You’re PINOY If…

In 1994, The Miss Universe Pageant was held in the Philippines and it was during one of the interviews that the words “High tide or low tide?” was immortalized by Miss Philippines Charlene Gonzales. She then answered that there are 7,107 islands during high tide and made a rough guess of 7,108 during low tide. Although not necessarily correct, a lot of Pinoys use this as a witty remark to foreigners who ask about the islands.

The official count is 7,107 and of these, 2,773 have names and only a few hundred are inhabited. Some of the islands are so small that they disappear during high tides. The largest island is the island of Luzon. Together with Mindanao, the second largest island, they cover more than 60% of the contry’s total land area.

The Philippines is commonly divided into three island groups: Luzon, where the country’s capital (Manila) can be found, is the largest and the most politically important island in the Philippines; Visayas, where the Philippines’ oldest city (Cebu) can be found; and Mindanao, where the nation’s highest peak and the world’s largest city can be found.

The although the official count is 7,107, the actual number of islands is still unclear as there have been dispute over the ownership of Spratly Islands. Geographically, the Philippines have a strong claim over the islands, yet other countries try to prove their claim through historical bases.