| Population |
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| The
people are predominantly of Malay descent, and 95.5 per cent are mestizo,
their ancestors having intermarried with the Spanish and Chinese. About
1.5 per cent are Filipino-Chinese. The remainder includes a number of indigenous
descendants of Malay and pre-Malay people who have not integrated with the
mestizo population. Negritos still inhabit the uplands of the islands
around the Sulu Sea, while the Aetas live
around Mount Pinatubo. The Igorot and
Ifugao, who live in the Central Mountains mountains
in northern Luzon, are best known for their
centuries-old rice terraces in Banaue. |
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| Language |
| Filipino
and English are official languages.
English is still important in business, government, and is taught in
schools from the fourth year to college. Efforts made during the 1960s and
1970s succeeded in establishing Filipino (formerly spelled Pilipino) as
the second official language. Filipino is derived from Tagalog, the
language spoken on Luzon. Many ethnic groups who do not speak Filipino
have been hesitant to adopt the language because of its background, and
deliberately only speak their original language. For instance in the
Visayan region, Visayan languages, which are called Cebuano, are used
rather than Filipino. Thus, while Filipino is making some headway
throughout the country, English is still used to communicate between
language groups. On Luzon, spoken English is heavily laced with Tagalog
words for informal conversation, resulting in "Taglish".
Religion |
| The
Philippines is the only predominantly Christian
nation in Asia. Approximately 83 per cent of
the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, 6 per cent belongs to
the Philippine Independent (or Aglipayan)
Church, and 3 per cent belongs to various other Christian churches. The Muslim
people, called Moros, comprise 4 per cent of
the population and live mainly on the southern islands, particularly Mindanao.
A Muslim secessionist movement emerged in the 1970s, and the government
responded with a combination of warfare and negotiations. Violent clashes
between Christians and Muslims still occur as official negotiations
continue. In the highlands and more remote islands, indigenous groups
often follow traditional beliefs and worship a variety of gods. |
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