The Philippines (/flpinz/ ( listen); Filipino: Pilipinas [plpins] or Filipinas [flpins]), officially

the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a sovereign island

country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641
islands[17] that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to
south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most
populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila.[18] Bounded by the South China Sea on the
west, the Philippine Sea on the east and the Celebes Sea on the southwest, the Philippines shares
maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Vietnam to the west, Palau to the east
and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south.
The Philippines' location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes the Philippines
prone to earthquakes and typhoons, but also endows it with abundant natural resources and some
of the world's greatest biodiversity. The Philippines has an area of 300,000 square kilometers
(115,831 sq mi),[19] and a population of approximately 100 million.[20][21] It is the eighth-most populated
country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world. As of 2013, approximately 10
million additional Filipinos lived overseas,[22] comprising one of the world's largest diasporas.
Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were
some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants. They were followed by successive
waves of Austronesian peoples.[23] Exchanges with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations
occurred. Then, various competing maritime states were established under the rule
of Datus, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans.
The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon, Eastern Samar in 1521 marked the beginning of
Hispanic colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy Lpez de Villalobosnamed the archipelago Las
Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. With the arrival of Miguel Lpez de Legazpi from Mexico
City, in 1565, the first Hispanic settlement in the archipelago was established.[24] The Philippines
became part of the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. This resulted in Roman
Catholicism becoming the dominant religion. During this time, Manila became the western hub of the
trans-Pacific trade connecting Asia with Acapulco in the Americas using Manila galleons.[25]
As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, there followed in quick succession the Philippine
Revolution, which spawned the short-lived First Philippine Republic, followed by the
bloody PhilippineAmerican War of conquest by US military force.[26] Aside from the period
of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until after World
War II, when the Philippines was recognized as an independent nation. Since then, the Philippines
has often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a
dictatorship by a non-violent revolution.[27]
It is a founding member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the East Asia Summit. It also
hosts the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank.[28] The Philippines is considered to be
an emerging market and a newly industrialized country,[29] which has an economy transitioning from
being one based on agriculture to one based more on services and manufacturing.[30] It is one of the
only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being East Timor.