Top 10 Amazing Facts About the Philippines

The Philippines is famous for its beautiful beaches, paradise islands, and for having incredibly hospitable people. In this article, a few fun facts will be listed to help you dive a little bit deeper into just how amazing the Philippines really is.

Whether you’re looking for rich history, natural beauty, or great food, the Philippines has something for everyone. If this sounds appealing to you, it’s worth looking into getting a Philippines tourist visa.

Filipinos are known for their especially welcoming culture, and it’s no surprise that the country is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

One of the most well-known facts about the Philippines is that it is home to some of the most awe-inspiring and unique beaches available. Each of the country’s 7000+ isles possesses at least one immaculate golden or white-sanded beach surrounded by clear turquoise waters.

One of the most popular and frequently visited tourist spots in the Philippines is Cebu. There are plenty of Cebu tourist spots to choose from, so you can easily find something that fits your preferences. Located at the center of the Visayas islands, Cebu is known for its spectacular beaches, historical sites, religious spots, cultural attractions, and fantastic diving opportunities.

Whether you prefer to have cocktails on a popular beach, a place to engage in watersports, or an undisturbed location to relax in silence, you’ll find whatever strikes your fancy.

If this is making you resent Covid even more, have no fear, traveling during the pandemic is more feasible than you might think.

Another prominent symbol of the Philippines is the Jeepney. These are colorful military-style buses decorated with an array of art illustrations of natural wonders, history, and pop-culture-inspired designs.

They first rose to prominence in the 1950s after the US military exited the country and left behind thousands of old jeeps. These were extended and repurposed to become one of the main methods of transportation around the country.

When traveling, public transportation can often be more of a nightmare than a fun adventure, but going from place to place in a moving art gallery can definitely help lighten the experience.

An interesting fact about the Philippines is that it’s the second-largest archipelago in the world, with its entire landmass being made up of islands. What’s even more interesting is that 5,000 of these islands are unnamed and only 2,000 are actually inhabited.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of owning an island, the Philippines might just be the place for you.

An additional fun cultural fact about the Philippines is that the country is known as the texting capital of the world. And for good reason.

Filipinos send more than 30 million text messages every day, which is twice as much as all of Europe! This is partly due to its affordability versus the price of computer internet access within the country.

SMS is so popular in the Philippines that it has even led to the creation of a new vocabulary that enables one to express oneself only in emoticons and symbols.

For example, if you wanted to say, “I’ll be late. Could you save a seat for me? Thank you,” that could be “ILBL8. 🙁 C%d u sav a sit 4 me? THNQ! :)”.

We know what you’re thinking, and don’t worry, you won’t need to learn this cryptic language to be able to communicate with people in the Philippines.

92% of the Filipino population speak English as a second language and depending on the classification used, there are 120 to 175 languages with native speakers. It might also be surprising to hear that most of these languages are alive and spoken by thousands throughout the country.

This differs from other countries that feature many languages, where typically only a few native speakers are left of each. In the Philippines, 13 of the languages have at least 1 million speakers. This includes languages such as Tagalog, Cebuano, Kinaray-a, Ilokano, and Kapampangan.

Another trivia nobody can deny is that Filipinos love shopping malls.

Not only are some of the largest malls in the world located within the Philippines, but they are also used as meetup places due to their countless facilities.

It is not uncommon for malls in the Philippines to include nightclubs, gyms, concerts, clinics, banks, churches, grocery stores, amphitheatres and, of course, an incredible assortment of different foods.

If you love clothes shopping, you need to visit the Mega Fashion Hall of the SM Megamall in Metro Manila, the third-largest mall in the world.

You may have also heard of the famous Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. In the event that you haven’t, it’s enough to know that his fights are essentially national holidays. In fact, the Philippine national police report that street crime drops to zero in most of the country when he fights.

And the same goes for basketball. Within any city you visit in the Philippines you’ll see hoops erected on almost every street corner, and someone wearing an NBA jersey will walk past you every few meters.