trivia about geography

7/31/2019 Trivia About Geography

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Trivia about geography

(81 facts) A hamlet is a village without a church and a town is not a city

until it has a cathedral.

About one-tenth of the earth's surface is permanently coveredwith ice.

According to National Geographic, Mt. Everest grows about 4millimeters a year: the two tectonic plates of Asia and India,which collided millions of years ago to form the Himalayas,continue to press against each other, causing the Himalyanpeaks to grow slightly each year

Alaska and California, with 8 each, are the US states with themost national park sites.

All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black, unlessthey belong to a high official.

As of Dec. 31, 2000, the number of climbers summiting Mt.Everest reached 1314, and the number of deaths on themountain reached 167.

At 840,000 square miles, Greenland is the largest island in the

world. It is three times the size of Texas. By comparison,Iceland is only 39,800 square miles.

Australia is the only country that is also a continent.

Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'.

Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand yearsbefore Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldestcontinuously inhabited city in existence.

Devon is the only county in Great Britain to have two coasts.

Disney World in Orlando, Florida covers 30,500 acres (46square miles), making it twice the size of the island ofManhattan, New York.

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are


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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at New Orleans, Louisiana, isthe world's largest bridge. It is almost 24 miles (about 38kilometers) long.

Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has

one syllable.

Mexico City is sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches a year becauseit's built on top of an underground reservoir. Wells are drawingout more and more water for the city's growing population ofmore than 15 million people.

Mexico City is the oldest capital city in the Americas.

More water flows over Niagara Falls every year than over anyother falls on earth.

Most landfilled trash retains its original weight, volume, andform for 40 years.

New Jersey, with 96, is the US state with the greatest numberof hazardous waste sites.

Quito in Ecuador, South America, is said to have the mostpleasant climate in the world. It is called the 'Land of EternalSpring.' The temperature rarely drops below 46 degreesFahrenheit during the night, or exceed 72 degrees Fahrenheit

during the day.

St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the US.

Talking on a cellular phone while driving is against the law inIsrael.

The 1st US zoo was built in Philadelphia, PA, in 1876.

The abbreviation 'ORD' for Chicago's O'Hare airport comesfrom the old name 'Orchard Field.'

The Arctic ocean is the smallest and shallowest. The ArcticOcean is the world's smallest ocean. It is mostly covered bysolid ice, ice floes, and icebergs

The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

The border between Canada and the U.S. is the world's longest


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frontier. It stretches 3,987 miles (6,416 km).

The city of Rome was built on seven hills. They were Palatine,Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, andAventine.

The city of St. Petersburg, Russia, was founded in 1703 byPeter the Great, hence the name, St. Petersburg. But it wasn'talways that simple. In 1914, at the beginning of World War I,Russian leaders felt that Petersburg was too German-sounding.So they changed the name of the city to Petrograd -- to make itmore Russian-sounding. Then, in 1924, the country's SovietCommunist leaders wanted to honor the founder of the SovietUnion, Vladimir I. Lenin. The city of Petrograd becameLeningrad and was known as Leningrad until 1991 when thenew Russian legislators -- no longer Soviet Communists --

wanted the city to reflect their change of government.

The coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was -129Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21,1983.

The earths surface contains 196,950,711 square miles

(510,100,000 square kilometers).

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.

The first city to reach a population of 1 million people wasRome, Italy in 133 B.C. London, England reached the mark in1810 and New York, USA made it in 1875. Today, there areover 300 cities in the world that boast a population in excess of1 million.

The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that isflown differently during times of peace or war. A portion ofthe flag is blue, while the other is red. The blue portion isflown on top in time of peace and the red portion is flown inwar time.

The Fresh Kills Landfill site on Staten Island, New York,opened in 1948, is the world's largest. It covers 3,000 acres andreceives up to 14,000 tons of garbage a day. It is scheduled toreach capacity and close by the year 2002.

The Great Lakes are Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake


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Superior, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

The Great Lakes are the most important inland waterway inNorth America. All the lakes, except Lake Michigan, whichlies entirely in the United States, are shared by the United

States and Canada and form part of the border between thesecountries.

The Great Lakes contain 6 quadrillion gallons of fresh water,one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. The Great Lakesare the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world.

The Great Lakes have a combined area of 94,230 square miles- larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont combined.

The Hollywood sign was first erected in 1923. Conceived as areal estate ad, it originally read Hollywoodland. The signstands 50 feet tall, stretches 450 feet across, weighs 450,000pounds.

The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.

The Jordanian city Amman was once called Philadelphia.

The largest body of fresh water in the world is Lake Superior.

The largest desert in the world, the Sahara, is 3,500,000 squaremiles.

The largest US city in area is Juneau, Alaska, which covers3,108 square miles. Los Angeles covers only 458.2 squaremiles.

The longest railway in the world is the Trans-Siberian Railwayor Trans-Siberian Railroad, built 1891-1916, a network ofrailways connecting European Russia with Russian Far Eastprovinces. It is 9,288.2 kilometres (5,787 miles) long and

spans 8 time zones.

The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is the largest volcano onEarth. It rises more than 50,000 feet (9.5 miles or 15.2kilometers) above its base, which sits under the surface of thesea.

The Ohio river forms at the confluence of the Allegheny and


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the Monongahela.

The only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica.

The original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra

Senora la Reina de los Angeles del rio Porciuncula, translatinginto:The Village of our Lady the Queen of the Angels of thePorciuncula River.

The Pantheon is the largest building from ancient Rome thatsurvives intact.

The river Danube empties into the Black Sea.

The San Diego Zoo in California has the largest collection ofanimals in the world.

The seven hills of Rome are the Palatine (on which the originalcity was built), the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline,Caelian, and Aventine.

The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia,at just 1.75 square miles.

The tallest monument built in the US, the Gateway Arch, in St.Louis, Missouri, is 630 feet tall.

The US city with the highest murder rate is Detroit, with 45.3homicides per 100,000 people.

The Vatican's Swiss Guard still wears a uniform designed byMichelangelo in the early 16th century.

The water in the Great Salt Lake of Utah is more than fourtimes as salty as any ocean.

The wettest spot in the world is located on the island of Kauai.Mt. Waialeale consistently records rainfall at the rate of nearly

500 inches per year.

The worlds deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in 1557 incentral China. It struck a region where most people lived incaves carved from soft rock. The dwellings collapsed, killingan estimated 830,000 people.

The worlds largest statue of a mosquito is a roadside


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attraction in Komarno, Manitoba, the Mosquito Capital ofCanada. Sculpted in 1984, it is made of steel and has awingspan of 15 feet. Its also a weathervane, swiveling in the

wind.

The world's highest railway is in Peru. The Central Railwayclimbs to 15,694 feet in the Galera tunnel, 108 miles fromLima. Tourists take it to get to the ruins of Machu Picchu.

The world's longest suspension bridge opened to traffic onApril 5, 1998. The 3,911-meter (12,831-feet) Akashi KaikyoBridge is 580 meters (1,900 feet) longer than the HumberBridge in England, the previous record holder.

The world's smallest independent state is the Vatican City,with a population of about 1,000 - and a zero birthrate.

The world's tallest mountains, the Himalayas, are also thefastest growing. Their growth - about half an inch a year - iscaused by the pressure exerted by two of Earth's continentalplates (the Eurasian plate and the Indo-Australian plate)pushing against one another.


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Smallest in the PhilippinesTriviaWorld's Smallest VolcanoTaal Volcano, a 406-meter-high crater, is said to be the world's smallest volcano. It is described

as "a crater within an islandwithin a lake" because it stands as an island at Taal Lake. The lakewas formed after the volcano, which used to be muchlarger, collapsed. The ridges aroundTagaytay City, which overlooks the lake, are believed to be part of the crater of theoldvolcano.These ridges now serve as the border of the 18-mile-diameter Taal Lake and stretch32 kilometers from Mount Batulao toMount Sungay. Also considered as one of the world's mostactive volcanoes, Taal Volcano has erupted over 20 times since1572.Smallest Bat in the WorldThe Philippines has at least 56 species of bats. It is home to the smallest among the 1,000 knownbat species in the world.The smallest bat in the world is the Philippine bamboo bat(vespertilionid), which belongs to the vespertilionid family. Thisbat measures about fourcentimeters (1 1/2 inches) in length and has a wingspan of 15 cm. Approximately, it weighs

1.5grams (1/20 ounce).Smallest Mammal in the WorldSouth of Palawan, lies the Balabac Island, home of the world's smallest hoofed mammal - thePhilippine mouse deer. Locallyknown as Pilandok (Tragalus nigricans), this ruminant standsonly about 40 centimeters at the shoulder level.In other countries, it is called chevrotain, orsimply mouse deer. Contrary to its name, pilandok is not a member of the deerfamily. It belongsto the family Tragulidae in the mammalian order Artiodactyla. The male species has no antlerslike thoseof a real deer. Instead, it uses its large tusk-like canine teeth on its upper jaw for self-defense; in the same way a deer usesits antlers.Aside from the Pilandok, other mouse deerspecies include the Malay mouse deer or napu and the African water chevrotain.They are foundin Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and India. While the mouse deer are widely distributed across Asia,theirdwindling population has alarmed the World Conservation Union, which declared them asendangered in 1996.Smallest Monkey in the WorldIn many respects, the Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) is different from other animals.Considered as the world's smallestprimate, it measures only about twelve centimeters in length.Its two big eyes cannot move and do not have a tapetum -the upper protective tissue. Because ofthis, the Philippine tarsier has learned to turn its head 180 degrees. It has also twogroomingclaws on each foot and an almost bald tail extending about nine inches.Found in the islands ofSamar, Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao, the Philippine tarsier got its name from its elongatedtarsusbone. An ordinary tarsier weighs between 117 and 134 grams. It is able to move betweentrees by leaping as far as threemeters. It also has keen senses of hearing and sight.Today, thereare only about 1,000 tarsiers inhabiting the wilds of Corella town in Bohol province where thebiggestconcentration of these rare animals was once reported. Ensuring the continued existenceof the Philippine tarsiers is thePhilippine Tarsier Foundation Inc.Smallest Fish in the WorldThe world's smallest freshwater fish is found in the Philippines. The dwarf goby (Pandakapygmaea) measures 1.2centimeters or less than half of an inch, the tiniest known vertebrate.American Ichthyologist Albert Herre first discovered itin Malabon River in 1925.The Philippinesis also the home of sinarapan, the world's smallest commercial fish. Sinarapan, scientifically
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known asMistichthys luzonensis, is a goby found only in Lakes Bato and Buhi in Camarines Surprovince. Sinarapan grows to anaverage length of 1.25 centimeters, only slightly longer than thedwarf goby. Today, unabated fishing in the two lakesthreatens the population of sinarapan.Smallest Shell in the WorldPisidum, the world's tiniest shell, can be found under Philippine waters. Pisidum measures less

than 1 millimeter long.Smallest Town in Terms of PopulationThe town of Kalayaan, a group of small islands in the Pacific Ocean west of Palawan province,had the smallest populationamong municipalities at 223 as of 2000.Smallest Painting in the PhilippinesMiniaturist Norris Castillo created what is perhaps the smallest piece of painting in the country.Known as "the Harvest", theoil-on-canvas painting measures 1/4 inches in width and 3/8 inchesin length. It is now exhibited at the National Museum.Castillo claimed that he has created morethan 10,000 pieces of painting. (Source: Panorama magazine)Smallest Province in the PhilippinesThe smallest province in the Philippines is Batanes, with only a total land area of 209 square

kilometers.Longest in the PhilippinesTriviaLongest Serving Editor in the WorldSy Yinchow, an 84-year-old Filipino-Chinese journalist living in Manila's Binondo district, isperhaps the world's longest-serving, living editor-in-chief of daily newspapers. As of 2003, Sywas still serving the chief editor of the United Daily News,a leading Chinese-language daily inthe Philippines. He has been an editor-in-chief of Manila-based publications for 58 yearssince1945, surpassing the record of Sir Etienne Dupuch who had served as the editor-in-chief of theNassau Daily Tribunein the Bahamas for only 53 years from 1919 to 1972.Aside from hiscolorful journalism career, Sy has written 20 books and translated over 100 English and 72French poemsinto Chinese. He is an honorary president of the Hong Kong-based WorldAssociation of Chinese Writers and a fellow of theInternational Writing Programme of theUniversity of Iowa.

Longest Barbecue in the WorldOn April 30, 2002, about 50,000 people participated in the "Kalutan ed Dagupan" festival inDagupan City (Pangasinanprovince, Northern Luzon, Philippines) to help grill and partake of the1,001-meter long barbecue, that broke the previousWorld Record of 613 meter-long barbecuegrilled in Canchia, Peru on November 13, 1999.The people of the city used hundreds of grills,each measuring 1.2-meter long, to cook the barbecue. The grills' totalmeasure was about 800meters long, enough to surpass the Peruvian record. The barbecue consisted of bangus(milkfish),pork, chicken, vegetables and cold cuts. A video footage was sent to the GuinnessBook of World Records for validation.(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)Longest Mat in the WorldThe people of the agricultural town of Basey, Samar own the distinction of having weaved theworld's longest mat, or"banig" in the local parlance. During the town's Banigan-KawayanFestival on September 29, 2000, hundreds of peopleparaded the mat, which extended for morethan a kilometer.The one-meter wide mat has been weaved for several weeks by groups of


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people from the different barangays of Basey.While the mat was not submitted as an entry to theGuinness Book of World Records, Basey Mayor Wilfredo Estorninosdescribed the feat as asource of pride for all Basaynons.Each year, the town, which has weaving as its prime industry,comes to life when it celebrates outlandishly the feast of St.Michael, its patron saint. Thehighlight of the feast is the Banigan-Kawayan Festival, where the women of Basey weave

avariety of intricately designed mats from sedge grass locally known as tikog (Fimbristylismilliacea). This tradition washanded down from many generations. The Church of Basey wasbuilt in 1864.Longest Bridge in the PhilippinesThe country's longest bridge is the San Juanico Bridge, a steel structure connecting the islands ofSamar and Leyte. Built in1973 under the Marcos administration, the 2.16-kilometer bridgecrosses over the picturesque San Juanico Strait as a partof the Maharlika Highway. Also knownas Marcos Bridge, San Juanico Bridge has 43 spans rising 41 meters above the sea.BuntonBridge in Cagayan province is said to be the country's second longest bridge.The title of thelongest bridge, however, may soon belong to a bridge, which will be built in the Manila Bay.This cablesuspension bridge will link Metro Manila to the provinces of Bataan and Cavite. It will

be patterned after the Tokyo BayAqualine, which connects Kawasaki City in KanagawaPrefecture to Kisarazu City in Japan.Among the longest bridges in the world are the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in SanFrancisco, the East Bridge-GreatBelt Fixed Link in Denmark, the Hoga Kusten in Sweden, and the Tsing Ma Bridge inHongKong.Longest Traffic Buildup in the PhilippinesOn the night of May 26, 2003, the northbound and southbound lanes of the North Luzon Tollwayfrom Bocaue, Bulacan toBalintawak, Quezon City turned into a parking lot of thousands ofvehicles trapped in floods. Rains induced by tropical stormChedeng caused the garbage-infestedMalhacan River in Meycauayan to rise above the street level. The traffic buildup thatextended toEDSA left thousands of commuters stranded for a whole night.A bus that left Cubao, QuezonCity at 4 p.m. of May 26 reached Bocaue, Bulacan at 2 a.m. of the next day. The usually 15-minute ride from Camachile to Bocaue turned into a grueling and nerve-wracking 8-hour sagafor drivers and commuters.Thousands of office workers that left Makati City at 5 p.m. of May 26were lucky to reach their homes in Bulacan at 4 a.m.of the next day. Others spent the night underthe rain while catching for a ride along EDSA.Third Longest CoastlineThe Philippines, one of the world's largest archipelagos, also has one of the longest combinedcoastlines in the planet. Thetotal length of the country's coastlines is 36,289 kilometers or almosttwice that of the United States. It is said to be thethird country with the longest combinedcoastlines, after Canada and Indonesia.Longest Cave in the PhilippinesThe 15-kilometer St. Paul Cave in Palawan province is considered as the longest natural cave inthe country. Other notablecaves in the Philippines are the 8.9-kilometer Odloman Cave inMabinay, Negros Oriental; and the 7.7-kilometer OdessaTumbali Cave in Penablanca,Cagayan.In terms of vertical range, the deepest cave is the Sumaging-Latipan-Lomyang CrystalCave in Sagada Mountain Province.Its deepest point is 163 meters from its mouth.Longest Underground River in the WorldPalawan's St. Paul's underground river is said to be the world's longest underground river. Thenavigable part of the riverinside the cave of the 4000-acre St. Paul Subterranean River stretches


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8.2 kilometers in length (5 miles). However, this titleis being disputed in Vietnam where anunderground river known as Son Trach River reportedly extends 7 miles in length.Filipinoexplorers, however, claimed that once fully measured, St. Paul's total length would reach 15kilometers.Longest River

Cagayan River or Rio Grande de Cagayan, with a total length of 353 kilometers, is the longestand widest river in thePhilippines. It bisects the Cagayan Valley from north to south. Alsoconsidered as the mightiest watercourse, Cagayan Riversources its water from smaller rivers andstreams in the mountain ranges of Sierra Madre, Caraballo, Cordillera, and BaletePass.The othernotable rivers in Luzon are Chico, Abra, Pampanga, and Bicol. In the south, the principal riversare Mindanao(known in its upper course as the Pulangi) and Agusan.Meanwhile, theunderground river of St. Paul's Natural Park in Palawan is considered as one of the world'slongestsubterranean rivers. The world's longest rivers are the Nile River in Egypt and AmazonRiver in South America. Also worthmentioning are the Yangtze River in China, Mekong Riverin Vietnam, and Euphrates River in Iraq.Longest Mountain Range

The longest mountain range in the country is Sierra Madre, which stretches from Cagayanprovince in northeastern Luzon toAurora province in southern Tagalog.Longest Underground RailwayThe country's first subway remains to be built, but this early, passengers of MRT3 (Metro RailTransit) had the chance toknow what it is like to travel underground. The MRT line, which spansfrom North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue inPasay City, passes through an undergroundtunnel, measuring hundreds of meters, along EDSA corner Buendia Avenue inMakati City.

The MRT is a US$565 million project, involving 60 Czech-made trains. At present, it has 10stations, which were built at keyroad intersections in Metro Manila. The average distancebetween stations is 1.300 kilometer.There were plans to build a 100-kilometer railway systemfrom Fort Bonifacio in Makati City to Clark in Pampanga. Based onthe plan, five to sevenkilometers of this railway will be elevated while 10 kilometers will be laid underground, makingit thefirst true subway in the country.Biggest in the PhilippinesTriviaBiggest City in the WorldThe residents of Davao City claim they live in the world's largest city. They are talking about theland size of the city thatcovers 2,212 square kilometers. Most of these areas, however, aredistributed as forests, coconut groves and rice fields. Incomparison, New York, the largest city inthe United States, has an area of only 787 square kilometers while the whole of Metro Manilacovers only 636 square kilometers.Davao City lies at the mouth of the Davao River near the headof Davao Gulf. It encompasses about 50 small ports in itscommercial sphere. Davao has largebanana plantations, whose produce are exported to Japan and other countries. The cityalso boastsof a modern international airport. Puerto Princesa City, a chartered city of Palawan province, isdisputing DavaoCity's title. It claims to have a total land area of 2,539 square kilometersencompassing 66 barangays.In terms of population and land area, the world's truly largest citiesare Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paolo, New York City,Bombay, Shanghai and Los Angeles.Biggest Coliseum in the World


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At the time it was completed in 1959, the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City was toutedas the world's largestcovered entertainment center. Otherwise known as the Big Dome, it has afloor area of 2,300 square meters and a seatingcapacity of 33,000 people.Biggest Shoes in the WorldMarikina City owns the distinction of having crafted the world's largest pair of shoes, each

measuring 5.5 meters long, 2.25meters wide and 1.83 meters high. The heel alone measures 41centimeters or 16 inches. The P2-million shoes canreportedly fit to a 37.5-meter or 125-footgiant. Around 30 people could put their feet into the colossal shoessimultaneously.The world'slargest shoes were made from materials that could produce about 250 pairs of regular-sizedshoes. It reportedlytook 10 shoemakers, led by Ernesto Leano, 77 days to cut 30 square meters ofleather for the upper lining and 7.4 squaremeters for the socklining. Also used were 250kilograms of vegetable tanned leather for the insole, 270 kilograms for theoutsole, 80 kilogramsfor the welt, 225 kilograms of adhesive and 1,000 meters of thread for 200,000 stitches.TheMarikina-made shoes broke the old record of 3.12-meter shoes made by Zahit Okurlar of Konya,Turkey. Arepresentative of the Guinness Book of World Records attended the First SapateroFestival on October 21, 2002 where thegiant shoes were displayed.In December 2002, the

Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Marikina City for crafting the world's largestpair of shoes.Largest Shoe CollectionFormer First Lady Imelda Marcos was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as thewoman with the largest collectionof shoes. Reports said that when the Marcos family fled toHawaii during the People's Power Revolution in 1986, around3,400 pairs of shoes werediscovered in one room at Malacanang Palace. They were the First Lady's collection.Biggest Golf Tournament in the WorldAccording to the Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest amateur golf tournament takesplace in Baguio City,Philippines every year. Dubbed as the Fil-Am Golf Championship since1949, the 72-hole golf tournament attracts close to1,000 amateur golfers from all over thearchipelago. The sites of the prestigious event are the challenging par-69, 5,001-yard Camp JohnHay golf course and the par-61, 4,038-yard Baguio Country Club. Among the top contendingteams in theevent are the Canlubang, Southwoods, Calatagan, and Wack Wack.Biggest Christmans Lantern in the WorldOn December 24, 2002, the city of San Fernando in Pampanga province switched on the world'slargest Christmas lantern -a P5-million structure with 26.8 meters in diameter.Biggest Aerobics Exercises in the WorldOn February 16, 2003, some 107,000 Filipinos joined a 30-minute aerobics exercise supervisedby the Department of Health(DOH) at Rizal Park in Manila, which could be the largestsynchronized exercise in the world. Thousands of people alsogathered at different venues inCebu City and Davao City to participate in the exercise simultaneous with the Manila event.Thenew record broke the previous Guinness Book of World Records set at a park in Guadalajara,Mexico by some 38,633people who joined the massive aerobics exercises in June 1998.Biggest Catholic University in the WorldThe University of Santo Tomas (UST), an academic institution founded by the Dominicans inSampaloc, Manila is consideredas the world's largest Catholic university located in one campusin terms of student population.Biggest Money in the World


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pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 51/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it wasvalued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.Biggest Province in the PhilippinesPalawan is considered as the largest province in the country. It has a total land area of 14,896.3square kilometersdistributed in 1,769 islands and is composed of one city, 23 municipalities and

431 barangays. The next largest provinces inthe country are Isabela, with a land area of 10,664square kilometers; and Cagayan, 9,002 square kilometers.Biggest Mass WeddingOn February 14, 2003, Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo officiated what could be the largest gatheringof couples who exchangedtheir vows at 10th Avenue in Caloocan City. There were 900 coupleswho attended the wedding ceremony.Biggest Chair in the PhilippinesIn April 2003, furniture makers in Ilagan, Isabela province completed what could be the largestarmchair in the country.Measuring 5.5 meters in length and 3 meters in height, the armchaircalled "Botaka ni Goliath" was made of narra andrattan. Around 1,600 board feet of uncut woodwere used. During assembly, 15 people had to carry the chair's feet andarms.

Biggest Shabu HaulOn December 9, 2002, Valenzuela City police discovered P2.2 billion worth ofmethamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu at awarehouse that was razed by fire. The 656kilograms of shabu, 195 kilograms of liquefied shabu and 200 kilograms of unfiltered shabu inthe warehouse on Malinis Street in Lawang Bato, is said to be the largest narcotics haul ever.Biggest IncomeIn December 2002, the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) has ordered Americanrecruitment agency Brown andRoot and its local partner Asia International Builder Corp. to pay1,975 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) over US$609million in back wages, damages andretirement pay.Biggest Mall in AsiaThe Philippines is home to one of the largest shopping malls in Asia. The SM Megamall locatedat the Ortigas commercialbusiness district (CBD) boasts of world-class facilities that have acombined floor area of 331,657 square meters and builton a 10.5-hectare site. The shoppingcomplex is comprised of two buildings connected by air-conditioned bridges and atunnel.Themall had a total of 550 retail, service shops and dining outlets while its 12 film theatres had acombined seatingcapacity of 11,074. The mall's indoor and outdoor parking facilities canaccommodate up to 3,000 cars.The SM Megamall, however, may no longer be the country'slargest. Sy dreams of constructing the "world's largest indoorshopping mall" soon. Dubbed as"Mall of Asia", the project will be built on his five-hectare Manila Bay reclamation property.Biggest Convention CenterOne of Asia's largest convention facilities is the Philippine International Convention Center(PICC), which has 4,000 seats.PICC is located at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)complex, which sits on a 21-hectare reclaimed area at theManila Bay.Biggest Amphitheater in the PhilippinesThe Freedom Ring Giant Amphitheater in the controversial Expo Filipino in Pampanga provinceis considered as the largestamphitheatre in the country. It can hold as many as 35,000 people at asingle event. Expo Filipino, however, has yet tobecome fully operational.Biggest Hospital in the Philippines


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The Philippine General Hospital in Manila is considered as the country's largest medicalinstitution. The hospital has over1,000 in-patient beds and receives 3,000 outpatient visits perday. It was established on September 1, 1910.

Biggest Church in the Philippines

The Gothic-designed basilica of Saint Martin of Tours in the heritage town of Taal in Batangasprovince is said to be thelargest Catholic Church in the country.Biggest Dam in the PhilippinesIf completed, the San Roque Dam in Pangasinan province would become the country's tallest andlargest dam. Built on thelower Agno River, the US$1.2 billion dam would measure 200 meters inheight and is expected to generate 345 megawattsof electricity. Its construction began in 1998while completion is expected by 2004.Biggest Gas Field in the PhilippinesThe Malampaya gas field located northeast off Palawan contains what could be the Philippines'largest deposit of natural gas.The gas field was discovered in 1989, and since then the giant oilcompany, Shell Philippines has engaged in a multi-billionproject in the area.Some US$4.5

billion were allocated to complete the project that is said to be the single biggest foreigninvestment in thePhilippines. The Malampaya gas field reportedly contains not less than 2.5trillion cubic feet and 85 million barrels of condensate, a by-product of natural gas that is used asfuel to run gas-fired turbines. These reserves are enough to servethe fuel requirement of a 3,000-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle power plant for 20 years. The project took off in May 1998.Itinvolved the construction of a 504-kilometer pipeline from the area to Tabangao, Batangas.Biggest Tree in the PhilippinesThe oldest and tallest tree in the Philippines is found at the entrance gate of Magallanes town,east of Butuan City in Agusandel Norte province. This "Bita-og" tree (Calophyllum inophyllum),which was declared as the country's official tree in 1998by the Department of Environment andNatural Resources (DENR), is said to be five centuries old. The tree, which was firstrecognizedon December 7, 1980, measures 305.585 centimeters in bole diameter.Biggest Coconut PalaceWhat can be considered as the country's largest coconut building is the so-called Coconut Palace,an architectural wondermade from the coconut tree mixed with other indigenous material. About70 percent of the structure is made from differentparts of the coconut tree. It consists of sevenrooms. It is located at the CCP Complex.Biggest Strawberry CakesThe people of La Trinidad town in Benguet province baked the country's largest sponge cake - a1.2-metric ton, seven-footstructure that fed 10,000 people during the annual Strawberry Festivalon March 18, 2002. It took four bakers nearly 16hours to complete the cake.On March 22, 2003,the people of La Trinidad surpassed the record by baking two giant strawberry cakes, one ofwhich costP110,000 to produce and measured 8 1/2 in diameter, six feet long and six feet high.Eric Espadero and three other chefsused 800 kilograms of fresh strawberries, 6,600 eggs and 920kilograms of flour for the two cakes.In November 2001, the Benguet province baked its owngiant carrot cake.Biggest CalamayIn March 2003, around 3,000 people of Candon City in Ilocos Sur province tasted what could bethe largest calamay or ricecake that has ever been baked in the country. The giant calamaymeasured five meters in diameter and two inches thick.About 40 women prepared the calamay


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made from 184 kilograms of malagkit or ground glutinous rice, grated meat of 800coconuts, 480kilograms of brown sugar, and 160 more coconuts that were grated to produce gata or coconutmilk.Biggest BinallayOn May 29, 2003, around 1,000 residents of Ilagan, Isabela partook the country's biggest

binallay or native rice cake duringthe town's 317th founding anniversary. The cake measured 3.7meters tall and 0.6 meter in diameter.Biggest BountyIn May 2002, the United States embassy in Manila raised US$5 million as a bounty against fiveleaders of the Muslimextremist Abu Sayyaf group that has held an American couple as hostagesfrom May 2001 to June 2002. Abu Sayyaf snatched the American couple along with 18 othersfrom a beach resort in Palawan province on May 27, 2001. On June 7,2002, a military rescueoperation led to the death of one of the American hostages. Two weeks later, the militaryannouncedthe death of the leader of the Abu Sayyaf faction responsible for the abduction of theAmerican couple.Biggest Mural in the Philippines

In 1953, when the Philippines hosted the International Fair, Carlos "Botong" Francisco wascontracted for P39,000 to paint amural measuring 88 meters long and eight meters wide. Thegiant mural, which depicted 500 years of Philippine progress,later appeared in colored centerspread of Newsweek magazine.Biggest Painting in the PhilippinesJuan Luna's Spolarium is considered as the largest painting in the country. It measures 4.6 meterswide and 7.72 meterslong and is now on display at the National Museum in Manila.Biggest Companies in the PhilippinesIn terms of gross revenues, the National Power Corp. (Napocor) topped all companies in thecountry with P116.6 billion inthe year 2000. The next nine largest corporations were Meralco,with total gross revenues of P108 billion; TexasInstruments, P95 billion; San Miguel Corp., P90billion; Petron Corp., P87 billion; Shell, P84 billion; PLDT, P63 billion; Caltex,P56 billion;Fujitsu, P49 billion; and Metrobank, P44 billion. In terms of net income, Southern Energy toppedthe list withP8.5 billion in 2000. It was followed by Pagcor, with P8 billion; San Miguel, P6.8billion; Southern Energy Quezon, P6.2billion; and SM, P4.2 billion.Biggest Park in the PhilippinesThe Sierra Madre national park in northern Luzon is the country's largest natural park. The359,000-hectare park is thehome of endangered species such as pawikan (Chelonia mytas),bayakan or giant bat, Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), wild boar (Sus philippinesis),Philippine brown dear (Cervus marianus), cloud rat (Ratus mindorensis), flame-breasted fruitdove, kalaw (Philippine hornbill), bukarot (Philippine crocodile), and native owl.Biggest Lake in the PhilippinesLaguna de Bay, an inland body of water covering 900 square kilometers, is the country's largestlake. Located between theprovinces of Rizal and Laguna, the lake receives its water from 21river systems. In the middle of the lake lies the island of Talim, a heavily populated settlement ofmostly fishermen.The second largest lake in the country is Lake Sultan-Alonto in Mindanao.Commonly known as Lake Lanao, the lake coversan area of 355 square kilometers. Meanwhile,the world's largest inland body of water is the Caspian Sea, which is actually alake in theboundary of Europe and Asia and covering an area of 143,240 square miles. Lake Superior(North America), Lake


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Victoria (Africa), the Aral Sea (Russia) and Lake Huron (North America) are also among theworld's largest lakes.Biggest Eagle in the WorldAlso known as the monkey-eating eagle, the endangered Philippine eagle is one of the largest inthe world. With scientificname Pithecophaga jefferyi, the Philippine eagle lives in the rainforests

of Isabela, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. It hassimilarities with Papua New Guinea's Harpy Eagle(Harpyopsis novaeguinea).Measuring about one meter in height, the average Philippine eagle hasa 76-centimeter highly arched, powerful bill. It liveson large snakes, hornbills, civet cats, flyinglemurs and monkeys - the reason why it is also called monkey-eating eagle. Itcreates its nests inlarge trees some 30 meters from the ground.Biggest Bats in the WorldThe Philippines has at least 56 species of bats. It is home to the largest among the 1,000 knownbat species in the world.The three-layered virgin forest of Subic Bay and Bataan is home to theworld's largest bats: the giant flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) and the golden crown flying fox(Pteropus vampyrus). Over the years, these two species of giant fruit bats haveroamed around the10,000-hectare Subic Forest National Protected Area, which is considered the biggest roosting

site of bats in the world.Biggest Endangered Animal in the PhilippinesPeople used to call Mindoro as the "Land of the Tamaraws". About 10,000 heads of these uniquepygmy water buffalos wereroaming around the island-province of Mindoro in the 1900s. But thatwas a century ago. Today, the Tamaraws in theprovince are in danger of extinction, and Mindoromight lose the symbol that it once proudly introduced to the world.The Tamaraw, scientificallyknown as Bubalus mindorensis, is endemic to Mindoro. Belonging to the family of buffalos,thesame categorical group of the Philippine carabao, the Tamaraw is the largest endangered landanimal in the Philippinestoday. In 1996, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN) listed it as one of the ten most endangeredspecies in the world.Biggest Fish in the WorldDonsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province, serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale sharks(Rhincodon typus), whichare considered as the largest fish in the world.Locally known as"butanding", whale sharks visit the waters of Donsol from November to May. They travel acrossthe oceansbut nowhere else have they been sighted in a larger group than in the waters ofSorsogon. They measure between 18 to 35feet in length and weigh about 20 tons. In 1996, amarine biologist discovered that whale sharks are ovoviviparous, whichmeans that the femalesproduce live offspring from eggs hatched in the uterus.The Philippine government declaredwhale sharks as endangered species in 1998, thereby banning its plunder andexploitation. Rightnow, the Department of Tourism is promoting eco-tourism to protect the whale sharks in Donsol.Biggest Shells in the WorldTridacna gigas, one of the world's largest shells, can be found under Philippine waters. Tridacnagigas grows as large as onemeter in length and weighs 600 pounds. Meanwhile, a shell calledglory of the sea (Connus gloriamaris), considered as oneof the most expensive shells in theworld, is also found in the Philippines and .Biggest Reptile in the WorldThe saltwater crocodile, which can be found in the Philippines and other Asian countries, isconsidered as the world's largestreptile. Scientifically known as Crocodylus porosus, it isdifferent from Mindoro's freshwater crocodile (Crocodylusmindorensis), which is a relativelysmaller species.An adult saltwater crocodile measures between six to seven meters (20-23 feet)


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and weighs about two to three tons. Therewere tales that a 27-foot saltwater crocodile was killednear Lake Taal in Batangas in 1823. It reportedly took 40 men tobring the body ashore. Whenthe men cut the crocodile's body open, they found the body of a horse in seven pieces. Thelargestcrocodile ever sighted was a 33-footer in Borneo in 1920. It was believed to be 200 years old.Biggest Filipino Boxing Champion

Ceferino Garcia was the heaviest and biggest Filipino ever who became a world-boxingchampion. Known for his bolo punch,he captured the world middleweight title on October 2,1939 when he knocked out Fred Apostoli in New York. He defendedhis crown against top rivalstwice (Americans Glen Lee and Henry Armstrong) before losing his title in May 1940.Before heswitched to the middleweight division, Garcia became a welterweight champion when heknocked out boxinglegend and war hero Barney Ross in 1937 and Henry Armstrong in 1938.Hewas born in 1912 and grew up in Tondo, Manila. In 1977, Ceferino Garcia was inducted into theRing Magazine Hall of Fame and into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1981.Biggest Lead in a Basketball GameThe Philippine team registered what could be the world's biggest lead in an amateur basketballgame when it clobberedBrunei Darussalam, 160-19, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on July 2,

2000.The 141-point lead could be the biggest for any amateur basketball team since basketballwas introduced in the Philippinesby the Americans. During the game, the Philippine nationalteam limited the Brunei squad to only 19 points. It later won theSoutheast Asian BasketballAssociation (SEABA) Young Men's Tournament crown against Malaysia.Tallest in the PhilippinesTriviaTallest Building in the PhilippinesWhat can be considered the country's tallest building is located along Ayala Ave. corner HerreraStreet in Makati City. In thegroup of skyscrapers at Makati's financial district, PBCom(Philippine Bank of Communications) Tower dominates with its241-meter height. The building,which rises 55 floors from the grounds of Ayala Avenue, was designed by Skidmore, OwensandMerill (SOM) and developed by property giant Filinvest.The PBCom tower, which wascompleted by the end of 2000, surpassed the height of Petron MegaPlaza that soars 45 stories

from the grounds of Gil Puyat Ave., also in Makati City. But the record may soon belong to abuilding that remains to bebuilt. The Moldex Realty Marketing Inc. (MRMI) said it plans tobuild a 57-storey tower at 1322 Roxas Boulevard in PasayCity.The title of the world's tallestbuilding belongs to Malaysia's twin Petronas Towers that rise 451.9 meters from the streetlevel(including its pinnacle). Other world famous high-rise buildings include Chicago's Sears Towerand New York's EmpireState Building and the former World Trade Center buildings.Tallest PBA PlayerThe tallest PBA player is Edward Joseph Feihl of TJ Hotdogs. Feihl who stands seven feet tall ishalf German. With his height,Feihl could bang bodies with the centers in the NBA. Feihl waspart of the Philippine Centennial Team, which won third placein the 1998 Asian Games.Feihl isat least three inches taller than other PBA centers like Marlou Aquino, Paul Asi Taulava, JamesWalkvist, Andy Seigleand Bonel Balingit.Meanwhile, the tallest basketball player who hasplayed in the NBA is Gheorghe Muresan (7'7 or 2.31 m). But the tallestbasketball player in theworld was Suleiman Ali Nashnush (8'1/2" or 2.45 m) of the Libyan team. The tallest man inhistorywas Robert Wadlow (8'11 or 2.72 m).


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Highest MountainTowering at a height of 2,954 meters (9,692 feets), Mount Apo is the highest peak in the country.Located 25 kilometerssouth of Davao City, the mountain which forms part of the Mount ApoNational Park is blessed with hot springs, sulfurpillars, geysers, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. It ishome to a number of endemic animals such as the Philippine eagle,falconet and mynah. Its peak

can be reached on a four-day hiking trip.Apo means "grandfather of all mountains". Scientistsclassify it as a semi-active volcano. Materials from previous eruptionshave made the soil aroundthe mountain extremely fertile. The mountain's base covers 72,796 hectares of mountainrangesthat extend from Davao del Sur to Misamis Oriental. While the mountain's peak lookssnow-capped, the white appearance isactually caused by the presence of sulfur.Highest WaterfallsThe highest waterfall in the country is the 388-meter-high Aliwagwag Falls, in Cateel town,Davao Oriental province. Thecascade has 13 rapids and looks like a stairway with 84 steps ofvarying heights.The second highest waterfall is located in Barangay Rogongon, 54 kilometersfrom Iligan City. Limunsudan Falls, a two-tiered fall, has a combined height of 870 feet. Itslower cascade alone measures 400 feet, higher than the entire height of Maria Cristiana

Falls.Maria Cristina Falls, also in Iligan City (Lanao del Norte), towers at 320 feet. Also knownas the "Mother of Industry", MariaCristina Falls supplies 80 percent of the total energyrequirement of the Mindanao region. Another breathtaking waterfall inIligan City is the TinagoFalls, located 13 kilometers from the city proper. As its name implies, this 420-foot waterfalllieshidden in a deep ravine. The world's highest waterfall is the Angel Falls in Venezuela. As atributary of Caroni River, thiswaterfall has a total elevation of 3,281 feet.Oldest in the PhilippinesMore TriviaOldest ProvinceAklan, originally known as Minuro it Akean, is considered as the oldest province in the countryand believed to have beenestablished as early as 1213 by settlers from Borneo. Its first ruler wasDatu Dinagandan. In 1399, Kalantiaw grabbed thethrone. In 1433, Kalantiaw III formulated a setof laws that is known today as the Code of Kalantiaw.Oldest TownUnisan, Quezon could be the oldest town in the Philippines. The people of Unisan claimed thattheir town is now 481 yearsold, having been established in 1521, the same year that FerdinandMagellan discovered the Philippines. All other towns inthe country were established not earlierthan 1565, when Spain formally occupied the Philippines as a colony.A Malayan queen namedLadya reportedly founded Calilayan, the old name of the town. In 1876, Calilayan wasrenamedUnisan which was derived from the Latin word uni-sancti, meaning "holy saint".(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)Oldest CityCebu City is considered as the oldest city in the country, as this was the site of the earliestEuropean settlement establishedby Spanish conqueror Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1565.Oldest FortThe first Spanish settlement in the country, Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus, was locatedinside Fort San Pedro in CebuCity. The fort's construction began in 1565.Oldest Street


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Calle Colon in Cebu City is considered as the oldest street in the country. Named after explorerChristopher Columbus, CalleColon was first constructed in 1565 by men of Miguel Lopez deLegazpi.Oldest Stone ChurchThe Baclayon Church in Bohol is considered as the oldest stone church in the Philippines. But

some historians disagree,claiming that San Agustin Church in Manila deserves the title.Churchhistorians claim that the cornerstones of San Agustin Church were laid as early as 1571, 25 yearsbefore BaclayonChurch was built in 1596. But most people believe the title should be kept by thelatter, since it is situated in the island firstoccupied by the troops of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi,the country's first Spanish governor general.Bohol was where a friendship was sealed with bloodbetween chieftain Rajah Sikatuna and Legazpi. The event is knowntoday as ''The BloodCompact.''Oldest HospitalThe San Lazaro Hospital could be the oldest hospital in the country. According to Pampangohistorian Zoilo Galang, the SanLazaro hospital was established in 1578; Enfermeria de Naga,1583; and Hospital de San Juan de Dios, 1596.

Oldest Church Bell

The oldest church bell in the country is said to be the one found in Camalaniugan, Cagayan. Thatbell was reportedly forgedin 1595.Oldest BridgeThe Jones Bridge, formerly known as Puente de Espana, was first built in 1701. It was rebuilt bythe Americans in 1916 andrenamed after Atkinson Jones.Oldest UniversityThe University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City is considered as the oldest school in thecountry and in Asia. Formerlyknown as the Colegio de San Ildefonso, it was founded by theSpanish Jesuits on August 1, 1595. This makes the Cebu-based university older than theUniversity of Santo Tomas (1611) in Manila and Harvard University (1636) in theUnitedStates.The University of Santo Tomas, however, contests this title. Formerly known as theColegio de Nuestra Seora del Rosario,UST was the first school, which got a university status in1645. USC became a university in 1948. UST also claimed that theoriginal USC was closed in1769 as a result of the expulsion of the Jesuits. It reopened in 1783 under a new nameandownership. But the USC officials stick to their claim. The university observed its 400thfoundation day on August 21, 1995.Oldest Vocational SchoolThe Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades (DHVCAT) in Bacolor, Pampanga is saidto be the oldest vocationalschool in Asia. Augustinian Friar Juan Zita and civic leader DonFelino Gil established the vocational school on November 4,1861.Oldest CompanyAyala Corp., one of the largest conglomerates in the country, is also the oldest existing companyaround. It was establishedin 1834 by sugar barons Domingo Roxas and Antonio de Ayala. It waslater renamed as Casa Ayala, then as Ayala yCompania and recently as Ayala Corp.Oldest BankIn 1881, Domingo Roxas, an ancestor of the Ayala family, became one of the first directors ofBanco Espaol-Filipino deIsabel II, which was founded by virtue of a royal decree issued by


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Queen Isabel II. The bank issued the country's firstcurrency notes the following year. Consideredas the first private commercial bank in the country, the bank came to beknown as the Bank ofPhilippine Islands in 1912. The oldest savings bank was Monte de Piedad, which was establishedin1882.Oldest Military Supply Shop

The oldest military supply shop in the country was said to be Alfredo Roensch and Co.Oldest Rizal MonumentWhat can be considered as the oldest Rizal monument in the country is a 20-foot metal structurestanding at a park in Daet,Camarines Norte. Its construction reportedly began on December 30,1898 and was finished in February 1899. Incomparison, the Rizal monument at the formerLuneta park was built in 1912.Oldest ViceThe earliest vice among native Filipinos, according to historians, was the chewing of betelnut or"nganga". It was said thatFilipinos had been chewing betelnut for 3,000 years.Oldest Insurance FirmInsular Life Insurance Company was established on November 26, 1910, becoming the oldest

insurance agency in thecountry.Oldest EpicsIn a 1962 study, E. Arsenio Manuel said the country had at least 19 epics, which were passed tothe present generationfrom our early ancestors through oral chanting. Among these so-calledethnoepics were 13 epics among pagan Filipinos, 2among Christian Filipinos, and 4 amongMuslim Filipinos. These included the Ilocano epic Lam-ang, Manuvu's Tuwaang,Sulod'sHinilawod and Maranaw's Bantugan.First in the PhilippinesMore TriviaFirst Circumnavigator of the GlobeAlthough many historians considered him as the first circumnavigator of the globe, FerdinandMagellan never completed hisvoyage around the planet. Magellan, a sea captain, commanded afleet of five wooden Spanish ships with 241 men on boardand embarked on what is nowconsidered as "the greatest of all epics of human discovery". Christopher Columbus, theItalianexplorer who discovered America for Spain, traveled 8,000 miles aboard a Spanish ship acrossthe Atlantic Ocean.But Magellan's men embarked on an expedition that brought them 42,000miles around the planet.The voyage began on September 20, 1519. Magellan and his threeremaining ships reached the Philippines on March 17,1521. On April 27, he was killed by themen of Lapulapu, chieftain of Mactan Island in the Philippines. Only one ship, theTrinidad, with18 European crewmen led by Sebastian del Cano and four Malay crewmen (maybe Filipinos)completed thetrip around the world and arrived in Seville, Spain in 1522.First LandingOn March 16, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in service of Spain landed atSamar.First MassOn March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday) Spanish friar Pedro Valderama conducted the first Catholicmass in Limasawa, Leyte.Rajah Kolambu, who forged a blood compact of friendship withMagellan two days earlier, attended along with Rajah Siagu.First Filipino Christians


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On April 14, 1521, Rajah Humabon, Rajah Kolambu, and 400 other Filipino natives werebaptized into Christianity during aceremony administered by friar Pedro Valderamma.First Filipino PriestIn 1590, Martin Lakandula was ordained as an Augustinian priest, becoming the first nativeFilipino to serve as a friar. In

1906, Jorge Barlin became the first Filipino bishop under the Roman Catholic Church. The firstFilipino archbishop wasViviano Gorordo while the first Filipino cardinal was Rufino CardinalSantos.First ChairIt was said that Filipinos first used a chair in April 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan gave RajahHumabon of Cebu a red velvetSpanish chair. According to Halupi, a book of essays onPhilippine history, early Filipinos used to sit on the floor.First Spanish MonumentAlso on April 14, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan planted a huge cross in Cebu. It was here where

friar Valderama baptized RajahHumabon, Rajah Kolambu and 400 other Filipinos intoChristianity.First BattleOn April 14, 1521, the first battle between Filipinos and the European conquerors took place inMactan, Cebu. Filipinochieftain Lapu-lapu defeated Magellan and his men. After Magellan waskilled, Sebastian del Cano led his men back toSpain, completing their voyage around the planet.First Religious OrderThe Franciscans were the first Catholic religious order to establish their presence in thePhilippines. The Franciscans camehere in 1577; Jesuits, 1581; Dominicans, 1587; Recollects,1606; Paulists, 1862; Sisters of Charity, 1862; Capuchins, 1886;and Benedictines, 1895.First Spanish-Filipino MarriageIn 1585, Spanish soldier Pablo Alvarez married Nicolasa de Alvarez, a native of Lubao,Pampanga.First MuslimsMakdum, Rajah Baguinda and Abu Bakar propagated Islam in the Philippines in the 15thCentury.First Spanish Governor GeneralMiguel Lopez de Legazpi, who founded the first European settlement in Cebu City in 1565, isconsidered the first Spanishgovernor general in the Philippines. He founded the city of Manilaand declared it the capital of the archipelago on June 3,1571. The last Spanish governor generalin the Philippines was Riego delos Rios in 1898.First ArchbishopDomingo Salazar was the first archbishop of the Philippines, which was regarded as a singlediocese in the 1580s.First Filipina DirectressAccording to Pampango historian Zoilo Galang, Sor Candida Ocampo was the first and onlyFilipino who became a directressof an Spanish institution in the Philippines. In 1594, Ocampo,who was born in Camarines Sur, was appointed as thedirectress of Colegio de Santa Isabel.First Cannon Maker


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Even before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipino natives had already learned the trickof making cannons,perhaps from Chinese traders. Historians claimed that Panday Pira who livedbetween 1483 and 1576 had devised thecannons which Muslim leader Rajah Sulayman used toprotect Manila against the invading Spanish troops. Panday Pira wasfrom Tarlac.First Chinese Kingdom

After attacking Manila, Chinese conqueror Limahong established a kingdom near the mouth ofAgno River in Pangasinanprovince on December 3, 1574. Agno was the seat of the oldcivilization. Historians have mentioned one Princess Urdujawho ruled Pangasinan before theSpaniards came. In 1660, Filipino leader Malong attempted to establish another kingdominPangasinan.First RevoltThe first attempt to rise against Spanish colonial rule was carried out by chieftains of Bulacan ledby Esteban Taes in 1587.On October 26, 1588, Spanish authorities discovered a plot by MagatSalamat of Hagonoy who tried to enlist the support of his relatives in Borneo.First Filipino in ExileFelipe Salonga of Polo, Bulacan (now Valenzuela City) became the first Filipino who was put in

exile by Spanish authoritiesfor starting a revolt in Bulacan in 1587. He was exiled to Mexico.First Mention of King of TagalogsNew historical writings have mentioned the name of one Raha Matanda or Rajah Ache(Lakandula) who ruled over Tondo, akingdom encompassing an area that now includes Bulacan,Metro Manila, Rizal and Quezon in the 16th Century. RajahMatanda was the heir to his father'sthrone and was a grandson of Sultan Siripada I (Bolkeiah I) of Borneo. In 1643, DonPedro Ladiaof Borneo who claimed to be a descendant of Rajah Matanda started a revolt and called himselfthe king of theTagalog. He was executed in Manila. Historians said that when the troops ofMiguel Lopez de Legazpi attacked Manila in1571, the men of Rajah Soliman - the king ofManila - rose up in resistance.In 1847, Apolinario dela Cruz of Tayabas was considered king ofthe Tagalogs. Bernardo Carpio, a mythical giant character,was also regarded as a king of theTagalogs. In the 1900s, the revolutionary government proclaimed Macario Sakay as thepresidentof the Tagalog Republic.First Chinese RevoltOn October 3, 1603, the Chinese rose in revolt in Manila and was driven away to San Pablo,Laguna where they made theirlast stand.First Juan dela CruzA certain Pantaleon Perez led the Pangasinan revolt on November 3, 1762. Perez assumed thename Juan dela Cruz Palaris.It was mentioned that on November 11, 1849, most illiterateFilipinos during the administration of Spanish governor generalNarciso Claveria y Zaldua weregiven the Christian surname dela Cruz. Our great ancestors, who could not read and write,drew across as their signature on documents and so were known for their dela Cruz surnames. Incontrast, Filipinodescendants of rajahs and noble men were given the option to keep their names.Among the clans, who were also

exempted from forced labor and paying taxes under the Spanish rule, were the Lakandulas,Solimans, Gatmaitans,Gatbontons, Salongas, Layas, Lapiras, Macapagals, Salamats, Manuguits,Balinguits, Banals, Kalaws, among others.First Filipino


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The first man who used Filipino as a title of citizenship was Luis Rodriguez Varela, a Spaniardwho was born in Manila. Hepreferred to be called El Conde Pilipino in 1795. (Source: Halupi)First MapThe first Philippine map was drawn in 1734 by Nicolas dela Cruz and Francisco Suarez underthe instruction of Jesuithistorian Pedro Murillo Velarde. The original map was 27 inches wide

and 42 inches long.First Dutch PresenceOn June 10, 1647, a Dutch fleet arrived in Manila Bay and later attacked Cavite province.First British PresenceOn October 4, 1762, British forces invaded Manila. They took possession of Intramuros untilMay 31, 1764.First Filipino PrinterThe Spaniards introduced the art of printing in the Philippines, almost half a century before theAmericans learned how touse it. It is believed that the first book in the country was DoctrinaChristiana en letra y lengua China, which was printed in1593 by Juan de Vera, a Filipino-Chinese. In 1948, Fray Jose Gonzales of the Dominican Order discovered this book in

theVatican Library. Tomas Pinpin is regarded as the first Filipino printer. He was born inAbucay, Bataan but records about hisbirth were lost after the Dutch invaders destroyed the townof Abucay in 1646. Pinpin learned the art of printing from theChinese artisans when he workedin the shop of Filipino-Chinese printer, Luis Beltran.Among his works were Arte y Reglas de laLengua Tagala (1610) and the Librong Pag-aaralan nang mga Tagalog nangUicang Castila(1610) printed in Bataan. From 1609 to 1639, Pinpin printed more than a dozen titles. Otherliterary pieces,which appeared during this period were the poems of Pedro Bukaneg (1590-1626), Fernando Bagongbanta (1605), andPedro Ossorio (1625). The art of modern printing wasdiscovered by German scholar Johannes Gutenberg (1394-1468). TheChinese, however, arecredited for having developed their own system of printing, hundreds of years before Gutenbergwasborn.First NewspaperIn 1637, Tomas Pinpin published Successos Felices (Fortunate Events), a 14-page newsletter inSpanish that is now widelyregarded as the first Philippine newsletter. On December 1, 1846, LaEsperanza, the first daily newspaper, was published inthe country. Other early newspapers wereLa Estrella (1847), Diario de Manila (1848) and Boletin Oficial de Filipinas (1852).The firstprovincial newspaper was El Eco de Vigan (1884), which was issued in Ilocos.First Magazine and JournalSeminario Filipino, the first religious magazine in the country, was first issued in 1843.Meanwhile, El Faro Juridico becamethe first professional journal in the country when it sawprint in 1882.First Guide BookAccording to Pampango historian Zoilo Galang, the first guidebook in the Philippines (Guia deForasteros) was printed in1834.First NovelAccording to literary expert Bievenido Lumbera, the first Filipino novel was Ninay, written byPedro Paterno and published in1880. Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere was published in 1887 whileEl Filibusterismo came out of the press in 1891. The firstEnglish novel written in English by aFilipino was Zoilo Galang's A Child of Sorrow.First Woman Writer and Poet


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According to Pampango historian Zoilo Galang, the first Filipino poetess was Leona Florentinoof Ilocos while the first Filipinowoman writer was Rosario de Leon of Pampanga. The firstFilipino woman novelist, Galang added, was Magalena Jalandonifrom Visayas while the firstFilipino woman who wrote an English novel was Felicidad Ocampo.First Non-Catholic Marriage

The first non-Catholic marriage in Manila under the Spanish control took place in the early 19thCentury when AmericanHenry Sturgis, who arrived in the country in 1827, married JosephinaBorras of Manila. They were wed aboard a Britishwarship at the Manila harbor.First BakeryIn 1631, the Spanish government established and operated the first bakery in Manila.First DrugstoreBotica Boie is considered the first drugstore in the country, having been established by Dr.Lorenzo Negrao in 1830.First LighthouseIn 1846, the Farola was built at the mouth of Pasig River, becoming the first lighthouse in thecountry.

First Electric LampThe first electric lamp in the country is said to be the one designed by Ateneo students in 1878,12 years before ThomasHouston Electric Co. installed Manila's first electric street lights.First Botanical GardenIn 1858, Governor General Fernando Norzagaray ordered the establishment of the BotanicalGarden. It can now be foundbeside the Manila City Hall.First WaterworksManila had its first centralized water system in July 1882 following the completion of theCarriedo waterworks, whosereservoir was in Marikina.

First RailroadIn 1892, a railway connecting Manila and Dagupan was completed. It was operated by theManila Railroad Company.First Telephone SystemThe first telegraph line was opened in 1873 while the country's first telephone system wasestablished in Manila in 1890.Electric lines were first installed in 1895.First Mining FirmIn the early 19th Century, Johann Andreas Zobel founded the first iron and copper mining firmin Bulacan and Baguio. Thefirst Zobel in the country was Jacobo Zobel Hinsch, a German whowent to Manila in 1849. One of the Zobels - Jacobo ZobelZangroniz latter married TrinidadAyala de Roxas, an heir of the rich Ayala and Roxas families.First CalendarThe first calendar with a Philippine almanac was first released in 1897. The first issue of thecalendar was titled "LaSonrisa".First Filipino ChemistJohann Andreas Zobel also founded the first chemical laboratory in the country. Meanwhile,Anacleto del Rosario isconsidered as the first Filipino chemist.First Philanthropist


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The first calendar with a Philippine almanac was first released in 1897. The first issue of thecalendar was titled "LaSonrisa".First Protestant MissionThe first Presbyterian mission arrived in the country in April 1899. American couple Dr. andMrs. James Rodgers led themission.

First Filipino Protestant MinisterNicolas Zamora, a former Catholic priest, later became the first ordained protestant minister inthe Philippines.First ElectionThe first municipal election in the Philippines was held in Baliuag, Bulacan under thesupervision of American militarygovernor general Arthur MacArthur on May 6, 1899.

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