The Republic of the Philippines, located in Southeast Asia, is made up of more than 7,000 islands. With more than 100 million people, the Philippines ranks 12th in the world in population. Nearly half of its people live in urban areas, and the capital of Manila is home to more than 11 million Filipinos. Its official languages are Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English. The Philippines celebrates Independence Day on June 12 to commemorate the end of Spanish colonial rule. Its agricultural products include sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes, pork, eggs, beef and fish. Leading industries include electronics assembly, production of garments and footwear, pharamaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, and fishing. The United States is the Philippines’ largest single export partner. (Source: the CIA World Factbook)

Southern Star Immigration, P.A. is proud to have been of service to the Emerald Coast’s growing Filipino population. We are also glad to finally have good lumpias available in our area. :-)

Originally published in Starlight, September 2011