - the Central Plain. In addition, narrow coastal plains stretch along the coasts of most of the islands.

There are few large rivers in the Philippines. Some of them, suitable for navigation of small vessels, play an important role in economic life. The largest river is the Cagayan. The Pampanga and Agno in Luzon, as well as the Agusan and Mindanao with its main tributary, the Pulangi, in Mindanao are also distinguished. The small Pasig River on Luzon Island, flowing from Bai Lake and passing through Manila, is important for the transport of goods.

Climate.

Local authorities.

The Philippines is divided into 79 provinces and 116 self-governing cities. For ease of planning. development and coordination of the administrative activities of the province are combined into 17 economic and administrative regions. Of these regions, two have autonomous status: the Autonomous Muslim Region of Mindanao (combines 4 provinces - Maguindanao, South Lanao, Sulu, Tawitawi) and in the mountains of the Central Cordillera in Northern Luzon. A separate area is Greater Manila. The provinces are governed by elected councils headed by governors. Regions - with the exception of autonomous ones - do not have their own administration.

Provinces, in turn, are divided into cities and municipalities. They, like autonomous cities, are governed by councils headed by mayors. Municipalities and cities are made up of barangays (the lowest local administrative unit, comprising one or more villages or towns).

Political parties.

After gaining independence in 1946, the Philippines had a two-party system: the Liberal Party (ruling in 1946-1954 and 1961-1965) and the Nationalist Party (in power in 1954-1961 and since 1965) were in power. In 1972, political activity was banned by President Ferdinand Marcos, who declared a state of emergency, and in 1978 created a new ruling party, the Movement for a New Society. After the overthrow of the Marcos regime in 1986, a multi-party system was restored. however, the alignment of political forces has changed dramatically.

Power of the People - Christian and Muslim Democrats- a political coalition formed in 1992 as the People Power - National Union of Christian Democrats bloc, which was later joined by the United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines party. She was in power in 1992-1998 (President Fidel Ramos), but her candidate was defeated in the 1998 presidential election. She returned to power in 2001 when President Joseph Estrada was removed from power and the powers of the head of state were transferred to Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. By the 2004 elections, the “Power of the People – KMD” led the “Coalition of Truth and Experience for the Future” (“Four K”) bloc, which won the presidential election. The party has 93 seats in the House of Representatives and 7 seats in the Senate. Leaders - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (President), F. Ramos, Jose de Venezia.

Nationalist People's Coalition(NOC) is a conservative political organization founded before the 1992 elections. Since 2000, it has supported the government of Gloria Macapgal-Arroyo, and joined the Four K coalition. Has 53 seats in the House of Representatives. Leaders - Eduardo Cojuangco, Frisco San Juan.

Liberal Party(LP) - formed in 1946. Member of the Liberal International, a member of the ruling coalition "Four K". It has 34 seats in the House of Representatives and 3 seats in the Senate. Leaders - Franklin Drilon, Jose Atienza.

Nationalist Party- the oldest political party in the country, created in 1907 and led the struggle for the independence of the Philippines. Takes a conservative position. It is a member of the ruling Four K coalition. Leader - Manuel Villar.

People's Reform Party(NDP) - formed before the 1992 elections to support the presidential candidacy of the former judge Maria Defensor-Santiago, who became famous for fighting corruption. It is a member of the ruling Four K coalition. In the 2004 elections, she won 1 of 12 elected seats in the Senate.

Democratic Filipino struggle(BDF) - conservative, took shape in 1988 as the main support of President Corazon Aquino (1986 - 1992). In 1992, the party was defeated in the elections, but retained influence in Congress. In 2003, it split into factions of Edgaro Angara and Aquino-Panfilo Lacson. In the 2004 elections, the Angara faction led the opposition United Filipinos Coalition. Lakson's faction acted independently. The party has 11 seats in the House of Representatives. In the 2004 elections, the Angara faction won 1 out of 12 elected seats in the Senate.

Philippine Mass Party(PFM) - populist, created in the early 1990s by supporters of the famous actor Joseph Estrada (president of the country in 1998-2001). In 2001, she went into opposition, in 2004 she joined the United Filipinos Coalition, has 2 seats in the Senate. Leaders - Joseph Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile.

Philippine Democratic Party - Struggle- centrist party, founded in 1982. In 2004, she joined the opposition "Coalition of United Filipinos", won 1 of 12 elected seats in the Senate. Leader - Aquilino Pimentel.

Alliance of Hope- an opposition coalition created for the 2004 elections by centrist parties, which until 2003 supported President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Turned on the party Democratic Action(leader - Paul Rocko), Reform Party(leader - Renato de Villa) and Provincial Priority Development Party(leader - Leto Osmenya).

There are also parties: Arise Philippines Movement(leader - Eduardo Villanueva), One Nation, One Spirit Party(leaders - Rodolfo Paho, Eddie Gil), Movement for a new society(party of former supporters of F. Marcos), centrist Progressive Party, Green Party, left Civic Action Party, Nation First(legal branch of the Communist Party, formed in 1999) , Labor Party, Trotskyist Revolutionary Labor Party and others.

Communist Party of the Philippines(KPF) - Maoist, founded in 1968 by groups that broke away from the pro-Soviet Communist Party (created in 1930). He advocates under the slogans of Marxism-Leninism, leads an insurgent armed struggle to overthrow the existing regime of the Philippines. He heads the "New People's Army", which has up to 11 thousand fighters and operates mainly on the island of Luzon.

In the south of the country, in Muslim regions (Mindanao and others), separatist organizations operate: Moro National Liberation Front(FNOM, created in 1969, a moderate group that signed an agreement with the Philippine government in 1987, and in 1996 agreed to create an autonomous region led by front leader Nur Misuari), Moro Islamic Liberation Front(broke away from the FONM in 1978, advocates the creation of an independent Moro Islamic state, conducts an armed struggle, relying on 11-15 thousand fighters; leader - Istaz Salami Hashim), Abu Sayyaf Group(split off in 1991 from the FLOM; stands for Islamic State and resorts to terrorist methods of struggle; leader - Abdurazhik Abubarak Janjalani).

Judicial system.

The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court. Its members (chief judge and 14 members) are appointed by the President of the Philippines on the proposal of the council of judges and lawyers. The Supreme Court is also empowered to determine the constitutionality of laws that are made and the legality of government actions. There is also a Court of Appeal and a special court that hears cases of corruption in public institutions (Sandigan Bayan). The possibility of forming independent commissions for elections, audits and revisions, etc. is envisaged. Subordinate judiciaries operate within the civil divisions of the Philippines.

Foreign policy.

The Philippines is a member of the UN and its specialized organizations, as well as international regional associations and bodies - ASEAN, the Asian Bank, the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, etc. They have diplomatic relations with Russia (established with the USSR in 1976).

In foreign policy, the Philippines has traditionally oriented itself towards the United States, with which a military treaty was concluded in 1952. But since the 1980s, the country's authorities have tried to take a more independent course in international affairs and diversify bilateral ties in the region. In 1992, the American military bases at Clark Field and Subic Bay were closed. Despite the persistence of territorial disputes with a number of states in East and Southeast Asia (with China, Taiwan and Vietnam over the ownership of the oil and gas-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, with Malaysia over the ownership of Sabah), The Philippines is developing cooperation with neighboring countries in the region. Military cooperation with the United States intensified again in the early 2000s in connection with the US-declared "war on terrorism". Countries cooperate in the fight against the Islamist group Abu Sayyaf. The Philippines sent its military units to Iraq.

Armed forces.

The Philippine Armed Forces consist of the Army, Navy (including the Coast Guard and Marines) and Air Force. The total number - St. 100 thousand. Military service - from the age of 18 (mandatory and voluntary). There are also territorial formations of civil defense and police units. Approx. 1.5% of GDP.

ECONOMY

Prior to World War II, the Philippine economy was based predominantly on agriculture and forestry. In the postwar period, the manufacturing industry began to develop, and at the end of the 20th century. is also the service industry. However, in the economic field, the country lagged behind many other East Asian states, not least due to stark social inequality, widespread bureaucracy corruption, and the dependent nature of its economy. At the end of the 20th century The Philippines has experienced moderate economic growth driven by remittances from overseas Filipinos, the development of information technology, and the availability of cheap labor.

The Asian financial crisis of 1997 did little damage to the Philippines; remittances from Filipinos working abroad (US$6–7 billion annually) have been a significant support. In subsequent years, the country's economy began to improve: if in 1998 GDP fell by 0.8%, then in 1999 it grew by 2.4%, and in 2000 - by 4.4%. In 2001, growth slowed down again to 3.2% due to the global economic downturn and falling exports. Later, thanks to the development of the service sector, an increase in industrial production and the promotion of exports, GDP grew by 4.4% in 2002 and by 4.5% in 2003. Serious problems for the Philippine economy remain uneven distribution of income, high levels of poverty (in 2001, approx. 40% of the population lived below the poverty line) and heavily indebted (public debt is 77% of GDP). St. 11% of the working population are unemployed.

In 2003, the GDP was estimated at $390.7 billion, or $4,600 per capita. At the same time, the share of agriculture in the structure of GDP is 14.5%, industry - 32.3%, services - 53.2%. Of the nearly 35 million employed, 45% were employed in agriculture, 15% in industry and 40% in service industries.

national product.

In 1994, the gross domestic product (GDP - the total value of final goods and services at market prices) of the Philippines was 1687.6 billion pesos, which is approximately equivalent to 161.4 billion US dollars - i.e. OK. $2,130 per person. Due to the extremely uneven distribution of income, more than a third of the population lives below the poverty line. In 1991, GDP growth lagged behind inflation, but by 1994 the real increase in GDP was over 4%, and in 1995 over 5%.

The relative importance of the agricultural sector in the Philippine economy is gradually decreasing. From 1950 to 1994, the total share of the national income of agricultural and forestry products, as well as fisheries decreased from about 40% to 25%, while the share of industrial products increased from 20% to 30%. The service sector in the same years ensured the creation of approximately 40% of the national income.

Human Resources

in 1994 were approx. 27.6 million people. Filipino workers are characterized by a high level of literacy and, as a rule, insufficient vocational training. Their labor productivity is low compared to Western European countries and Japan.

In 1994, approximately 9.5% of Filipinos were classified as unemployed and approx. 20% were part-time. More than 6 million Filipinos worked abroad, mainly in the US and the Gulf states. Of these, 1.8 million were permanent residents of their host country, 2.6 million were contract workers and 1.8 million were considered illegal migrants.

Agriculture and forestry

Under agricultural land is approx. one third of the entire area of ​​the country. At the same time, the most fertile lands are occupied by large plantations of export crops, and the bulk of farms (average size - 4 hectares) are small and unable to feed the owners, who are forced to leave production or be hired as tenants. In the Philippines, sugar cane, coconut palm, bananas and pineapples (for export), rice, corn and sweet potato (to meet domestic demand), hevea, coffee, ramie, various fruit and vegetable crops, abaca, and tobacco are grown. Forestry remains one of the most important industries, whose products (especially redwood timber) play a prominent role in exports. Approximately half of the total catch of fish, one of the staple foods of the Filipinos. traditional communities of professional fishermen provide, a quarter of the catch comes from fishing companies, and another quarter comes from actively developing aquaculture.

Agricultural areas.

There are 10 agricultural areas in the Philippine Islands. 1) The densely populated coastal region of Ilocos in the northwest of Luzon, where rice and tobacco are cultivated. In the rainy season, more than 60% of the cultivated wedge is occupied by rice crops; in the dry season, many rice fields are set aside for vegetables and tobacco. 2) The valley of the Cagayan River in the northeast of Luzon, which has long been considered one of the most favorable areas in the country for growing tobacco, corn and rice. 3) The Central Plain, to the north of Manila, is a rice granary and an important center for growing sugar cane. 4) South Tagalog region south of Manila with fertile volcanic soils, where diversified tropical agriculture is developed. Rice, coconut palm, sugarcane, coffee, all kinds of fruit and vegetable crops are grown here. 5) The Bicol River Valley in southeastern Luzon, where agricultural production specializes in the cultivation of coconut palm and rice, the harvest of which in many areas is harvested twice a year. 6) Eastern Visayas. The main export commodities are coconut palm products. Sugar cane is grown for the domestic market. Corn is the main grain crop in Cebu, the east of Negros and in some areas of Leyte, rice prevails on the islands of Samar and Bohol and in the east of Leyte. 7) Western Visayas, where rice and sugar cane are grown. 8) The Mindoro Islands and Palawan - the zone of primary agricultural colonization. 9) North and east of Mindanao - the area of ​​cultivation of corn and coconut palms. The cultivation of pineapples and the breeding of cattle are of local importance. 10) Southern and western Mindanao is a leader in the development of a diversified plantation economy. Coconut palm, hevea, coffee, pineapple, as well as rice and corn are grown here.

Agricultural products.

The main food crop in the Philippines is rice. In 1992/93, about a third of the entire arable wedge was occupied under his crops and a crop of approx. 9.4 million tons. In the 1960s, the country was completely self-sufficient in rice, but in the 1970s, due to crop failures, it was forced to import it in small quantities. The subsequent increase in collections was due primarily to the spread of the highly productive "miracle rice" variety, as well as the expansion of sown areas due to the construction of irrigation facilities. In the Philippines, predominantly upland rice is grown. The main rice-growing area is the central plain of Luzon.

In the 1970s, corn crops expanded. In 1992/93, over 30% of arable land was allocated to this crop, important for the food balance, and the harvest reached 4.8 million tons (in 1971 - 2 million tons). Corn is grown mainly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Philippines accounts for approximately 85% of the coconut oil supplied to the world market. In the country's exports in the 1960s, coconut palm products accounted for almost 30%, but with the fall in prices for them abroad and the expansion of the range of goods exported from the Philippines, this figure dropped to less than 10% by the mid-1980s. Currently, coconut palm plantations occupy more than a quarter of cultivated land and provide a livelihood for 25-30% of Filipinos.

The Philippines has traditionally been considered a major producer of sugar, which produced 12.3 million tons in 1992/93. After 1945, there was a significant expansion of the industry, and in the 1950s and 1960s, sugar formed more than 20% of Philippine exports. World sugar prices peaked in 1974 and then declined. Subsequently, prices rose slightly, but the Philippine sugar industry continues to be in a state of crisis. Sugar cane is cultivated in almost all provinces, the islands of Negros and Luzon are considered the main centers of its commercial production.

In the 1970s, the Philippines emerged as a major producer of bananas and pineapples. Currently, banana exports are second only to coconut palm products among agricultural commodities.

A certain value in the Philippines is retained by abaca (Manila hemp) - a fiber of a textile banana, from which ropes, carpets, and mats are made. Before World War II, one of the largest local industries was associated with it. In the post-war period, when synthetic materials came into vogue, the demand for abaca decreased significantly, but it is still exported, albeit to a lesser extent. Abaca is grown in the south of Luzon, in the eastern regions of the Visayas and in Mindanao.

The Philippines has been cultivating high-quality cigar tobacco for almost 200 years. Since 1950, the cultivation of aromatic cigarette varieties of tobacco, designed mainly for domestic consumers, has been added to it. The main tobacco plantations are located in the north of Luzon.

The Philippines has a modest number of productive livestock, although most farmers keep pigs and poultry. Meat and dairy products are produced in the country to a limited extent.

Forestry and fisheries.

Currently, forests occupy approximately 40% of the territory of the Philippines (in 1946 - more than 50%). According to the calculations of government environmental experts, in order to maintain the sustainability of ecosystems, it is necessary that the forested area be at least 54%. In the meantime, as a result of intensive felling, vast areas are completely devoid of tree cover. Forestry remains one of the most important industries, whose products (especially redwood timber) play a prominent role in exports.

Fish and rice are staple foods for Filipinos. Approximately half of the total catch is provided by traditional communities of professional fishermen, a quarter of the catch comes from fishing companies, and another quarter comes from actively developing aquaculture. A serious problem for local fisheries is the deterioration of the aquatic environment.

Mining industry.

The Philippines is one of the top 10 chromium producers in the world. From ore minerals there are gold, copper, nickel, iron, lead, manganese, silver, zinc and cobalt. Among the identified minerals are coal, limestone, raw materials for the cement industry. Currently, only a small part of the available deposits of commercial importance is being exploited. Copper ore is mined mainly on the island of Cebu and in the southern part of the island of Negros; gold - in the north of Luzon and in the north-eastern part of Mindanao; iron ore - on the island of Samar and in the southeast of Luzon; chromite - in the west of Luzon and in the northern part of Mindanao; nickel - in the northeast of Mindanao; coal - on the island of Cebu and in the west of Mindanao.

An oil field was discovered off the coast of Palawan in 1961, and its commercial development began in 1979. However, in 1993, only 2% of the oil consumed was produced in the Philippines.

Energy.

For the past 20 years, the Philippines has been trying to become self-sufficient in electricity. In 1996, 63% of electricity was produced by thermal power plants, incl. 42% oil-fired, 15% hydroelectric and 23% geothermal. Hot steam released from the bowels of the earth was first used as a source of energy in 1980, and now the country ranks second in the world after the United States in terms of the development of geothermal electricity. Under Aquino, the earlier construction of a nuclear power plant on the Bataan Peninsula was suspended. In 1992, its construction was resumed, at the same time, the possibilities of transferring this station to other primary energy sources were discussed. The problem of power supply reached a particular acuteness in 1992, when power cuts occurred for 258 days; in May 1993, these outages averaged 8 hours a day. With the commissioning of new capacities, the energy crisis was overcome.

Manufacturing industry.

The sharp increase in the share of manufactured products in exports - from less than 10% in 1970 to 75% in 1993 - made this branch of the economy the main source of foreign exchange earnings of the Philippines. Electronic equipment and clothing occupied a particularly important place in the export.

In addition, the Philippine industry produces other consumer goods: food, beverages, rubber products, shoes, medicines, paints, plywood and veneer, paper and paper products, electrical household appliances. Heavy industry enterprises produce cement, glass, chemical products, fertilizers, ferrous metals, and refine oil.

The manufacturing industry in the Philippines attracts numerous foreign investors, mainly from the US and Japan. Currently, approximately 30% of the assets of the top 1000 Philippine corporations are owned by foreigners. During the presidencies of Aquino and Ramos, Taiwan became a major investor.

International trade.

Prior to World War II, exports generally exceeded imports. After the war, a persistent deficit in the trade balance led to the need to establish control over foreign trade operations. In the early 1960s, most restrictions were lifted. In 2003, $35.97 billion was spent on imports. USA, while exports brought in 34.56 billion US dollars. Electronic equipment, industrial and transport equipment, textiles, coconut palm products, copper and fish are exported from the country. Raw materials, fuel and oil products, industrial goods and equipment, consumer goods are imported. Main trading partners: USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other ASEAN countries, Taiwan.

Transport.

Of the land modes of transport in the Philippines, road transport is especially important. In 1994, approx. 2,300 thousand cars and motorcycles, the latter accounting for 25% of the vehicle fleet. The length of the road network is approximately 100,000 km, of which less than half have a modern surface. On the island of Luzon, in addition to railway lines with a total length of 740 km, an elevated railway was built in Manila. Most of the cargo is transported by sea. Cargo cabotage along the coasts of the islands and between them is carried out by thousands of different ships, which have more than 500 ports at their disposal. Several dozen large ports, headed by Manila, receive ocean-going ships. Communication between the islands is also provided by 87 state airports, of which two are international: in Manila and on Mactan Island (near Cebu).

Monetary system, state budget.

The monetary unit - the Philippine peso - is issued by the Central Bank of the country. The exchange rate in 2003 was 54.2 pesos to 1 US dollar. The state budget has been reduced to an excess of spending ($15.25 billion) over revenue ($11.56 billion). The external debt of the Philippines increased significantly in the 1970s, approached $25 billion in 1983, rose to $37.8 billion in 1996, and reached $58 billion in 2003. Reserve reserves of gold and foreign exchange are 16.87 billion dollars (2003). Budget expenditures on external debt service exceed expenditures on education and military needs combined.

Transport and communication.

The main form of land transport in the Philippines is road transport. The total length of highways amounted to 202 thousand km, of which only 42.4 thousand km. have a hard coating. The length of railways (on the island of Luzon) is approx. 900 km. A significant part of the cargo is transported by water, including cargo cabotage along the coast and between islands. Main ports and harbors: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Guimaras Island, Iligan, Iloilo, Legaspi, manila, Masao, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic Bay, Zamboanga. The merchant fleet has 385 ships with a displacement of over 1000 br. reg. t., incl. 114 are owned by foreign firms. 87 Philippine courts are registered in other countries. Of the 253 airports, 82 have runways hard coated. The main international airports are Manila and Mactan (near Cebu).

In 2002, the Philippines had 3,310,000 telephone lines, 15.2 million mobile phones and 3.5 million Internet users.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Education system.

The system of free schooling introduced by the Spaniards in 1863 was supplemented by the Pedagogical College established by decision of the US Government and the State University of the Philippines. Throughout the period of the country's political dependence on the United States and until the mid-1970s, education was the largest item in the Philippine state budget. In 1972, the reform of the education system began in order to bring it in line with modern requirements. In the new curricula, special attention was paid to vocational education. In addition to English, teaching could now be conducted in the Pilipino (Tagalog) language, and on the island of Mindanao it was allowed to use Arabic. In 1990, more than 90% of the country's population over the age of 14 was literate.

The duration of education in elementary school is 6 years, and in secondary school and college - 4 years each. Secondary and higher education in the Philippines is received mainly in private educational institutions. The higher education system in the Philippines follows the American model. It can be obtained free of charge at public universities and colleges, as well as at teacher training or technical schools. Approximately one third of all private educational institutions are under the patronage of the Roman Catholic Church, and approx. 10% are affiliated with other religious organizations. Higher education institutions operate in almost all provinces, but most of them are located in Greater Manila. The State University of the Philippines at Quezon City, opened in 1908, has a large number of faculties and colleges. Prestige is also enjoyed by the Catholic University of Santo Tomas (founded in 1611), the Far East University in Manila, the University of Manila, Adamson University, Ateneum University, the Philippine Women's University, and the University of Mindanao in Marawi City, located in the metropolitan area of ​​Manila. American missionaries founded Sillimanan University in Dumaguete and Central Philippine University in Iloilo.

Literature and art.

Only a few samples of oral folk art (epic works, songs) of the peoples of the Philippines, dating back to the colonial period, have survived to this day. Under the influence of the Spaniards, curido (or corrido) poetic narratives became widespread - lyric-epic and heroic ballads on biblical and secular subjects, which were created and printed mostly anonymously. A prime example This genre recognizes a poetic story about the atonement of human sins by Christ. Francisco Baltasar (1788–1862), considered to be the first major Filipino poet, wrote under the pseudonym Balagtas in Tagalog, and his most famous work Florante and Laura made in the form of kurido.

The main body of Spanish-language Philippine literature of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. includes a number of exquisite works, including two novels by the national hero of the Philippines, José Rizal y Alonso (1861–1896), the lyrical writings of Fernando Guerrero (1873–1929) and Cecilio Apostol (1877–1938) sustained in an Imagist manner, and, finally, satire by Jesus Balmori (1886–1948). Modern Philippine literature is mostly written in English. Such masters as the poet Jose Garcia Villa, the novelist N.V.M. Gonzalez, the author of the short story Nicomedes Joaquín and the essayist Carmen Guerrero-Nacpil are well-known.

Until the end of the 19th century. The main patron of the arts in the Philippines was the Roman Catholic Church. A curious Chinese or Malay version of the Spanish Baroque appears in the architecture, sculpture and painting of that time. Juan Luna (1857–1899) and Felix Resurreción Hidalgo (1855–1913), talented expatriate Filipino artists, won recognition in Spain for their Romantic style paintings. During the period of American domination, the most famous painters were Fabian de la Rosa (portrait painter) and Fernando Amorsolo (landscape painter, rector of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines). The recognized masters of fresco painting are Carlos Francisco and Vicente Manansala. Artists and sculptors of the younger generation are actively experimenting in a wide variety of artistic styles, among the most gifted are Anita Magsaysay-Kho, Fernando Sobel, Arturo Luz and Napoleon Abueva.

In the musical compositions of Antonio G. Molina, Eliseo Pajearo and Antonio Buenaventura, local themes and rhythms are clothed in such purely Western forms as the chamber genre and the symphonic poem. Thus, they continue the tradition of Philippine folk music of the Spanish period and, in essence, consolidate the unique combination of Asian and Western European cultures. The same task is solved by a stylized stage adaptation of local dances, first performed and shown to the audience on foreign tours by artists from the Bayanikhan Folk Arts Center at the Philippine Women's University.

The science.

During the period of Spanish rule, serious scientific work in the field of botany was carried out by George Joseph Kamel (1661–1706), associated with the Jesuit order, after whom the camellia plant was named. The priest of the monastic order of the Augustinians, Manuel Blanco, created a monumental four-volume work Flora of the Philippines (Flora de Filipinas, Manila, 1877-1880), which systematized information about the flora and vegetation of the archipelago. This work has retained scientific significance to this day. In 1865, a meteorological observatory was founded in Manila by the Catholic order of the Jesuits, which for the first time began observing tropical typhoons and during the Spanish and American periods of the history of the Philippines functioned as the Weather Bureau. Later, the employees of this observatory began to conduct geophysical research. The study of tropical diseases was established in the Bureau of Science - one of the first public institutions created under the Americans. Later, the National Council for the Advancement of Science was established with a number of branches, as well as the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission.

In 1934, the National Research Council was formed to stimulate and coordinate fundamental research in the physical, biological, and social sciences. Research work in the field of agriculture is carried out by the relevant faculties of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños, the University of St. Carlos in Cebu, as well as Javier University in Cagayan de Oro. The International Rice Research Institute, founded in 1962 (a joint project of the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations), is also located in Los Baños. The Philippine Science Foundation funds and implements teacher development programs, competitions for scholarships, and supports the publication of scientific literature.

Scientific societies and libraries.

There are many different scientific societies and associations in the Philippines representing such fields of knowledge as architecture, history, economics, agriculture, medicine, and philosophy. Outstanding scientists in the natural sciences and humanities are elected by the members of the National Academy of Sciences. There are a number of large museums and libraries in the country, some of them created directly at universities. To date, the Metropolitan National Library has restored its book collections, most of which were lost during the battle of Manila in 1945. Valuable collections of documents related to the history of the Philippines, and works of art are on display at the Lopez Memorial Museum and Library (which houses the letters and manuscripts of the national hero José Rizal), in the library of the University of St. Thomas, at the exhibitions Araneta (painting) and Loksin (ceramics).

Mass media.

There are 225 television stations and over 900 radio stations in the Philippine Islands. The country has 11.5 million radios and 3.7 million television sets. In the capital, approx. 30 newspapers, mostly in English, a few in Pilipino and 4 in Chinese. Newspapers are also published in the provinces. The circulation of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the most authoritative of the capital's newspapers, on weekdays is over 280,000 copies.

Several film studios operate in Manila, where films are made in English and Tagalog for local audiences.

Sport.

Favorite sports are cockfighting and basketball. Filipinos have achieved great success in boxing (light and featherweight weight categories). The Amateur Athletic Federation regularly sends its athletes to participate in the Asian and Olympic Games. In addition, chess is extremely popular in the Philippines, Philippine champion Eugenio Torre is the first citizen of an Asian country to receive the title of grandmaster.

Holidays.

Major national holidays in the Philippines: Independence Day (June 12), celebrated to commemorate the second proclamation of the Philippine Republic in 1898; Bataan Day (April 9), commemorating the tenacity of US-Filipino troops in World War II; National Hero Day (or Bonifacio Day, November 30); Rizal Day (December 30). The main Christian holidays are Christmas and Easter. In addition to this, in every city and every district, a festival is held in honor of the saint, the patron saint of this place.

STORY

pre-colonial period. The first people are believed to have come to the Philippines land bridges, which connected the future archipelago with Taiwan and Borneo, in the late Pleistocene (c. 200,000 BC). Sites dating back to the 50th millennium BC have been discovered. From about 30 millennium BC. people of the modern type migrated - Australoids, the ancestors of the Ita and Aeta tribes, who still live in the interior of Luzon, the Visayas, Palawan, etc. They were engaged in gathering and primitive fishing. After 3000 BC Mongoloid Malayo-Austronesian peoples arrived in the Philippines by sea, pushing the Australoids deep into the islands. This migration occurred in waves and stretched over several millennia. The modern Filipino name for the community (barangay) comes from an ancient word for a boat. The new population was engaged in hoe farming, from the 2nd millennium BC. ceramics became widespread, and from the 3rd c. BC. the Iron Age began. At the turn of the a.d. The basis of the economy of the Philippine tribes was sedentary agriculture (mainly rice cultivation) with the use of irrigation and carabao buffaloes.

The development of the Philippine tribes was facilitated by intensive contacts with merchants and seafarers from other countries. Through Indonesia, Indian influence penetrated the Philippines. The islands were part of the trade and cultural contacts of the largest Indianized powers of Sumatra and Java - Srivijaya (7th-11th centuries) and Majapahit (13th-15th centuries). Hinduism enters the Philippines. The influence of the Indo-Javanese culture can be traced in vocabulary, rituals, folk crafts and crafts. Pearls, mother-of-pearl and, probably, gold were exported from the islands. In the 13th century, according to legend, 10 leaders moved to the Visayas and Luzon. quarreled with the ruler of Brunei.

Long before the beginning of our era. The Philippines were known to Chinese sailors and merchants. Contacts with China acquired a stable and systematic character in the 9th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries, colonies of Chinese traders settled on the coast. They exported wax, pearls and mother-of-pearl, tree resin, abaca cloth, betel, coconuts and fruits, and delivered porcelain, glass, and ceramics. weapons, paper and gold items. In the 15th century China sent a number of naval expeditions to the Philippines. The Chinese influence left a deep mark on the culture, life, languages ​​and economic life of the peoples of the archipelago.

In the 14th-15th centuries, ties with the countries of Southeast Asia and Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Siam) developed intensively. The Japanese established their trading post in Aparri and maintained ties with Northern Luzon.

By the beginning of the 16th century. in Luzon and the Visayas, there were already associations of communities - barangays, headed by rulers-leaders and the feudal aristocracy. Islam began to spread in the northern and central regions of the archipelago, penetrating mainly from Brunei. The southern islands of Sulu and Mindanao developed relatively centralized feudal principalities with their own ruling dynasties. In the middle of the 15th century A Muslim Sultanate arose in Sulu. Muslim sultanates formed in Mindanao in the 16th century.

Spanish conquest.

In 1521, a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan landed in the Philippines to circumnavigate the globe. She declared the islands the possession of Spain and concluded an agreement with the ruler of Cebu. However, the Spanish detachment was defeated on Mactan Island by the leader of Lapu-Lapu, Magellan died, and the Spaniards were forced to leave the islands. Nevertheless, new expeditions followed from the 1530s (members of the expedition of Lopez de Villalobos in 1543 named the archipelago the Philippine Islands in honor of the Spanish Crown Prince Philip, the future King Philip II). In 1565, a Spanish squadron arrived from Mexico under the command of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi captured Cebu, then the Visayas and the northern part of Mindanao. In 1570, having broken the resistance of the Muslim ruler Soliman, Legazpi captured Manila on the island of Luzon. A fortified center of the Spanish possessions in the archipelago was erected in Manila, which by the end of the 1580s covered the northern and central regions of the Philippines. Only in the south (in the central and southern parts of Mindanao and on Sulu) did the Muslims, the Moros, who offered fierce resistance, still maintain their independence.

possession of Spain. Administratively, the Philippines was declared part of the Spanish colony of New Spain (Mexico) and was governed by a governor subordinate to the Mexican Viceroy. The population rapidly converted to the Catholic faith, and by the 1620s, most of it was Christianized. Vast territories and parishes came under the control of religious orders (Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits). In 1578 a Catholic bishop established himself in Manila, and in 1595 an archbishop. The adoption of Christianity marked the beginning of the creation of an education system in a European way. From 1593, books began to be printed in the Philippines (mainly of religious content). Already in the first years of colonial rule, new educational institutions were organized, and in 1611 the first university of St. Thomas was opened, but Filipinos were not allowed there until the end of the century. However, the culture of the country has undergone significant Spanishization.

Initially, the Spaniards introduced in the Philippines the system of "encomiendas" operating in their American colonies - estates transferred to individuals, orders or directly to the crown. Encomendero collected a house tax (tributo) from the population in his favor. The final system of land tenure took shape in the first half of the 17th century. Hacienda became the main type of landlord ownership, and sharecropping became the main form of labor exploitation. Economically, the Philippines was a loss-making colony and received substantial subsidies from Mexico.

From the beginning of the 17th century residents were ordered to perform labor service (polo) and forcibly deliver goods to the authorities. Famine, which affected entire villages and provinces, and the cruelty of the detentions led to an increase in mortality. During 1621-1655 the population of the colony decreased from 611 thousand to 505 thousand people. The decrease in the number of workers was one of the reasons for the abolition of the system of working off in the 1660s. By the end of the 17th century. the encomienda system was replaced by a poll tax in favor of the crown.

The community was legally preserved for fiscal needs, and the elders were turned into officials (caciqs) who helped collect taxes. In the 17th century the caciques themselves became feudal landlords of lesser rank. From the 17th century small-scale peasant farming also began to spread, which was associated with the existence of vast wastelands.

Filipino peasants continued to grow rice for domestic consumption. The income of the colonialists was based on the cultivation of tobacco and "halion trade" - flights of merchant ships between Manila and the Mexican port of Acapulco. The income from these operations fell mainly into the hands of Catholic orders. Direct trade with Spain was prohibited. However, trade with China and Japan developed.

The arbitrariness and violence of the colorists caused powerful but unsuccessful uprisings (in 1574 and 1587–1588 near Manila, in 1622 on the islands of Bohol and Leyte, in 1639 in the Cagayan Valley, in 1649–1650 on the islands of Leyte and Mindanao, in 1660 –1661 in Central Luzon).

Spain had to wage a stubborn struggle with other states to maintain its dominance over the Philippines. At the end of the 16th century The Japanese ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid claim to the islands, and the Spaniards were forced to pay tribute to him. In 1600-1601, 1609-1611, 1616-1617, 1644-1645, Dutch warships blockaded the shores of the archipelago, but were never able to capture it. In the 1660s, the Philippines was threatened by the forces of the Chinese warlord Zheng Chenggong, who ruled Taiwan. From the beginning of the 17th century Muslim sultanates in the southern part of the archipelago constantly attacked the Spanish forces and garrisons ("Moro wars") and in the 18th century. a balance of power has been established in the area.

Military threats contributed to the strengthening of the centralization of government and contributed to the final formalization of the administrative structure of the Philippines. The functions and power of the governor-general were expanded. The country was divided into provinces headed by alcaldes - military captains. The provinces were divided into districts, and those - into rural volosts (barangays). The management of the districts and barangays was entrusted to the Filipinos.

In 1762, the British East India Company, sending 13 ships and 6,830 soldiers, captured Manila, breaking the resistance of a small Spanish garrison of 600 people. The company also entered into an agreement with the Sultan of Sulu. However, the British did not even manage to extend their power even to the territory of Luzon. After the end of the Seven Years' War, they left Manila in 1764, and in 1765 they completed the evacuation from the Philippine Islands.

The British occupation gave impetus to new anti-Spanish uprisings: in Central Luzon (led by J. Palaris) and in northwestern Luzon (led by D. Silang). They were hard to suppress. Since 1744, an uprising led by F. Dagokhoy continued on Bohol Island, with which the Spaniards could not cope for 85 years. One of the forms of protest was the emergence of numerous sectarian movements of the messianic type.

Governor General José Basco y Vargas (1778–1787) set about implementing important reforms. The first steps were taken to develop the production of export crops - sugar cane, indigo, spices, cotton, cocoa, coffee, to create a textile and tobacco industry, to develop mineral resources. In 1781 the Philippines was separated into a separate colony. The following year, the authorities imposed a government monopoly on the tobacco trade. In 1785, the Royal Philippine Company was established, which was allowed direct trade between the islands and the mother country. In 1789, the port of Manila was opened to free trade, and although this decision was canceled in 1792, the Spanish authorities were no longer able to stop the trade expansion. European countries and the US to the Philippines.

In the 19th century The Philippine economy has undergone important changes. In 1815 gallion voyages ceased, in 1830 the monopolies of the Royal Company were abolished, and in 1882 the tobacco monopoly. Private Spanish merchants were allowed on the islands, more and more merchants from Great Britain, France and the USA became, who soon pushed out Spanish competitors and achieved actual, and then official opening for the foreign trade of Manila (1834) and other ports (1855–1860). This stimulated the production of export crops, the production of handicrafts (fabrics and embroideries) for export, and the development of urban manufactories (cigars, etc.). Chinese and Filipino entrepreneurship began to grow.

During the years of the Spanish Revolution (1808–1814), liberal-minded officials appeared in the Philippines, and there was a certain easing of the government regime. In the educated layers, the ideas of equalizing the rights of the Filipinos with the Spaniards began to spread. In 1810, the islands were represented in the Spanish Cortes by two Spanish officials and a Creole merchant. In 1834-1837, a representative of the indigenous Filipino population (lawyer J.F. Lekaros) sat in the Spanish Parliament. But already the constitution of 1837 declared the Philippines a crown colony, and their representation in the Cortes was abolished. From the 1850s, the Spaniards set about conquering the Muslim South: by the 1870s they had succeeded in conquering Sula; the capture of Mindanao was never completed until the end of Spanish rule.

In the 19th century Filipino intelligentsia emerged. Its development was also given impetus by the education reform of 1863, which expanded the access of the indigenous population to educational institutions. In 1869, the Reform Junta was formed in Manila.

It gained great popularity in the middle of the 19th century. a movement for the equalization of the rights of Filipino and Spanish priests, led by priests José Maria Burgos, Jacinto Zamora and Mariano Gomez. The priest Apolinario de la Cruz, after the prohibition of the order he created, led a powerful peasant uprising in 1842-1843. A great response was caused by the uprising of the workers of the arsenal in Cavite in Central Luzon, supported by the soldiers and the surrounding peasants. The participants in the movement not only protested against the distribution of the poll tax arsenal to the workers, but also opposed Spanish rule. The movement was suppressed. The authorities executed not only the participants, but also the priests of Burgos, Zamora and Gomez, who turned into national heroes.

Supporters of reforms (equal rights with the metropolis, the introduction of democratic freedoms, etc.) created their societies in Spain (Spanish-Philippine circle 1882-1883) and in the Philippines themselves (the Propaganda Junta, 1888). The first nationalist organizations arose in the form of Masonic lodges (Solidarity in Spain from 1889, Nilad and other lodges in the Philippines after 1891, Philippine League 1892).

Philippine Revolution 1896–1898.

In 1892, among the urban poor, a secret revolutionary union, the Katipunan (Supreme and Venerable Union of the Sons of the People) arose, created after the split of the Philippine League by Andres Bonifacio. He was joined by circles of radical intelligentsia. In August 1896, the Katipunan raised an anti-colonial uprising. In the course of bloody battles, the rebels took possession of a number of areas in Central Luzon and south of Manila. Despite mass executions and arrests, the movement quickly expanded, covering Western Luzon and the Visayas. Landowners, merchants, and entrepreneurs began to join the rebels. The leader of these circles was the mayor of Cavite, Emilio Aguinaldo.

On March 22, 1897, a convention of rebels in Tejeros proclaimed an independent Philippine Republic and elected Aguinaldo as its president. He achieved the dissolution of the Katipunan, and in May 1897 he ordered the execution of Bonifacio. On November 1, 1897, a provisional constitution for the Philippines was adopted at a rebel conference in Biak-na-Bato. But already on November 16, Aguinaldo and his supporters came to an agreement with the Spanish governor-general Primo de Rivera. In exchange for an amnesty, the promise of the Spaniards to carry out limited reforms and for a substantial amount of money, Aguinaldo and his entourage announced an end to the armed struggle and left the country. Part of the rebels in February 1898 resumed hostilities.

In April 1898, the United States intervened in the events in the Philippines, entering the war with Spain. In May, American warships defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, and then brought back to the islands of Aguinaldo, who in June again declared the independence of the Philippines and formed a revolutionary government. Rebel detachments liberated all of Luzon and laid siege to Manila. In August, the Spaniards surrendered the Philippine capital to American troops. On September 15, a revolutionary congress opened in Madolos, which adopted the constitution of the independent Philippines, which entered into force on January 21, 1899. President Aguinaldo appointed the radical Apolinario Mabini as prime minister. However, the United States was not going to recognize the independence of the archipelago: according to the Peace of Paris in 1898, they received it from Spain. On December 21, 1898, American President William McKinley proclaimed US sovereignty over the Philippines.

The Philippines is a US possession.

Negotiations between the US and the Philippine government in January 1899 proved fruitless, and in February Aguinaldo declared war on the Americans. The American troops deployed to the archipelago had a significant advantage in numbers and equipment. In addition, the American command promised certain concessions to the moderate circles of the Philippine elite. In May 1899, Aguinaldo removed his prime minister, and in June organized the assassination of General Antonio Luna, opponents of the compromise. By the beginning of 1900, the Philippine army broke up into separate partisan detachments; in March 1901, Aguinaldo was taken prisoner, who then called for an end to resistance. Separate groups continued to fight until 1906, and the Americans managed to pacify the Islamic South only by 1913. According to some estimates, up to 250 thousand Filipinos died in the American-Philippine war.

In 1901, the United States established a civil administration in the Philippines, headed by Governor General William Taft. The American authorities kept their promises and made concessions to the upper strata of Philippine society. They legally secured private ownership of land, bought and sold church lands to wealthy people. The United States established a duty-free trade regime between the mother country and the Philippines and quickly achieved a dominant position in the archipelago's foreign trade. Filipinos were attracted to positions of responsibility in the administration. Political parties were formed: the Federal (advocated inclusion in the United States), the Nationalist Party (PN; supporters of independence). At the same time, de-Spanization and the widespread introduction of the English language were carried out.

In 1907, an elected Assembly was created in the Philippines. PN won the first election. The Philippine Commission appointed by the American administration served as the upper house. Since 1913, when Democratic President Woodrow Wilson came to power in the United States, “Philippinization” was launched - expanding the participation of the local elite in the administrative apparatus, and in 1916 the American Congress adopted the “Philippines Autonomy Act” (Jones Law), which created a bicameral Legislative Assembly and pledged independence to the Philippines "as soon as a stable government is established there." Issues of monetary, military and foreign policy remained in the hands of the President and the US Congress. In all other areas, bills passed by the Philippine legislature, after being approved by the Governor General, automatically became laws. At the same time, the composition of the House of Representatives was fully elected, and in the Senate, the majority of members were subject to election. Relations between the Governor General and the Philippine Parliament during the 1920s alternated between periods of cooperation and confrontation, depending on how much the former tried to expand its sphere of control.

After the First World War, the increase in world demand for Philippine raw materials prompted American and local entrepreneurs to expand the construction of sugar and oil mills, tobacco factories. The trade union movement grew. Particularly powerful strikes took place in 1920, 1924, and 1928. Peasant uprisings broke out (in 1923-1924 in Mindanao, in 1925-1927 in Panay). The Philippine export-oriented economy was hit hard by the global crisis of 1929-1933. It caused considerable unemployment and the ruin of the peasants. In 1929-1931 a wave of strikes swept through the country, and in 1931 peasant uprisings took place in Luzon. The PN intensified its actions for the independence of the Philippines: in 1930 the Independence Congress was formed, and a student political strike was held. At the same time, the Communist Party took shape in 1930 (it was banned in 1931–1932).

Under the pressure of the intensified national movement and the aggravation of the international situation in the Far East, the United States made new concessions. The Hare-Howes-Cutting Act of 1932 provided for independence for the Philippines within 10 years. But his terms did not suit the Philippine leaders and were rejected by them. The administration of US President Franklin Roosevelt took the next step. In 1934, the Philippine Independence Act was adopted, which provided for independence in 10 years and the introduction of immediate autonomy: the creation of legislative and executive authorities (including the army) controlled by the US president through the American high commissioner. The uprising of pro-Japanese nationalists from the Sakdal party, who demanded immediate independence and proclaimed the creation of the Philippine Republic in May, was crushed.

In September 1935, the first presidential elections were held, which were won by the leader of the PN, Manuel Luis Quezon, who was far ahead of the aged leader of the revolution of 1896–1898, Aguinaldo, and the Bishop of the Independent Church, Gregorio Aglipaya, who was supported by the left. In November 1935, the islands officially became an autonomous "Commonwealth of the Philippines".

The United States retained its leading position in the foreign trade of the Philippines, and direct American investment in key sectors of the Philippine economy increased - export-import trade, processing of agricultural raw materials, and the mining industry. Filipino entrepreneurship also grew. In agrarian relations, large-scale landownership still prevailed (in 1939, the landowners owned about 50% of the cultivated land, and 35% of the peasant farms were tenants).

The government of the autonomous Philippines carried out a number of reforms: it introduced a guaranteed minimum wage, banned the labor of children under 14 years of age, established compensation for injuries at work, began buying out latifundia and improved conditions for sharecropping of rice fields, and launched industrialization programs and the development of education. In 1937, the activity of the Communist Party was allowed, which quickly began to expand its influence in the country. President Quezon continued to demand the speedy granting of independence, but the growth of the military threat prompted him from 1939 to again seek rapprochement with the United States. In 1939–1940, the constitution was changed: a bicameral parliament was restored, and the president received the right to re-election for a new term.

Japanese occupation and resistance.

During World War II, Japanese troops landed in the Philippines in December 1941. which already on January 2, 1942 captured Manila. On May 6, 1942, the last American units on the island of Corregidor surrendered. The Visayas and Mindanao were captured during the summer of 1942. The Philippine government, headed by President Quezon, was evacuated to the United States as early as March (he died in August 1944, and Vice President Sergio Osmeña was proclaimed president).

The occupying authorities found support among some of the PN leaders and members of the autonomous government. In January 1942, the creation of a civil administration was announced, and the Advisory Council of State and the Executive Commission (headed by J. Vargas, former secretary of the President of Quezon) were formed. On October 14, 1943, the formal independence of the Philippine Republic was proclaimed. The nationalist José Paciano Laurel took over the presidency.

In fact, power in the archipelago passed to the Japanese occupation authorities, who began to rebuild the economy of the Philippines in accordance with the needs of Japan: they reduced the plantations of rice, sugar cane and tobacco to grow cotton and abaca, rebuilt refineries to produce alcohol, etc. These measures led to a sharp drop in production, famine, rising prices and poverty. Forced labor was widely introduced. A terrorist regime was established on the islands, a network of prisons and concentration camps expanded. According to official figures, at least 80 thousand Filipinos died from Japanese terror.

The units of the Philippine army, which switched to guerrilla warfare, continued to fight with the Japanese units. The Philippine communists also began to organize their own partisan movement, creating in March 1942 the People's Anti-Japanese Army (Hukbalahap), which managed to recapture a number of regions of Luzon.

In October 1944, the partisans provided important support to the American troops led by General MacArthur on the island of Leith. Together with them, President Osmeña arrived in the Philippines. In February 1945, American troops occupied Manila, the last Japanese units were defeated by July 1945 (although individual groups and members of the Japanese army refused to lay down their arms and continued to fight; the last Japanese soldier surrendered only in 1974).

After occupying the Philippines, American troops disbanded the local governments created by Hukbalahap and arrested a number of Communist Party leaders. In April 1946, presidential elections were held: Manuel Rojas, who broke away from the PN, and the leader of the right-wing Liberal Party, defeated the official candidate of the nationalists Osmenya, who was also supported by the Democratic Alliance led by the Communist Party. Rojas was ready to make concessions to the US on the terms of independence.

Independent Philippines.

On July 4, 1946, the independence of the Philippines was proclaimed. At the same time, President Rojas signed the Treaty on the Fundamentals of US Relations, and in 1947 additional military agreements were concluded. The United States received equal rights with the Filipinos in the exploitation of the natural resources of the islands and the right to create 23 military bases for a period of 99 years (later this period was reduced). While quotas were placed on major Philippine exports to the United States, the restrictions did not apply to American goods destined for the Philippines. The national monetary unit of the peso depended on the dollar, and the customs tariff system tied the Philippine economy to the American one.

The economy of the country, completely destroyed by the war, was restored by 1951-1953. The growth rate of the national product in 1949-1953 was very high - an average of 13.3% per year, then gradually decreased to 4.6% in 1960-1965. The power industry and the manufacturing industry, which worked for the domestic market, grew significantly. But the unresolved agrarian problems hindered the development of agriculture, and food imports increased. The US maintained a large investment in the Philippines, but its share of foreign trade declined at the expense of Japan. The country's trade balance remained negative.

President Rojas declared an amnesty for those who collaborated with the Japanese authorities during the war. In 1946-1947, he disarmed the detachments of the former Hukbalahap, which participated in the uprisings of peasants against the landlords. Negotiations between the Communist Party and the government ended in vain, and in 1948 the Communists called on the population to an armed uprising. In the central regions of Luzon, they created a 10,000-strong Liberation Army of the country. The authorities banned the Communist Party and its mass organizations and arrested their leaders. The United States provided the Philippines with significant military and financial assistance to fight the insurgency. By 1953, the poorly armed partisan detachments, which consisted mainly of peasants, were largely defeated and dispersed. In 1956, the command of the Liberation Army decided to disband the remaining detachments.

After the death of Rojas in April 1948, vice-president Elpidio Quirino took over the presidency. In 1949, he won the presidential election over PN candidate José P. Laurel. The Kirino government in 1950 sent troops to participate in the Korean War on the side of the United States.

In the presidential election, Kirino was challenged by his minister of defense, Ramoon Magsaysay, who received PN support. Having won, Magsaysay issued a new labor law and agrarian laws, which contained some concessions to tenants and provided for the government to buy out latifundia to sell land to sharecroppers. Enterprises of promising industries received tax incentives, trade agreements with the United States were revised in favor of the Philippine side. Filipino entrepreneurs have succeeded in supplanting American ones in a number of industries. In the same time, foreign policy country has not changed. In 1954 the Philippines joined the SEATO military-political bloc.

In March 1957, Magsaysay died in a plane crash, and Vice President Carlos Polestico Garcia became head of state. In November 1957, he won the presidential election with the nationalist slogan "Filipinos Above All" and promised to strengthen national enterprise.

In the 1961 elections, Garcia lost to the Liberal candidate Diosdado Macapagal. The new president placed more emphasis on developing relations with Asian countries. In the area of ​​economic policy, the government has abolished the system of foreign exchange and import controls, moving to use higher tariff rates on imports and new investment laws to stimulate domestic industrial production. The agrarian reform of 1963 provided for the transfer of all vacant land to the state and the purchase of part of the land from large landowners, but it did not introduce significant changes in the life of the village. At the same time, Macapagal has failed to sustain its economic growth; began to show the costs of industrialization of the import-substituting type. In 1965, Macapagal lost the presidential election to Ferdinand E. Marcos, a former liberal who had gone over to the nationalists.

Board of F.Marcos. The Marcos government proclaimed its intention to carry out socio-economic reforms and improve the lives of the population. It has embarked on significant investment in infrastructure, roads, health centers and schools. Measures were taken to stimulate national entrepreneurship; national capital was to control 60% of the shares in mixed companies. The government launched a "green revolution" - measures to increase crop yields, but they gave only a short-term effect. In 1966, the Philippine government sent troops to South Vietnam, taking part in the conflict on the side of the United States. In 1969, Marcos was re-elected president for a second term, defeating liberal Sergio Osmenho Jr.

However, from the late 1960s, the position of the Marcos government began to steadily deteriorate. He was accused of growing corruption. Strikes and student protests grew in the country, nationalist movements became more active. In 1969, the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPF), which broke away from the pro-Soviet Communist Party, created the New People's Army (NPA), which resumed active insurgent struggle. The Maoists enjoyed the growing support of the peasants, who were dissatisfied with the rule of the landowners. Armed detachments of the NPA also operated in the cities, made assassination attempts, and so on. Since 1968, armed actions of Muslim separatists began in Mindanao; it was led at first by the Muslim Independence Movement, and after 1973 by the Moro National Liberation Front (created in 1969).

In 1970, Marcos announced the withdrawal of Philippine troops from Vietnam. A Constituent Convention was convened to draft a new constitution. In early 1971, the president called for a "democratic revolution from above" to prevent social upheaval. In August 1971, following the bombing of a Liberal Party rally in Manila, Marcos suspended constitutional guarantees, declared a state of emergency, curtailed freedom of the press and other civil liberties, dissolved Congress, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and prominent activists, including his leading critics, Senators Benigno. Aquino (sentenced to death, then expelled from the country) and José Diokno. In January 1973, Marcos ratified a new constitution that introduced a parliamentary form of government, but in reality postponed parliamentary elections indefinitely, concentrated in his hands all the power of the head of state and government, and continued to rule with the help of decrees and popular plebiscites of 1973, 1975 and 1978 ( approved the extension of the state of emergency). Promising to expand the elements of direct democracy, Marcos ordered the creation of the institution of permanent general assemblies in the field (barangays), to which certain functions were transferred local authorities authorities. At the same time, the president reorganized the army, quadrupling the size of the armed forces and the police, and purged the command staff. In 1972 and 1975, total purges of the state apparatus were carried out.

The Philippine government announced an agrarian reform that provided for the transfer of ownership (for redemption) of leased land to peasants and the promotion of cooperation. A development plan was approved that included a more equal distribution of income, the promotion of employment, the acceleration of economic growth, the encouragement of industries working for export, the construction of labor-intensive enterprises, and the development of Mindanao and other backward areas. Since the late 1970s, a new plan has been in effect, which provided for the creation of modern industries (petrochemistry, nuclear energy, etc.) and the expansion of the production of consumer goods.

The government managed to achieve at this stage some success in the fight against the rebels. In 1977, the leadership of the Maoist CPF was arrested. During negotiations between the Philippine authorities and the MLN, mediated by Libya and other Arab countries an agreement was reached on autonomy and a ceasefire in Mindanao, but in 1977 the referendum participants rejected this agreement, and hostilities in the South resumed.

In relations with the United States, the Marcos government sought a review of the legal status of military bases and a fairer trade agreement. Diplomatic relations were established with the USSR and a number of socialist countries.

In 1978, parliamentary elections were held in the Philippines, which were won by the political organization "Movement for a New Society" (Kilusan bagong lipunan), created by Marcos. In January 1981, Marcos officially lifted the state of emergency, but his government continued to run dictatorial methods, resorting to repression and arbitrary arrests. In June of that year, Marcos won the presidential election, well ahead of PN candidate Alejo Santos; most of the opposition boycotted the elections.

The 1980s saw a growing crisis in the Marcos government. Economic development was carried out to a large extent through foreign loans, but a significant part of them was appropriated by the president, his wife Imelda Marcos and other relatives and close associates of the head of state. External debt grew rapidly and in 1983 reached 25 billion US dollars. To pay off the debt, the authorities turned to the IMF. The loans granted to them were associated with strict conditions for reducing government spending, which sharply worsened the socio-economic situation of the general population. In the mid-1980s, the country was gripped by an economic crisis.

Against this background, the NPA became more active. By 1985, it had become a regular military force of 20,000 men. The army launched guerrilla operations in 59 of the country's 73 provinces, and the authorities could not cope with it.

The final crisis of the Marcos government began to grow after the assassination in 1983 of opposition leader B. Aquino, who returned to the Philippines from exile. Responsibility for the assassination was borne by the leadership of the army, headed by the chief of the general staff, General Fabian Ver. Mass protests, strikes and rallies began in the country demanding the resignation of the president. The leadership of the Catholic Church opposed the regime. However, a special court appointed by the authorities acquitted General Vera and 24 other military personnel.

In February 1986, the regime held snap presidential elections. The opposition forces agreed to nominate single candidates for president (Corazon Aquino, widow of the slain senator) and vice president (Salvador Laurel). Although Aquino won the election, the authorities rigged the vote and announced Marcos's victory. The opposition called for protests, while the army and the Catholic Church opposed the regime. Marcos fled to the US, and Aquino took over as president. A representative democracy was restored in the Philippines.

Philippines after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship

Aquino formed an opposition government, restored civil liberties, replaced Marcos-appointed officials, and dissolved Parliament. Was developed, approved by referendum on February 2, 1987 and put into effect on February 11, 1987, a new, current constitution of the country. In May, congressional elections were held, which brought a landslide victory to the Aquino bloc. But her government was constantly threatened by the military, dissatisfied with the purges in the army. During the presidency of Aquino, 7 coup attempts were made, which were hardly suppressed.

The democratic government managed to get back part of the funds embezzled by the former elite, received additional loans from the IMF, the United States and Japan, and agreed to defer the payment of interest on debts to some foreign banks. A new law on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program was passed. The authorities began negotiations with the Maoist rebels from the NPA, but the ceasefire did not last long. Strong damage to the Philippines was caused by the powerful eruption of Mount Pinatubo in Luzon in 1991, which claimed the lives of St. 700 people; 200,000 Filipinos were left homeless.

On the question of the presence of American military bases on Philippine territory, the Aquino government was ready to negotiate with the United States on changing the terms in favor of the Philippines. However, the country's Senate rejected the draft of a new 10-year treaty, and in 1992 the last bases (air force in Clark Field and naval base in Subic Bay) were closed.

At the next presidential election in May 1992, the ruling coalition split. Aquino herself supported the candidacy of former Secretary of Defense Fidel Ramos, but her party, the Struggling Democratic Filipinos (BDF), nominated the chairman of the House of Representatives, Ramon Mitra. Ramos created a coalition "People Power - National Union of Christian Democrats" and won, ahead of the leader of the People's Reform Party Miriam Santiago and other competitors.

President Ramos launched economic reforms: the privatization of telephone communications, water supply and sanitation, the modernization of shipbuilding and the removal of restrictions on the activities of local and foreign entrepreneurs. He managed to achieve stable GDP growth and increase government revenues. Special economic zones were organized. Progress has been made in the construction, financial and housing sectors. True, agriculture continued to lag behind, and in 1995 a rice supply crisis arose, which led to rising inflation and led to mass demonstrations in 1996 against higher gasoline prices, VAT and increased police powers.

In the field of domestic politics, Ramos proclaimed a course of "national reconciliation." He announced the lifting of the ban on communist activity and formed a national unification commission to lay the groundwork for negotiations with the Maoist and Muslim rebels, as well as the rebellious military. In 1994, the government announced an amnesty for both the rebels and law enforcement officers who committed crimes in the fight against the rebels. In the same year, a ceasefire agreement was reached with the FNM. In September 1996, a peace treaty was signed with this organization, which provided for the creation of an autonomous Muslim region. In October 1995, Ramos reached an agreement with the rebel military. Negotiations in 1995 with the Maoist-led National Democratic Front ended in vain, but in 1997 the parties signed an agreement on respect for human rights.

Ramos's popularity began to decline in 1997, when the effects of the Asian financial crisis began to be felt in the Philippines, which led to a fall in GDP, a widening foreign trade deficit and a reduction in investment from abroad. Widespread dissatisfaction was caused by the intention of Ramos to seek a change in the constitution and his re-election for a new term. With the support of the opposition, ex-president Corazon Aquino and the leadership of the Catholic Church, mass protests took place in the country. The House of Representatives voted to amend the constitution, but the Senate and Supreme Court rejected them.

The candidate of the ruling bloc - the chairman of the House of Representatives, José de Venezia, lost the presidential election in 1998. The victory went to the former film actor Joseph Ehercito ("Erap") Estrada, who spoke with populist slogans "protecting the poor", leader of the Philippine Masses Party. The latter was also supported by the "Struggle of Democratic Filipinos" (E. Angara faction), the Nationalist People's Coalition and a number of small and provincial parties. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a representative of the Power of the People - Christian and Muslim Democrats bloc, was elected to the post of vice president.

Estrada's government faced the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis - economic recession, increased unemployment, large budget deficits. The economy recovered more slowly than in neighboring countries. By the end of 2000, the country was on the verge of a serious crisis. The volume of production of goods has decreased, export earnings have decreased.

The president proposed changes to the constitution that would allow foreign citizens and companies to acquire up to 40% of Filipino firms and landed property, and extended the term of office of the President. In August 1999, thousands of people protested against these plans in Manila under the leadership of Aquino and Catholic Cardinal H. Sin. In January 2000, Estrada was forced to abandon the reform of the constitution.

Under the new president, the Supreme Court overturned anti-corruption court charges against the Marcos family, and Estrada allowed supporters of the former dictator to regain control of previously sequestered property. The Attorney General closed a number of court cases related to corruption.

Although by the end of the 1990s the Maoist NPA was seriously weakened by numerous splits and its number was reduced to 11 thousand people, it continued active insurgent activity. The government faced a new challenge in the South when the MILF ended the ceasefire in 1999 and fighting resumed. Although success in battle accompanied government troops, St. 600 thousand inhabitants were forced to leave their places of residence. In the spring of 2000, the Abu Sayyaf group took foreign tourists hostage; after mediation by the Arab countries, the hostages were released for a ransom.

In October, one of the former close associates of the president filed charges against him in connection with corruption and receiving money from an underground gambling business. On November 13, 2000, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Estrada. Hearings on this issue in the Senate began on December 7, but were interrupted on January 11, 2001, when 11 senators - supporters of the president managed to block the proceedings. After that, thousands of people gathered at the Temple of Epiphania de los Santos (EDSA), the site of popular protests against Marcos in 1986. The movement, called "EDSA-2", grew rapidly. Millions of demonstrators demanded Estrada's resignation, members of his government resigned, and the army and police withdrew their support on 19 January.

The next day, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant, and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took over as head of state. The deposed president did not recognize this decision; in April 2001, an anti-corruption court issued a warrant for his arrest, prompting his supporters to organize new EDSA-3 protests on May 1. However, the attempt to overthrow the new regime was unsuccessful. The government announced that a mutiny had broken out and suppressed it by force, many of the participants were arrested.

Philippines in the 21st century

On September 12, 2007, Joseph Estrada was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to life in prison. His trial lasted from October 2001 to June 2007. He was charged with concealment of income, bribery and a number of other economic crimes, but he was acquitted on charges of perjury.

Macapagal-Arroyo relied on a broad coalition that included Power of the People - KMD, the Liberals, the PN, the Nationalist People's Coalition, the People's Reform Party, the Democratic Action Party, the Provincial First Development Party and other small organizations. She relied on a solid majority in Congress.

In May 2001, the Abu Sayyaf group again took 20 hostages, killed 3 of them, and released the rest after paying a ransom. Philippine forces, backed by the United States, took decisive action against the Islamists. The assassination of the leader of the Abu Sabaya group and the capture of its field commander Ghalib Andang in December 2003 made it possible to neutralize them to a large extent. The Philippine government supported the US-led invasion of Iraq, but withdrew its troops from there in July 2004. Another important foreign policy step was the signing in 2002 of the "Declaration on the conduct of the parties in the South China Sea", which allowed to ease the tension in the dispute with China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam around the Spratly Islands.

In October 2002, the ruling coalition broke up due to the intention of Macapagal-Arroyo to run for the 2004 elections. The centrist parties left the bloc. In December, Arroyo withdrew from the nomination. In July 2003, a group of junior officers rebelled in Manila, but after negotiations, the rebels surrendered under the threat of attack from government troops. In August, Senator Panfilo Laxon, one of the leaders of the opposition Fighting Democratic Filipinos (BDF) party, accused the president's husband, José Miguel, of corruption. In October 2003, Arroyo returned to her intention to run for president in May 2004. She relied on a ruling coalition called the K-4.

In the 2004 elections, Arroyo won, collecting approx. 40% of the votes. Her main rival, the popular movie star Fernando Po, a friend of Estrada, supported by the opposition United Filipinos Coalition (BDF - Angara faction, Philippine Mass Party, Philippine Democratic Party - Struggle), received 36.5%. Senator P. Lakson, candidate of another faction of the BDF, won 10.9% of the vote, Raul Roco, leader of the centrist Alliance of Hope, 6.5%, and evangelist Eduardo Villanueva, 6.2%. The opposition accused Arroyo of using public funds to finance his election campaign and of corruption, and alleged electoral fraud. However, in June 2004 her election was confirmed by Congress.

The Arroyo administration proclaims its intention to continue economic reforms, improve infrastructure, increase tax collection, promote privatization and economic deregulation, and strengthen trade ties with the Southeast Asian region.

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