PHP

Exchange rates:

Philippine pesos (PHP) per US dollar - 46.148 (2007), 51.246 (2006), 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003)

Communications
Philippines

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.633 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

51.795 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations; cellular communications now dominate the industry; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density about 60 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and Europe; multiple international gateways (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 381, FM 628, shortwave 4 (each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target audience) (2007)

Radios:

11.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

250 (plus 1,501 CATV networks) (2007)

Televisions:

3.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ph

Internet hosts:

283,579 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

33 (2000)

Internet users:

5.3 million (2007)

Transportation
Philippines

Airports:

255 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 84 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 171 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 68 under 914 m: 99 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 897 km narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 200,037 km paved: 19,804 km unpaved: 180,233 km (2003)

Waterways:

3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 391 by type: bulk carrier 75, cargo 125, carrier 16, chemical tanker 17, container 6, liquefied gas 5, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 68, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 11 foreign-owned: 161 (Bermuda 34, China 4, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Japan 81, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 23, Norway 10, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Panama 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila, Nasipit Harbor

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military
Philippines

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine
Corps), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 23,547,252 females age 16-49: 23,177,487 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,232,050 females age 16-49: 19,827,538 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,012,779 female: 977,030 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Philippines

Disputes - international:

Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 300,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu
Sayyaf groups) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years despite government crackdowns; major consumer of amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas where Manila's control is limited

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@Pitcairn Islands

Introduction
Pitcairn Islands

Background:

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.

Geography
Pitcairn Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between
Peru and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: