Mayon is an active volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, classified as a stratovolcano. Mayon is currently considered the most active volcano in the Philippines. Eruptions have been recorded since 1616, with the most recent occurring in 2018. The most tragic eruption was in 1814, which destroyed many surrounding towns and caused 1,200 deaths. 1)
Abaca is a tough, water-resistant fiber extracted from the sheaths of manila banana leaves to produce a fiber called abaca or manila. It is used to make ship's ropes, cordage, and cords, as well as fabrics and various types of braids. The main growing regions stretch from the Philippines to India. 2)
Arnis is an indigenous Filipino martial art whose name comes from the Spanish word arnes, meaning armor. In some regions of the Philippines, it is better known as escrima or kali. The weapons used in this art are knives, folding butterfly knives-Balisong, Dulo Dulo-and sticks, one or two, nearly a meter long. It is believed that it was by a master of this martial art Lapu-Lapu that Ferdinand Magellan was killed on the Mactan in 1521. 3)
The Banaue Rice Terraces are approximately 2,000-year-old agricultural terraces formed in the mountainsides of Ifugao on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They are considered by the Filipinos as the eighth wonder of the world. The terraces were probably created solely by hand labor without the use of machinery. In 1995 they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 4)
The Philippines is named after King Philip II of Habsburg of Spain. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas in honor of the then Prince of Asturias. Eventually, the name Las Islas Filipinas was adopted for the entire archipelago. 5)
A superstitious Filipino will not travel or bathe on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday during Holy Week, the week before Easter. 6)
The only place in the world where skunks are found outside of America is Indonesia and the Philippines. 7)
Filipinos were among the first to embrace text messaging, sending more than one billion text messages in 2011. 8)
The Philippines is the world's largest exporter of coconuts and tropical fruits such as papaya and mangosteen. 9)
According to Philippine custom, it is considered impolite to open gifts immediately after giving them. 10)
The Philippines is the only country in the world whose flag is flown upside down when the country is at war. 11)
The Philippines is the world's largest supplier of nurses, supplying about 25% of all foreign nurses worldwide. 12)
Conus gloriamaris, the rarest and most expensive seashell in the world, is one of the 12,000 species of seashells found in the Philippines. 13)
The Philippines is home to the longest snake in the world, the reticulated python, which is also the longest reptile in the world. 14)
There are 184 languages spoken in the Philippines, but Filipino (Tagalog) and English are the official languages of the country. 15)
On December 24, 2002, the world's largest Christmas lantern was lit in San Fernando, Pampanga. 16)
A few of the top ten malls in the world are located in the Philippines. 17)
It is typical for Filipinos to eat four meals a day, including merienda, a late afternoon snack, or dessert. 18)