Facts, Figures and Trivia

Here are some interesting facts, figures and trivia about the Philippines and Norway.

  • Both the Philippines and Norway have long coastlines which initially appear disproportionate to their size. The Philippines has 36,289 km of coastline while Norway has over 25,000 km of coastline. How is this possible? The Philippines is composed of around 7,000 islands (some are quite tiny), each of which has its own coastline. All those coastlines combined add up! Meanwhile, Norway has between three to four thousand fjords. Without the fjords and bays, Norway’s coastline would be reduced to merely 2,532 kilometers.
  • The highest mountains of both the Philippines and Norway span more than 2,000 meters. Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines which is located in Davao in the island of Mindanao, stands at 2,954 meters. Meanwhile, Galdhopiggen, which is located within the municipality of Lomm in the Jotunheimen mountain area, stands at 2,469 meters. It is the highest mountain in all of Scandinavia.
  • Both the Philippines and Norway are strong seafaring nations, tracing their peoples’ thirst for exploration and deep sense of wanderlust as early as the 13th and 8th centuries AD respectively when the Sultan of Sulu reigned over the seas of Southeast Asia and the Vikings conquered neighboring countries in Europe, North Africa, parts of Russia and Constantinople. Today, the pull of the sea is ever present in both countries as Norway produces, owns and operates the most number of ships plying the world’s seas, employing 35,000 Filipino seamen in the process – the largest number of seafarers belonging to merely one nationality in the world.
  • A Norwegian shipping company, Höegh Autoliners, builds ships in the Philippine island of Cebu.
  • Last October 12, 2007, Höegh Autoliners delivered the first of two modern car carrier vessels built in Cebu and promptly named the vessel Höegh Manila – Manila being the national capital of the Philippines.
  • Fish and other seafood feature prominently in both Norwegian and Filipino dishes.
  • Bangus or milkfish is a favorite staple of Filipinos while cod fish is a Norwegian favorite. Due to high demand for both types of fish, the Philippines and Norway have each developed scientific ways of farming their favorite fish, effectively enriching each of their fishing industries.
  • In 2002, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic resources, together with prominent Universities in the Philippines specializing in marine studies, tied up with the Norway Institute of Aquaculture Research to develop the genetic qualities of farmed Tilapia.
  • Private tie-ups have also taken place. In 2004 GenoMar Supreme Philippines, Inc. (GSP) received ISO certification as a Tilapia Multiplier and Hatchery facility. GSP, a subsidiary of GenoMar ASA (Norway), has made history by being the first Tilapia multiplier and hatchery facility in the Philippines, and possibly even in the whole of Asia.
  • The process of “cooking” Sild is the same as the Philippine dish known as “Kilawin”.
  • Får i kål is the Norwegian counterpart of the Filipino dish “Nilaga”. Both dishes are cooked exactly the same way.
  • The Filipino’s favorite dessert, leche flan, has a counterpart in Norway known as caramel pudding which is also a Norwegian favorite.
  • Ribbe, which features prominently during Christmas celebrations in Norway, is cooked the same way as Lechon Kawali, also a favorite Christmas and all-around celebration dish of Filipinos.
  • Christmas is the favorite holiday of both Filipinos and Norwegians. In the Philippines, the Christmas season promptly begins on September 1st, as chillier winds and Christmas carols start filling the air, and ends on the first week of January, during the Feast of the Three Kings. Meanwhile, the Christmas season in Norway starts during the first week of advent, and culminates on the evening of December 24, when families gather together around the Christmas tree to sing carols and open gifts.
  • Both Norway and the Philippines have “precious” monikers. Norway is known as the “Jewel of the North” while the Philippines is known as the “Pearl of the Orient”
  • Norway’s national flower is the purple heather while the Philippines’ is the sampaguita. Both flowers are widely used as ornaments.
  • Both the Philippines and Norway have regal animals for their national emblems. The Philippines’ emblem is the Giant Monkey-Eating Eagle, while Norway’s is the Lion Fuglekonge.
  • Both the Philippines and Norway have many different national costumes according to where in the country one comes from. Genarally called the Barong Tagalog (male) and Baro’t Saya (female) in the Philippines and Bunad in Norway, said costumes involve intricate and exquisite craftsmanship and are worn proudly during special occasions.