Did you know? Short fact-based information about the Philippines
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With around 115 million inhabitants, the Philippines are among the 15 most populous countries on Earth. By comparison, the country has significantly more inhabitants than Germany but only slightly less land area than Italy.
The Philippine call-centre and outsourcing industry employs around 1.7 million people. Many international companies operate their English-language hotlines from there. The Philippines are therefore regarded as the world market leader in language-based customer services.
After Indonesia, the Philippines are the world's second-largest producer of coconuts. Coconuts are used to make far more than food there, including oil, sugar, vinegar, fibres and even building materials.
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños is one of the world's most important agricultural research centres. Numerous rice varieties that increased yields and saved millions of people from hunger came from there. The institute therefore played a key role in the so-called Green Revolution.
Philippine Airlines has been flying since 1941, making it the oldest airline in Asia that is still active. Many well-known airlines on the continent were founded only decades later. Despite crises and natural disasters, the airline has remained in operation to this day.
Ayala Corporation was founded as early as 1834 and is one of the Philippines' oldest companies. It developed from a small trading company into one of Southeast Asia's largest conglomerates. Today, the group includes banking, real estate, telecommunications and energy.
Jollibee began as a small ice-cream parlour in 1975. Only when hot food became increasingly popular did the company develop into a fast-food chain. Today, Jollibee sells more burgers in the Philippines than McDonald's and operates thousands of branches worldwide.
Several shopping centres of the SM Group are among the largest in the world. The SM Mall of Asia alone offers so much space that hundreds of thousands of people can shop, eat or attend events there every day. Many malls in the Philippines have long since become small cities with churches, cinemas and even ice rinks.
The Philippines are among the world's largest exporters of bananas and pineapples. A large share of the harvest comes from the island of Mindanao, whose tropical climate provides ideal conditions. Philippine pineapples end up, among other places, in Europe, Japan and the Middle East.
Large deposits of gold, copper, nickel and chromium lie beneath the Philippines. The estimated value of these mineral resources is put at around one trillion US dollars. At the same time, mining has been controversial for years because of its effects on the environment and Indigenous communities.
For years, the Philippine economy has been among the fastest-growing in Southeast Asia. Its main drivers are services, the young population and remittances from millions of Filipinos abroad. As a result, the country has developed economically much more dynamically than many had expected.
Through the galleon trade, Manila became one of the world's most important trading centres for more than 250 years. Silver from Mexico was exchanged for Chinese silk, porcelain and spices. Historians describe this route as one of the very first global trade links.
Basketball is so popular in the Philippines that, after the United States and China, the country is considered the world's third-largest basketball market. Hardly any other sport excites so many people there. Even in small villages, basketball courts are part of the streetscape.
Many people take San Miguel to be a Spanish beer brand because of its name. In fact, the brewery was founded in Manila in 1890 and is one of Southeast Asia's oldest breweries. Today, San Miguel is exported to numerous countries.
Around 85 per cent of the abacá produced worldwide comes from the Philippines. This extremely tear-resistant natural fibre is better known as Manila hemp and is used, among other things, for ship ropes, tea bags, banknotes and specialty paper.
The Philippines is among the world's largest banana exporters and regularly ranks second behind Ecuador. A large part of the harvest comes from the island of Mindanao. From there, the fruit is shipped all over the world.
The Del Monte pineapple plantation in Bukidnon is among the largest contiguous pineapple plantations on Earth. Millions of fruits are harvested every year on an area of many thousands of hectares. Even from the air, the plantation seems never to end.
Henry Sy, founder of the SM empire, began his career as a humble shoe salesman. A small shop grew into one of Southeast Asia's largest trading and real-estate companies. In the Philippines, his life story is considered a prime example of entrepreneurial success.
National Book Store began as a small kiosk in Manila in 1942. During World War II, its founder Socorro Ramos initially sold school notebooks and books. This grew into the Philippines' largest bookshop chain.
Mercury Drug, now the country's largest pharmacy chain, began in 1945 with a single bottle of sulfathiazole. From this modest beginning grew a company with thousands of branches across the country. The story is reminiscent of many famous garage start-ups.
Meralco was originally founded in 1903 as a tram and electricity company. This made Manila one of the first cities in Asia with electrically operated trams. Meralco later developed into the Philippines' largest electricity supplier.
When LRT Line 1 opened in 1984, it was Southeast Asia's first elevated railway system. Decades before many neighbouring countries built modern urban rail systems, Manila already had its own rapid-transit system. Today, hundreds of thousands of people use the line every day.
The Metro Manila Subway is currently being built as the Philippines' first underground railway. Once completed, it is intended to significantly ease the capital's chronically overloaded road traffic. The project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country's history.
Bonifacio Global City arose on the site of the former military base Fort Bonifacio. Within just a few decades, the area developed into one of Southeast Asia's most modern business districts. Today, skyscrapers, parks and international companies shape the cityscape.
Ayala Avenue in Makati is often called the 'Wall Street of the Philippines'. Numerous banks, insurance companies and international corporations have their headquarters along the road. It is regarded as the country's most important financial centre.
Jollibee began in 1975 as a small ice-cream parlour in Quezon City. Because hot food was better received than ice cream, the founders changed their concept—with great success. Today, Jollibee operates thousands of branches worldwide and even sells more burgers in the Philippines than McDonald's.
Max's Restaurant arose more or less by chance in 1945. The founders served American soldiers free roast chicken; the soldiers later thanked them with tips. This idea developed into one of the Philippines' best-known restaurant chains.
The Central Luzon Plain is often called the 'rice bowl of the Philippines'. A large share of the rice grown in the country comes from this fertile region. Its importance for feeding the population is comparable to that of large agricultural regions such as the North German Plain for Germany.
The German connection in Ayala’s history does not begin with the founders of Casa Róxas, but with Botica Zóbel: in 1834, a pharmacist from Hamburg established the pharmacy in Intramuros. His grandson Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz inherited it and later also became involved in his wife’s family business, Ayala y Compañía. This brought together two business histories that had both begun in 1834.