For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections.

Take 5

Do you know where the Philippines is? Located in Southeast

Asia, it is an archipelago country between the Philippine

Sea and the South China Sea and about the size of the state

of Arizona. The capital city, Manila, one would think would

be the most populous city in the country, but it is actually

second in population to Quezon City!

Did you know that the Philippines is 80% Roman Catholic?

The other religions in the country, such as Muslim and

Buddhism, are all less than 10%. In just New England alone only about 20% of the population is Roman Catholic!

Due to its tropical climate, the Philippines grow many tropical fruits that are exported to the

United States. These products include bananas, mango, sugarcane and coconuts! In fact,

the Philippines is one of the biggest producers of coconuts. In 2010, they had produced

19.5 million coconuts!

Interestingly, most of their transportation is in a

jeepney. A jeepney is basically a little bus that fits

about twelve people. These small transportation

vehicles helps move the large population! Philippines

is the 12th most populated country in the world.

COUNTRY VIEW By Megan Swanke, William J. Johnston Middle School.

DID YOU KNOW?

LOCATION: The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia. It is very close to Malaysia and

Vietnam. It is 12.8797 North and 121.7740 East.

PLACE: Some of the most well liked places are lakes. This includes Lake Lanao, Lake Taal, and Lake Mainit.

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION: The Philippines is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons. Also, another issue is since the population is growing, there is less space for crops.

MOVEMENT: In the Philippines they travel in many vehicles such as busses, trains, jeepneys, and motorcycles.

REGION: They have thirteen regions. The climate is tropical rainforest.

Common Core Curricular Connections

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. RI. 5.1-5.10 CCSS. ELA-LITERACY. RH.6-8.1-8.7

For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit

CRIS Radio at http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand

for a free audio version of Geography Connections.

● facts.randomhistory.com● www.buzzfeed.com● http://nomadicboys.com/● http://factmontster.com/

● Kingsrebel.blogspot.com● Larsboom.com● expatfocus.com● Facts.randomhistory.com

● http://thedailyroar.com/● http://www.crwflags.com/

Recently, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte,

launched a “war on drugs” in the country. Many have

been arrested and killed, but some local groups want an

investigation in the amount of violence that has come from

the raids. Research the drug crisis in the Philippines on

courant.com.

Using the News

MAPPING ACTIVITYI am mapping cool places to visit in the Philippines

including Chocolate Hills, Boracay, and Cordilleras. In

Chocolate Hills you can zip-line, and look at beautiful

scenery. Boracay is where you enjoy beaches and scuba

diving. Lastly, in Cordilleras, you can admire the beautiful

sights of grasslands. The Philippines are not all about the

beaches. You can go sightseeing and it would be alluring.

The Philippines is truly an amazing place to go see and tour.

Online Resources:

• A yo-yo used to be a weapon? Yeah I know crazy, right?

• They also have the world’s largest underground river.

• Also, something a little scary is they have a lake called Jellyfish Lake and it has over thirteen million jellyfish in it. I for one would not want to go swimming there!

• The Philippine Eagle is the second largest bird in the world after an ostrich.

• They were also the first country in Southeast Asia to gain their independence.

• Another fact is there are over 12,000 species of seashells.

• One last cool fact is that three of the ten biggest malls are located in the Philippines.

GEOGRAPHY CONNECTIONS This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance. NIE ACTIVITY

Philippines!Welcome to the

A Jeepney in the Philippines

The Philippine Eagle

Mango

• Thee world’s largest pearl was discovered in the Philippines.

• Filipinos call skunks “stink badgers!”

• The Philippines is also home to the longest snake in the world.

• A Filipino named Roberto del Rosario patented the first karaoke machine in 1975. He called it the “Sing Along System”.

• Of the eight species of giant clams in the world, seven of them are found in the Philippines.

• The Philippines Basketball Association is the oldest league in Asia, and the second oldest in the world after the United States.

• Filipinos are the highest ranked selfie takers in the world.

• More than fifteen million people speak English in the Philippines.

• The currency is called Peso.

about the Philippines!FUN FACTSSome

Worlds Largest Pearl

Puerto Princesa, Underground River in the Philippines