The Republic Of The Philippines is a country in South East Asia consisting of an archipelago numbering 7,000 islands spread over 115,000 square miles. It is divided into three distinct areas known as Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Philippines are to the east of Indonesia and South East of China.
The population is around 92 million with multiple ethnicities and cultures. The national currency is the peso. The capital city is Manila. The official language is Filipino but English is very widespread. The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism at 83%.
The three seasons are summer from March to May, rainy season from June to November and cold season from December to February. The type of landscape varies between forest, beaches, reefs and mountains, however rapid depletion of forests has been an issue in recent years.
Most islands in the archipelago can offer beaches with clean, white sand and clear, blue water. Water activities include scuba-diving, surfing and swimming in proximity to the large but harmless whale sharks. Volcano enthusiasts will find active volcanos dotted all over the archipelago. Nature enthusiasts will be able to find a broad range of interesting wildlife including the whale shark, dugong, Philippine eagle, deer and endangered crocodiles.
Filipino food should be both familiar and appealing to British tourists. Unlike many Asian countries, chopsticks are not popular and eating with bare hands is not so common. Spoons tend to replace knives as basic eating utensils since rice is a large part of the staple diet. Fish is generally much more popular than red meat, while desserts tend to be fruit-orientated.
Looking for self catering holiday accommodation in the Philippines? then below is a selection of villas in the Philippines and apartments in the Philippines that can be rented direct from their owners. You can either click on each listing for further details or you can use our search engine on the left if you are looking for something in particular.
