country

Destination Philippines, a Nations Online Project Country Profile of the archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia. The island nation is situated south of Taiwan, between the South China Sea in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. The country consists of more than 7,641 islands (according to the Philippines government). It shares maritime borders with China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Palau, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

The Philippines' three main island groups are Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country occupies a combined land area of 300,000 km²; this is about the size of Italy or slightly larger than the size of the US state of Arizona.

The archipelago's population of 108 million people (in 2020) making it the world's 13th most populous country; Luzon, the largest island group, accounts for more than half of the entire population of the country.

Located in the southwestern part of Luzon is the capital of the Philippines, Manila, the largest city is Quezon City, both are part of Metro Manila, a metropolis with a population of almost 13 million people. Spoken languages are Filipino and English (both official); 19 more languages are regional recognized.

Political system

The Philippines' political system is that of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic with a multi-party system. Head of government, head of state, and commander in chief of the armed forces is the president. The President of the Philippines is elected by direct vote by the people for a term of six years. He may only serve for one term and is not eligible for reelection. The second highest official is the Vice-President. Philippines' legislature is a bicameral Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.