Some interesting facts about the Philippines (Lolo B research)

I wrote this supposedly for an employer (I'm a website content writer) but he didn't reply to my e-mail and he didn't pay me for this article so I might as well just post it here. To be safe from plagiarism, I checked if it makes some hits in the internet (who knows he posted it without my knowledge) but there were none so I guess it's safe to post it now. Here are some interesting facts about the Philippines.
 

Ø  The country was named after a Spanish king

Once a Spanish colony, the Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain who ruled the largest empires in the world and it is said that Spain was able to reach the height of its power under his rule. This Spanish king was known to be an intelligent statesman. Philip II died in 1598 and was succeeded by his son Philip III.

Ø  It has multiple ethnicity

There are more than 180 indigenous ethnic groups inhabiting in the Philippine islands, but many of the members of these ethnic groups are already converted to Christianity and has adopted different elements of many foreign cultures. Majority of the people are actually part of the Austronesian group.

Ø  With more than 100 languages

There are 175 listed living individual languages in the Philippines including 4 that have no speakers that can be traced. The official language is Filipino, and according to the Philippine constitution, the other major languages recognized and widely spoken include Bicolano, Cebuano, Ilocano, Ilonggo, and Waray-Waray.

Ø  Is one of  only 2 countries in Asia that are predominantly Roman Catholic

Besides East Timor, the Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic. A total of 90% of the country’s total population are Christians (i.e., 80% Roman Catholic, and 10% from other Christian denominations), whereas 5 to 10% are Muslim living in parts of Mindanao, Palawan, and the Moro region.

Ø  An archipelago of thousands of Islands

With a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers, the Philippines is an archipelago of 7, 107, mostly mountainous and are volcanic in origin causing it to be abundant in mineral deposits. As a matter of fact, it is known to have the second-largest gold deposits in the world. It also has large deposits of copper, and is also rich in nickel, chromite, and zinc.