The
Philippines, officially known as the
Republic of the Philippines is a
sovereign country in
Southeast Asia in the
western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the
Luzon Strait lies
Taiwan. West across the
South China Sea sits
Vietnam. The
Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the country and the island of
Borneo, and to the south the
Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of
Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the
Philippine Sea. Its location on the
Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions:
Luzon,
Visayas, and
Mindanao. Its capital city is
Manila.
With an estimated population of about 94 million people, the Philippines is
the world's 12th most populous country. An additional 11 million
Filipinos live overseas. Multiple
ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands.
The Philippines has been part of several empires: the
Spanish Empire during the age of Imperialism, the
United States after the
Spanish-American War of 1898, and the
Japanese Empire during World War II, until the official Philippine independence in 1945.
Aside from the period of
Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until the end of
World War II when the Philippines gained
independence. The United States bequeathed to the Philippines the English language and a stronger affinity for Western culture.
