A Virtual Tour of the Republic of The Philippines

1. A Virtual Tour of the Republic of The Philippines

2. The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago, located southeast of China and north of Indonesia in the Pacific Ocean.

3. The Republic of the Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. It has a rich history combining Asian, European, and American influences. Prior to Spanish colonization in 1521, the Filipinos had a rich culture and were trading with the Chinese and the Japanese. Spain's colonization brought about the construction of Intamuros in 1571, a "Walled City" comprised of European buildings and churches, replicated in different parts of the archipelago. In 1898, after 350 years and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos, with leaders like Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo, succeeded in winning their independence.

4. Luzon and Mindinao are the two largest of the Philippines' 7,083 islands. Most of the country's terrain, like that of Luzon ( pictured here), is mountainous.

5. The country has a tropical marine climate with a northeast monsoon (November to April); and southwest monsoon (May to October). March to May the weather is hot and dry, often reaching 100degrees.

6. Urban Life: Manila Baguio

7. Manila is the capital of the country and is situated on the island of Luzon.

8. Manila is a city of 8.6 million people. It is both a historic and modern city.

9. Manila traces its origins to a small seaport established in the twelfth century at the mouth of the Pasig River. Captured by Spain in 1570, the wealthy Muslim kingdom of Maynila was proclaimed capital of the Philippines. Manila remained under Spanish rule for nearly four centuries, exporting agricultural products to the metropolis to be used for finished goods. In the aftermath of the Spanish-American War the Philippines was ceded to the USA. From the outset, the goal of American policy was to integrate the new colony into the American market. Following independence in 1947, there was a major shift in the Philippine economic policy from export promotion to import substitution. The main beneficiary of the import substitution policies was the capital region.

10. The industrial base of this city has broadened in recent decades to include textile production, publishing and printing, food processing, and the manufacture of tobacco, paints, drugs, oils, soap and lumber. Despite the seemingly stable city composition of Metro Manila, the Philippines has not been able to continue its growth patterns of the 1970's.

11. Due to speculation, land prices have risen by 100-200%, thereby reducing access to affordable housing in the city.

12. Two popular forms of Transportation all over the Philippines are these unique vehicles.

13. Metro Manila has serious infrastructure and environmental problems in the areas of land, water, air, sewerage, drainage, waste, and traffic. Land use in Metro Manila has been largely shaped by the activities of the private sector. Metro Manila has a water supply system that is unsatisfactory, with a distribution system that is unable to reach much of the population on the periphery of the city. In total, about 11% of the population of Metro Manila are served by piped sewerage.

14. Bontoc and Baguio are north of Manila, also on the island of Luzon.

15. Baguio is the summer capital city because it is cooler than Manila in the summer.

16. Located in the mountains, Baguio is one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the country, and a popular destination for tourists in the Philippines.

17. Rural Life: Bontoc Abra Province

18. The chief industry in Bontoc, like most places in the Philippines, is agriculture, especially rice.

19. Many farmers of Bontoc, like most Filipinos are poor. Forty percent of the country's population live below the poverty level.

20. Not far from Bontoc are the famous cliffs of Heros' Coffins at Sagada. Learn their history at this site: http://www.geocities.com/sagada_igorot/sagada/hanging_coffins.html

21. Rice Terraces: Legend has it that the Igorot god, Kabunyan/Lumaig used these steps to visit his people on earth.

22. Dubbed as the eighth wonder of the world, these rice terraces were built with advanced engineering skills and are a scientific way of maximizing farm space in the mountainous Cordillera region and preventing erosion.

23. Alternatively to the terraced farms of the inland mountains, farms of the coastal lowlands are often menaced by Pacific Ocean cyclones, averaging six major storms per year.

24. Like the village in Imelda's story, this school in Abra province and most of the village where it is located, were destroyed by a cyclone in 2001.

25. Most of the fields in the village were also destroyed.

26. The families of the village were left without food, and many lost their homes and all their belongings in the cyclone. Thankfully in this village, no lives were lost.

27. As quickly as possible, new homes were built to replace the destroyed ones, but some poor farmers had no money to pay for a new house.

28. The village has never had running water or a sewer system.

29. Young people work the land alongside their parents and leisure entertainment is limited to nature's toys.

30. This was a home that was fortunately not harmed by the cyclone.

31. Before the storm, this was an area where these children played.

32. This is the interior of a beautiful antique farmhouse in the village.

33. Here is a ferry that takes farm families from their tiny island to the city nearby where some people work, and older children go to high school.

35. School in Pasay City in Metropolitan Manila High School Entrance Mabuhay means "welcome".

36. A classroom

37. cafeteria gym

38. hallway student store

39. The End Mabuhay!