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The Philippines is an archipelago made up of
over 7,100 islands located in Southeastern Asia,
between the Philippine Sea and the South China
Sea. Most of the population is concentrated on
eleven major islands, which include the two largest:
Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south,
Samar, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte,
Cebu, Bohol and Masbate. Manila is the capital
and largest city of the Philippines.
Chinese traders visited these islands from 1000
AD, and Islam was introduced in the 15th century.
The West discovered the Philippines when Ferdinand
Magellan Ianded in Cebu in 1521. In 1542 the islands
were named in honor of Prince Philip, who later
became Philip II of Spain. After the Spanish-American
War of 1898, the Philippines was ceded to the
United States. In 1946 the Philippines regained
independence as the Republic of the Philippines.
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Filipinos are mainly a Malay people with Chinese,
Spanish and other influences. Some 40% of the population
lives in towns and cities. Significant ethnic divisions
are Christian Malay (91.5%), Muslim Malay (4%),
and Chinese (1.5%). Roman Catholics comprise roughly
83% of the population, while about 9% are Protestant
and 5% are Muslim. The remainder is largely Buddhist.
The official languages are Pilipino (based on Tagalog)
and English, though many other languages and dialects
are spoken, the most important being Cebuano.
While the physical geography of the country is extremely
varied, much terrain is mountainous with narrow
to extensive coastal lowlands. Several islands are
extinct volcanoes and atolls. There are many rainforests,
rich valleys and swamp regions.
The weather is tropical, with a dry season from
March-May and a wet season from June-October. The
coolest temperatures are between November and February.
Fulbright grants to the Philippines have been
awarded in a very wide variety of academic disciplines.
Many grants are for a combination of lecturing
and research, though there are also lecturing-only
and research-only awards. Fulbright scholars are
based at many Philippine universities. There are
links later in this page to several of these universities,
and applicants are encouraged to contact potential
host departments.
Fulbright grantees to the Philippines enjoy the
varied and beautiful landscape, pleasant climate,
the diversity of cultures, and a warm reception
from their Philippine students and faculty hosts.
English is widely spoken there.
CIES encourages interested applicants to make
use of the following links to complement their
research into potential opportunities in the Philippines.
Please also feel free to contact the CIES staff
listed at the bottom of this page.
Philippine-American Educational Foundation
http://www.paef.org.ph
Extensive information on the Fulbright program
in the Philippines
US Embassy in the Philippines
http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/rp1/wwwhmain.html
Official site of the US Embassy in Manila
Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C.
http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/
Official site of the Philippine Embassy with useful
information and links to other sites
Asia on Demand
http://www.asiaondemand.com/asianmaps/asianmaps.htm
Contains various maps of Asia
Embassy World Web Site
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_Philippines.html
Links to a variety of interactive maps of the
Philippines
Braintrack University Index
www.braintrack.com
Links to the Web pages of colleges and universities
worldwide
Philippine Government
http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/ph.html
Links to various government departments, political
parties, etc.
Philippine News Link
http://www.philnews.com/
Provides links to Philippine newspapers and magazines
Manila Bulletin Online
http://www.mb.com.ph/
An English Language Daily from Manila
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General Country
Information
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Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_east_asia/philippines/
Traveler's information on the Philippines, including
sections on events, activities, culture and history
World Travel Guide
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/phl/phl.asp
Travel information, including information on sports,
climate, business, health, and good regional and
city information
U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2794.htm
Background information on the Philippines, including
political conditions, foreign relations, relations
with the U.S., history, people, government, economy,
and business
Geocities
http://www.geocities.com/rptourism/philippines.html
Tourist information on the Philippines
Library of Congress Portals to the World
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/asian/philippines/philippines.html
Contains information on Philippine history, government,
education, etc.
The World Fact Book 2002
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rp.html
A useful site provided by the CIA with maps and
information on geography, people, economy, etc.
One World - Nations Online
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/
Links to government departments, newspapers, plus
information on education, arts and culture, etc
Country Reports
http://www.countryreports.org/philippines.htm
General information on the Philippines
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