Philippines Languages

The Tagalog language is an Austronesian language. The Austronesian language family are a group of languages spoken throughout the insular regions of Southeast Asia, islands in the Pacific Ocean, and Madagascar.

While Tagalog (Filipino) is the national language, and one of the official languages of The Philippines, Tagalog is spoken by 24.4 percent of the nation's population. The Tagalog language is related to several other languages classified as "Philippine languages" by linguist Robert Blust. The 2nd most spoken first language is Cebuano, which is spoken on the island of Cebu. Cebuano, like Tagolog, is an Austronesian language. Most of the languages spoken in The Philippines are Austronesian languages. Even though English is considered an official language of The Philippines, 99 percent of English speakers in The Philippines do not speak it as a first language. There are 19 languages that are recognized as regional languages. With the nation, there are 182 languages spoken.

"Mabuhay" means "welcome" in Tagalog. To say "how are you?", one can simply say "musta?"

The languages spoken throughout The Philippines can vary based on where people live or by ethnicity. In the province of Cebu, Cebuano is spoken. Cebuano is also spoken in Bohol, the southern portion of Masbate, and other regions in the southern parts of The Philippines. The Ilocano language is a local language spoken mainly in the island of Luzon. This language is spoken by the Ilocanos, who live mainly in the Ilocos region of The Philippines.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Manila
Languages	Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Ethnic Groups	Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census)
Religion	Catholic 82.9% (Roman Catholic 80.9%, Aglipayan 2%), Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	4 July 1946 (from the US)
Area	300,000.00 km²
Water Area	1,830.00 km²
Land Area	298,170.00 km²
Population	102,624,209.00 Population concentrated where good farmlands lie; highest concentrations are northwest and south-central Luzon, the southeastern extension of Luzon, and the islands of the Visayan Sea, particularly Cebu and Negros; Manila is home to one-eighth of the entire national population
Location	Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
GDP(PPP)	$807,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$7,700.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Japan, the United States, and China.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are semiconductors, machinery, and wood manufactures.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, the United States, and Japan.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include electronic products, mineral fuels, and machinery.
Climate	Tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain	Mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Learn More	Philippines

Philippines Languages

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