2. Picture the Philippines and you’re likely to
get lost in images of dreamy beaches,
turquoise water and island escapes.
However, there is way more to this
Southeast Asian archipelagic country than
that!
3. THIS LIST OF FACTS
ABOUT THE
PHILIPPINES WILL
REVEAL UNKNOWN
INSIGHTS ABOUT THE
COUNTRY, REITERATING
WHY THIS IS ONE
AMAZING DESTINATION
WHICH SHOULD
DEFINITELY BE ON
YOUR BUCKET LIST!
4. Known locally as ‘balut’, this cheap
street eat certainly won’t be for
everyone! Balut is a fertilised duck
egg, incubated for 2-3 weeks
before being steamed and finally
eaten. Although many westerners
baulk at the idea of slurping down
partially developed duck, it is a
very popular delicacy in Southeast
Asia and especially in the
Philippines.
1. FERTILISED DUCK EMBRYO IS
THE NATIONAL STREET SNACK
5. 2. Jeepneys are the primary mode of
transportation in the Philippines
Created from military jeeps which were left by the Americans in
1946, the Filipinos fitted them with benches and adorned them
with bright colours and designs.
6. 3. The Philippines is
one of the world’s 17
megadiverse
countries
Exhibiting a huge amount of biodiversity,
the Philippines is one of seventeen
countries which has been deemed to be
megadiverse. This means that it is home
to at least 5,000 endemic species of
plants. It also borders marine
ecosystems,
THE PHILIPPINE TARSIER IS ANOTHER
UNIQUE ANIMAL ENDEMIC TO THE
COUNTRY.
7. Many of the Filipinos that
headed to the States to
qualify as nurses stayed to
work but a huge number
also went home and
founded their own nursing
schools. This lead to a
boom in the industry and
cemented Filipino nurses
as some of the world’s
best and most in-demand.
4. THE PHILIPPINES SUPPLIES
MORE NURSES GLOBALLY
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
8. Situated on the western edge of the Ring of
Fire, the Philippines is a country rocked by
freak weather events. The country sits along
not just one but five different fault lines,
meaning that earthquakes are common.
5. THERE ARE ABOUT 20
EARTHQUAKES EVERY DAY
IN THE PHILIPPINES
9. 6. The Philippines is
home to the
planet’s longest
snake
The reticulated python is the longest
snake in the world. It can be found in
the jungles of the Philippines, as well
as in other Asian countries, including
Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, to
name a few.
10. 7. When Pacquiao
fights, there is no
street crime in Manila
Manny Pacquiao, affectionately
dubbed PacMan by Filipinos, is
nothing short of a national treasure.
The professional boxer has a unique
way of bringing people together and
according to local media, the streets
are made safer when he fights.
11. Love it or loathe it, we’ve all
heard of ketchup. But have
you ever heard of banana
ketchup?! A condiment
unique to the Philippines,
this fruity ketchup is made
from sugar, spices, vinegar
and banana.
8. IN THE PHILIPPINES,
THEY HAVE BANANA
FLAVOURED KETCHUP
12. Considering that the Philippines is well known for being an
archipelagic country of over 7,000 islands, it may surprise
you to discover that it is actually not the largest
archipelago in the world.
9. THE PHILIPPINES IS
THE SECOND-LARGEST
ARCHIPELAGO IN THE
WORLD
13. 10 .The Philippines
boasts the world’s
longest underground
river
Located 75km north of Puerto Princesa,
lies the longest underground river in the
entire world. In 2011, the Puerto
Princesa Subterranean River was
christened as one of the New7Wonders
of Nature by UNESCO, cementing its
status as a natural marvel.
