Day 34

I think the planets are out of alignment because change is a foot in my world at the moment.  You know how things cruise along, there is a happy status quo, peaked every now and again with a weekend away or a bout of flu, but on the whole, life just ticks over.  In my world though, change is a happening - people are shifting, changing jobs, relocating countries, leaving school - almost as if our little part of the universe is having a slight reshuffle.  It's unhinging.  I'm not sure if I like change, especially when it is happening to those close to me (and myself included but enough of my box stories).  One of our lovely school mums is shifting with her husbands job, and it's to somewhere I know nothing about.  I mean I know the name of the country but seriously that's about it.  I was talking with the Human Map (aka The Husband) and even he was stumped, "I'll go check it out in my atlas", he decided.  "Sorry babe, packed already".  So I thought I'd do a little digging....

What do we know about The Philippines?

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To it's north is Taiwan  and west across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest separates it from the island of Borneo and to the south are the other islands of Indonesia. It is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with the capital city, Manila.  It has the 5th largest coastline in the world


With an estimated population of about 92 million people, the Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country. It is estimated that there are an additional 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. Its tropical climate sustains one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world.
Originally under spanish rule, it was sold to the United States for $20 million in 1898 (The Treaty of Paris), however this resulted in the Philippine American War.  In 1935, the Philippines were granted Commonwealth status however plans for independence were interrupted with the World wars, during which Japan invaded and craeted a puppet government resulting in atrocities and war crimes.  In 1965 Ferdinand Marcos was elected President and imposed martial law however after a period of massive political instability and unrest, Corazin Aquino overthrew the Marcos regime, which fled to Hawaii.  The return of democracy and government reforms after the events of 1986 were hampered by national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, a persistent communist insurgency, and Islamic separatists. The economy improved during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos, who was elected in 1992.  The current president is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Philippine culture is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures with aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay heritage.  It also has a significant amount of Spanish and American influences.

Random country.  Now I know a little more.  Good luck Nicole xxx