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Country Facts

Capital:	Manila
Area:	Total 300,000 sq km: land 298,170 sq km, water 1,830 sq km
Population:	As of 2005: 84.2 million (NSO, average est.) By July 2006: 89.5 million (CIA WFB est.) Collectively recognized as Filipino people but with strong distinctions among major ethno-linguistic groups such as Tagalog, Ilokano, Sebuano etc.
Indigenous population:	The government identifies 110 groups. Population estimates range from 6.5 million (NCCA), 7.5 million (KAMP) to more than 12 million (NCIP), or between 10 and 15 percent of the total national population. According to NCIP, of the total indigenous population, 60% is in Mindanao, known collectively as Lumad, 30 % in the Cordillera-Northern Luzon, known collectively as Igorot and 10% in the rest of Luzon and Visayas islands. Different estimates are due to varied indigenous group identities and data sources.
Legal recognition of indigenous peoples:	The 1987 Constitution has several provisions on indigenous peoples’ rights. The 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) elaborates and defines institutional mechanisms for the implementation of these rights.
International conven- tions related to indigenous peoples signed by the country:	The Philippines is a signatory to CEDAW, CRC, CBD, ICERD, ICCPR, ICESCR, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It has not ratified ILO Convention 169.
Language:	National language is Tagalog-based Filipino. Official languages are Filipino and English. Spanish, Arabic and several regional languages are also promoted. The Ethnologue website lists 175 natively-spoken languages.
GDP per capita (purchase power parity):	USD 5,100 (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:	40 percent (2001 est.)
Life expectancy:	For women: 72 years; for men: 68 years
HIV/AIDS-adult prevalence rate:	0.1%
Education:	Six-year elementary (primary) education is universally required. Four-year high school (secondary) education. State colleges and universities.
Political system:	Unitary republic with the following features: national legislature composed of Senate and Lower House; executive branch under a President elected at large; independent judiciary; and local governments with some autonomy. Historical factors adversely affect constitutional democracy, including electoral defects, endemic corruption, warlordism, military interference in governance, and foreign intervention.
Key sectors:	Economy remains agrarian, with some export-oriented industries and services. Main agricultural products: staple food (rice, corn), coconut, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry and small livestock. Main industrial exports: electronics, garments, processed ores, wood products. Overseas contract work is a major source of foreign exchange.

Sources: various sources including CIA World Factbook, WRI Earth Trends, Government of the Philippines (National Statistics Office, National Statistics Coordination Board, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, National Commission for Culture and the Arts).