There are around 7,107 islands in the country and these islands host around 90 million people. This population based on 2008 estimates makes the country as the 12th most populous country in the world.

For the traveler interested to know more about the country, it should be learned that the country has around 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide and these are the Filipinos who work in other country and one of the main reasons why the economy of the country is competitive.

According to 2008 estimates, the gross domestic product or the GDP of the country is pegged at over US$ 327.2 billion and this is considered as the 37th largest in the world. The name ‘Philippine’ traces a long history. This name was derived from the name of King Philip II of Spain in the 16th century.

It was the initiative of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos to use the name Las Islas Filipinas or the Philippine Islands as his name for the islands Leyte and Samar. And the use of this name was in reference and in honor of the Prince of Spain. A further examination of the name ‘Philippine’ will reveal that this has Greek roots and according to historians this was the name of the father of Alexander the Great.

The country is divided geographically into three groups: • Luzon • Visayas • Mindanao And these three major island grouping is then sub-divided into 17 regions, another 81 provinces and 136 cities. The country also plays host to 1,494 municipalities and 41,995 barrios. The government also controls Sabah, North Borneo as asserted by Section 2 of the Republic Act Number 5446. Ecologically, the country is known as one of those countries which feature diverse flora and fauna. This feature of the country is one of the major reasons why the archipelago is one of the favorite places for travelers who seek to experience nature at its best.

Another main reason why the country is always part of the list of preferred travel destinations is that the country is rich in natural resources and its scenic spots are panoramic and ready to comfort and to overwhelm the first-time visitors. The natural resources of the country are extensive and this can be seen in many areas like agriculture, forestry and minerals. Talking about the archipelago is not complete without talking about its fertile and arable lands, the forests that host diverse flora and fauna and the panoramic coastlines.

For those travelers willing to sample what the country has to offer over a limited amount of time, it is suggested that the interested traveler should focus on its culture, its beaches and its heritage. The unique Philippine culture will let the traveler experience the many festivals in the country- from Sinulog in Cebu to the Penafrancia Festival in the Bicol Region. The country has a number of festivals and these festivals will usually peak during April and May- the time for the country’s fiestas. Most of these festivals have links to the church and religious in nature.

Visiting the country without visiting some of its finest beaches is not suggested. Since the country boasts of around 7,107 islands and a coastline twice the length of the United States, you can really expect that the country will have some best beaches. Mere mention of the Philippine will evoke images of fine and white beaches of Boracay, Palawan and some of the more not-so commercial yet beautiful sands of other beaches.

Some names that should be part of the plans of the traveler include Pagudpud, Mactan Island and Panglao. And speaking of heritage, the country is home to Ifugao Rice Terraces which is now part of the UNESCO Heritage List in 1995. Aside from this rice terraces, Philippine also plays host also to many old churches- baroque churches in Metro Manila and these are all considered as heritage sites that carry the country’s culture and history.

About the Author

Jose Maria Abada writes for Philippine Travel Guide. It discusses about the Philippine Island, what tourists can expect from the islands and what to do in the country. You can check more about the country and its many Philippine resorts and hotels.

Post from: Global Blog.com - Travel and Global Vacations-Guide - Cruising Tips. Tourist-Information.

Explore the Philippine Islands

One of its attractions as a Caribbean Vacation Destination is its relative inaccessibility, it is probably one of the most remote places of the Caribbean Sea because you either have to sail there or get a flight from Caracas or Margarita or Maracaibo, not names that are very familiar to tourists, European ones at any rate.

What makes Los Roques such a wonderful place is the peace and quiet and the relative calmness of the incredibly colored sea. There are masses of lagoons, over fifty small islands, three hundred emerged sand banks and white coral sand, few of them ever occupied. The sky is almost permanently blue, there is very little rain, and is outside the Caribbean hurricane belt.

Added to this is the fact that Los Roques has the third largest coral reef in the world, this is as Christopher Columbus observed on discovering Los Roques in the fifteenth century a “True Paradise on Earth”.

As Los Roques is a National park this automatically prohibits building high rise hotels so visitors stay in local guesthouses on Gran Roques where you arrive by air or sea, and is the only place with permanent settlements. It is home to over one thousand two hundred people.

The visitors, and there are around fifty thousand a year, who come to Los Roques for a Caribbean vacation are normally attracted by the stunning beauty of the beaches, and of course to scuba dive and snorkel the coral reef. Sport fishing and windsurfing are other popular activities at Los Roques

The guesthouses, inns and Pousadas on Gran Roques tend to be very picturesque, and are probably a luxuriously refurbished old fisherman house. Lodging usually includes breakfast and dinner, and can range in price for as little as USD50 to USD200 per night per person. Some of the guesthouses also include in the price transfers to nearby islands, lunch, sunbeds, umbrellas and equipment for snorkeling.

You could also stay on a boat, or even camp in specially designated areas, but far and away the most popular option is to stay in a pousada.

Having said the only accommodation is on Gran Roques, you can get to a small cay called Rasqui where there is a small lodge with only two rooms, and is really a private island. You should also visit Water Cay known as Cayo de Agua, which is totally deserted and absolutely beautiful.

Why not visit Dos Mesquises where the Los Roques Scientific Foundation has a program involving adopting a turtle, and is well worth visiting.

Could you find a better Caribbean Vacation destination than Los Roques Venezuela, where there are no hurricanes, miles and miles of white sand beaches, countless uninhabited islands and coral reefs teeming with multicolored undersea life.

There’s simply nowhere like it in the Caribbean, but go now whilst it is still a secret.

For more information about Caribbean Vacation Destinations Go To http://www.caribbean-vacationspots.com/pages/Site-Map.html

About The Author
Gordon Steven writes exclusively for http://www.caribbean-vacationspots.com as well as http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com and has visited personally many of the places he reports on, and has done extensive research on the others

Post from: Global Blog.com - Travel and Global Vacations-Guide - Cruising Tips. Tourist-Information.

A Caribbean Vacation Destination Unknown To Many