Philippines

Location

• Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam
• note 1: for decades, the Philippine archipelago was reported as having 7,107 islands; in 2016, the national mapping authority reported that hundreds of new islands had been discovered and increased the number of islands to 7,641, though not all of the new islands have been verifiednote 2: the Philippines is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakesnote 3: the Philippines sits on the Pacific typhoon belt, and an average of 9 typhoons make landfall on the islands each year, with about 5 being destructive; the country is the most exposed in the world to tropical storms

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Quezon City	3,084,270
Davao	1,848,947
Caloocan City	1,712,945
Manila	1,600,000	Capital
Taguig	1,308,085
Budta	1,273,715
Malingao	1,121,974
Zamboanga	1,018,849
Cebu City	965,332
Antipolo	913,712

Size

• 115,830 square miles
• 300,000 square kilometers
• slightly less than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

History

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War.  Led by Emilio AGUINALDO, the Filipinos conducted an insurgency against US rule from 1899-1902, although some fighting continued in outlying islands as late as 1913. In 1935, the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. The islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. Twenty-one years of authoritarian rule under Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a "people power" movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Several coup attempts hampered her presidency, and progress on political stability and economic development faltered until Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. The US closed its last military bases on the islands the same year. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. His vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, succeded him in 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another "people power" movement ("EDSA 2") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected president in 2004. Corruption allegations marred her presidency, but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction after the 2008 global financial crisis. Benigno AQUINO III was elected as president in 2010, followed by Rodrigo DUTERTE in 2016. During his term, DUTERTE pursued a controversial drug war that garnered international criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. was elected president in 2022 with the largest popular vote in a presidential election since his father's ouster.For decades, the country has been challenged by armed ethnic separatists, communist rebels, and Islamic terrorist groups, particularly in the southern islands and remote areas of Luzon.

Climate

tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

Languages

Tagalog 39.9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 16%, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo 7.3%, Ilocano 7.1%, Cebuano 6.5%, Bikol/Bicol 3.9%, Waray 2.6%, Kapampangan 2.4%, Maguindanao 1.4%, Pangasinan/Panggalato 1.3%, other languages/dialects 11.2%, unspecified 0.4% (2020 est.)major-language sample(s): Ang World Factbook, ang mapagkukunan ng kailangang impormasyon. (Tagalog)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: data represent percentage of households; unspecified Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English are official languagesTaga; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Religions

Roman Catholic 78.8%, Muslim 6.4%, Iglesia ni Cristo 2.6%, other Christian 3.9%, other 8.2%, none/unspecified <0.1 (2020 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest ratified 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987amendment process: proposed by Congress if supported by three fourths of the membership, by a constitutional convention called by Congress, or by public petition; passage by either of the three proposal methods requires a majority vote in a national referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of civil, common, Islamic (sharia), and customary law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Ferdinand "BongBong" MARCOS, Jr. (since 30 June 2022)head of government: President Ferdinand "BongBong" MARCOS, Jr. (since 30 June 2022)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with the consent of the Commission of Appointments, an independent body of 25 Congressional members that includes the Senate president (ex officio chairman) and is appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on separate ballots by simple-majority popular vote for a single 6-year termmost recent election date: 9 May 2022election results: 2022: Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. elected president; percent of vote - Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. (PFP) 58.7%, Leni ROBREDO (independent) 27.9%, Manny PACQUIAO (PROMDI) 6.8%, other 6.6%; Sara DUTERTE-Carpio elected vice president; percent of vote Sara DUTERTE-Carpio (Lakas-CMD) 61.5%, Francis PANGILINAN (LP) 17.8%, Tito SOTTO 15.8%, other 4.9%2016: Rodrigo DUTERTE elected president; percent of vote - Rodrigo DUTERTE (PDP-Laban) 39%, Manuel "Mar" ROXAS (LP) 23.5%, Grace POE (independent) 21.4%, Jejomar BINAY (UNA) 12.7%, Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO (PRP) 3.4%; Leni ROBREDO elected vice president; percent of vote Leni ROBREDO (LP) 35.1%, Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. (independent) 34.5%, Alan CAYETANO 14.4%, Francis ESCUDERO (independent) 12%, other 4%expected date of next election: 9 May 2028note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 14 associate justices)judge selection and term of office: justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council, a constitutionally created, 6-member body that recommends Supreme Court nominees; justices serve until age 70subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; Sandiganbayan (special court for corruption cases of government officials); Court of Tax Appeals; regional, metropolitan, and municipal trial courts; sharia courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Congress (Kongreso)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• growing Southeast Asian economy; commercial rebound led by transportation, construction and financial services; electronics exports recovering from sector slowdown; significant remittances; interest rate rises following heightened inflation; uncertainties due to increased regional tensions with China 
• Budget: revenues: $65.069 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $93.871 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues and expenditures (excluding grants and social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
• Industries: semiconductors and electronics assembly, business process outsourcing, food and beverage manufacturing, construction, electric/gas/water supply, chemical products, radio/television/communications equipment and apparatus, petroleum and fuel, textile and garments, non-metallic minerals, basic metal industries, transport equipment
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, rice, coconuts, maize, bananas, vegetables, tropical fruits, plantains, pineapples, cassava (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 42.5% (2022 est.)arable land: 18.7% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 18.8% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 5% (2022 est.)forest: 24.3% (2022 est.)other: 33.1% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars, crude petroleum, coal (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 25%, Indonesia 8%, Japan 8%, S. Korea 6%, USA 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: integrated circuits, machine parts, gold, insulated wire, semiconductors (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 19%, USA 13%, Hong Kong 12%, Japan 11%, Germany 5% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports