hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and
struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active
volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Environment - current issues: uncontrolled deforestation in watershed
areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in Manila; increasing
pollution of coastal mangrove swamps which are important fish breeding
grounds

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

@Philippines:People

Population: 76,103,564 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years : 38% (male 14,677,291; female 14,203,376)
15-64 years: 59% (male 21,994,106; female 22,553,425)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,198,079; female 1,477,287) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 2.13% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 28.97 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.59 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population : 0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 35.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 66.13 years
male: 63.35 years
female: 69.05 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.62 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Filipino(s)
adjective: Philippine

Ethnic groups: Christian Malay 91.5%, Muslim Malay 4%, Chinese 1.5%,
other 3%

Religions: Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist and
other 3%

Languages: Pilipino (official, based on Tagalog), English (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.6%
male : 95%
female: 94.3% (1995 est.)

@Philippines:Government

Country name:
conventional long form : Republic of the Philippines
conventional short form: Philippines
local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas
local short form: Pilipinas

Data code: RP

Government type: republic

National capital: Manila

Administrative divisions: 72 provinces and 61 chartered cities*; Abra,
Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Angeles*, Antique,
Aurora, Bacolod*, Bago*