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Mabuhay : Filipinos greet strangers with this welcome word while putting a sampagitas flower necklace on their shoulders.

A little bit of geography
The Philippines are a tropical country located on the Asian continent. The Chinese Sea lies West and the Ocean Pacific West. This Archipelago is made up of approximately 7000 islands, only a few hundred of them being inhabited. About 10 of these islands make up 9/10 of the total country surface. Three big regions arise : Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao.

Located under the Tropics, the climate is hot and humid and bears three seasons :

- a hot season running from march to May, called summer
- a rainy season from June to November
- a cooler and dry season (this is relatively speaking) from December to February, called winter.

The whole country, being very mountainous, is subject to frequent volcanic explosions, devastating earthquakes, and typhoons.

Time difference with France: + 7h

Political situation
This young democracy is experiencing a new form of government since 1986. The country is divided into 13 administrations. The local governments manage 76 provinces.

With a total area of 300 000 sq. miles, the Philippines reaches 14th place in terms of population. In 1997, the population was estimated to 70 million inhabitants, 60% of them rurals. In the last 20 years the population grew by 20%, and today more then half of the population is less then 20 years of age. 111 different cultural groups and close to 80 languages are represented, "Filipino" being the national language. English is taught in school starting in first grade, and many people master it.

80% of the population is Christian, but important Islamic (10%) and Buddhist group are also found.

The principal resources come from agriculture (rice, sugar canes, copra), precious wood, gold mines, silver, and copper.

Education
The schooling in the Philippines is complete and of a relatively good level. The cost of education is an obstacle for the more disadvantaged families. College studies are the most expensive as they often mean travelling and lodging expenses. For these reasons, students with a good level will have to enroll in shorter and less ambitious courses.

• Nursery - Day Care Center or Learning Center (non obligatory)
• Elementary school Grade 1 to 6
• High school (starts for children 12 years old) : grade 7 to 10
• College (from 1 to 4 years depending on the field- starting at 16)
  

The Philippines

Pangasinan