20 FACTS ABOUT FILIPINO/PHILIPPINES

1. The Philippines are named after King Philip II of Spain . Explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the Eastern Visayas Felipenas first, and the name was later applied to the entire archipelago. The country's official name is the Republic of the Philippines. ^G 
2. The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence after World War II , in 1946. ^r 
3. The Philippines has the highest rate of discovery of new animal species with 16 new species of mammals discovered just in the last 10 years. ^R
4. Human trafficking  is a problem in the Philippines. The country has the fourth largest number of prostituted children in the world. There are estimated to be 375,000 women and girls in the sex trades, mostly between the ages of 15 and 20, though some are as young as 11. ^rThe national symbol of the Philippines is the Philippine or monkey -eating, eagle. It is the largest of all the eagles and was declared the national bird of the Philippines in 1995. It stands up to 3.3 feet (1 m) in height and has a wingspan of almost 7 feet (2 m). It is critically endangered; there may only be around 180 to 500 eagles remaining. Killing one is punishable by Philippine law by 12 years in jail and a heavy fine. ^R
5. Current President Benigno Aquino III is the first president of the Philippines to be a bachelor and he is the son of ex-president Corazon Aquino, making him the second president to be a child of a former president (his predecessor Gloria Arroyo was the other) . ^r
6. Pop singer Bruno Mars is half Filipino and half Puerto Rican. His childhood nickname was "Little Elvis." His real name is Peter Gene Hernandez Bayot. His stage name was inspired by the chubby wrestler Bruno Sammartino. ^F
7. The world's biggest pair of shoes were made in Marikina City, Philippines, in 2002. The wingtips measured about 17.4 feet (5.3 m) in length, 7.9 feet (2.4 m) in width, and almost 6.6 feet (2 m) in height. Their cost was 2 million Philippine pesos. ^E
8. The world record for the most women simultaneously breastfeeding was 3,541, set in Manila, Philippines, on May 4, 2006. ^k
9. Of the top 10 largest shopping malls in the world, three are found in the Philippines, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Mall of Asia. ^R
10. The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao Tzu," or "Pearl of Allah," the gem weighs 14 pounds (6.35 kg) and measures 9.5 inches (24 cm ) long and 5.5 inches (0.4 cm) in diameter. It has a value of over US $ 40 million. It is believed to be 600 years old. ^B
11. The Philippines is the world's largest exporter of coconuts and tropical fruits, such as papaya and mangosteen. ^R
12. Some Filipinos are wary of the number 13 and will avoid having 13 people at a table. Also, steps to the main entrance of a house should not fall on a number divisible by three. Superstitious Filipinos will not travel or bathe on Holy Thursday or Good Friday during Holy Week, the week before Easter. ^Or
13. 
    President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines is known as "Noynoy," and two of his sisters' nicknames are "Pinky" and "Ballsy." ^JThe only place in the world where skunks are found other than America is Indonesia and the Philippines, where they are called stink badgers. ^M
14. Christian names in the Philippines include Bing, Bong, Bambi, Bogie, Girlie, Peanut, and Bumbum. ^J
15. Jellyfish Lake in the Philippines contains more than 13 million jellyfish. ^I
16. The Philippines is the second largest archipelago in the world and is made up of 7,107 islands located in the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and the Luzon Strait. ^B
17. The Philippines is the only majority Christian nation in Asia. Eighty percent of its population identifies as Roman Catholic. ^R
18. The Philippines has a population of more than 100 million people, which makes it the 12th most populous country in the world. Its annual growth rate of around 2% makes it one of the fastest growing countries in the world. ^R