Philippines 50-SENTIMO (KM242.3)¶

Composition

Brass

Country

Philippines

Approx. Size

18mm

Area

Asia

Animal Class

Birds

Species

Philippine Eagle

KM#

242

The Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), also known as the monkey-eating eagle is called banog by local people.With females measuring over 100 cm in length with 2 m wingspans and weighing about 7 kg, this is the largest eagle in the world, and is counted among the tallest, rarest, largest, and most powerful birds on earth. Endemic to the Philippines, this critically endangered bird has less than 300 breeding pairs remaining (as of 2010). And yes, they do eat monkeys, but not exclusively. The Philippine Eagle was named the national bird of the Philippines in 1995.

This coin was issued in the larger 25 mm size in copper-nickel from 1983 to 1990, then in a reduced brass version measuring 18 mm from 1991 to 1994. In 1983, a version (KM#242.2) was minted with a spelling error on the reverse ("Pithecobhaga").

Philippines¶

Area

Asia

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands is the western Pacific Ocean. Its tropical climate and many volcanic mountainous islands support a rich variety of plants, animals, birds, and sea life, placing the Philippines in the top ten mega-diverse countries in the world.

Originally settled in prehistoric times, the islands were visited by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, and went on to be dominated by Spain who made Manilla the Asian hub of their treasure fleet. At the end of the 19th century, the Philippine revolution resulted in a declaration of independence, but it was not recognized by Spain or the United States, who subsequently battled each other in the Spanish-American war. This led directly to the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) and American dominance of the islands. The United States granted autonomy in 1916, self-government in 1934, and independence in 1946. Today, the Philippines diverse culture is a mixture of Asian, Spanish, and Western influences.