Philippines

<p>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. <br><br>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.<br><br>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.</p>

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam

13 00 N, 122 00 E

Southeast Asia

slightly less than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

36,289 km

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

mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper

16,270 sq km (2012)

population concentrated in areas with good farmland; highest concentrations are northwest and south-central Luzon, the southeastern extension of Luzon, and the islands of the Visayan Sea, particularly Cebu and Negros; Manila is home to one eighth of the national population

astride typhoon belt, usually affected by several cyclonic storms each year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> significant volcanic activity; Taal (311 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Mayon (2,462 m), the country's most active volcano, erupted in 2009 and forced over 33,000 to be evacuated; other historically active volcanoes include Biliran, Babuyan Claro, Bulusan, Camiguin, Camiguin de Babuyanes, Didicas, Iraya, Jolo, Kanlaon, Makaturing, Musuan, Parker, Pinatubo, and Ragang; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

<strong>note 1:</strong> 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 verified<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> 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 earthquakes<strong><br><br>note 3:</strong> 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

Tagalog 26%, Bisaya/Binisaya 14.3%, Ilocano 8%, Cebuano 8%, Illonggo 7.9%, Bikol/Bicol 6.5%, Waray 3.8%, Kapampangan 3%, Maguindanao 1.9%, Pangasinan 1.9%, other local ethnicities 18.5%, foreign ethnicities 0.2% (2020 est.)

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

0.74% (2025 est.)

16.02 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.8 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population concentrated in areas with good farmland; highest concentrations are northwest and south-central Luzon, the southeastern extension of Luzon, and the islands of the Visayan Sea, particularly Cebu and Negros; Manila is home to one eighth of the national population

14.667 million MANILA (capital), 1.949 million Davao, 1.025 million Cebu City, 931,000 Zamboanga, 960,000 Antipolo, 803,000 Cagayan de Oro City, 803,000 Dasmarinas (2023)

23.6 years (2022 est.)

84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.94 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.94 (2025 est.)

0.79 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

1 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

6.4% (2016)

16.7% (2021 est.)

55.6% (2022 est.)

one of only two predominantly Christian nations in Southeast Asia, the other being Timor-Leste

deforestation, especially in watershed areas; illegal mining and logging; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps; coastal erosion; dynamite fishing; wildlife extinction

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

25.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

479 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

81 provinces and 38 chartered cities <br><br><strong>provinces:</strong> Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao de Oro, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay<br><br><strong>chartered cities:</strong> Angeles, Bacolod, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Caloocan, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Davao, General Santos, Iligan, Iloilo, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Lucena, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Naga, Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Puerto Princesa, Quezon, San Juan, Santiago, Tacloban, Taguig, Valenzuela, Zamboanga

mixed system of civil, common, Islamic (sharia), and customary law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew from the ICCt in March 2019

18 years of age; universal

Democratic Action (Aksyon Demokratiko) <br>Alliance for Change (Hugpong ng Pagbabago or HNP) <br>Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KANP)<br>Lakas ng EDSA-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD<br>Liberal Party or LP<br>Nacionalista Party or NP<br>Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC<br>National Unity Party or NUP<br>Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban<br>Partido Federal ng Pilipinas or PFP 

ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CD, CICA (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

4 July 1946 (from the US)

Independence Day, 12 June (1898)

<strong>description:</strong> two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red; a white equilateral triangle is based on the left side; the center of the triangle has a yellow sun with eight rays, each split into smaller rays; the triangle's corners each have a small five-pointed yellow star<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for peace and justice, red for courage, and the triangle for equality; the rays represent the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, and the stars represent the country's three parts: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao<br><br><strong>history:</strong> the design dates to 1897

three stars and sun, Philippine eagle

red, white, blue, yellow

the coat of arms was adopted on 3 July 1946; the three gold stars represent the major island groups of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao; the rays of the sun represent the provinces of the Philippines; the American eagle and lion of Spain represent the nation's colonial past

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&nbsp;

$461.618 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, rice, coconuts, maize, bananas, vegetables, tropical fruits, plantains, pineapples, cassava (2023)

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

5.6% (2024 est.)

50.979 million (2024 est.)

15.5% (2023 est.)

14.1% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

China 19%, USA 13%, Hong Kong 12%, Japan 11%, Germany 5% (2023)

integrated circuits, machine parts, gold, insulated wire, semiconductors (2023)

China 25%, Indonesia 8%, Japan 8%, S. Korea 6%, USA 6% (2023)

integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars, crude petroleum, coal (2023)

multiple national private TV and radio networks; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; more than 400 TV stations; about 1,500 cable TV providers with more than 2 million subscribers; over 1,400 radio stations; was scheduled to move to digital by the end of 2023 (2019)

.ph

RP

256 (2025)

416 (2025)

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force<br><br>Department of Transportation: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); Department of the Interior: Philippine National Police Force (PNP) (2025)

approximately 145,000 active Armed Forces (105,000 Army; 25,000 Navy, including about 8,000 Marine Corps; 15,000 Air Force) (2025)

the AFP is equipped with a mix of imported weapons systems from more than a dozen countries, including Brazil, Israel, South Korea, and the US (2025)

some variations in age based on the branch of service, but generally 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are responsible for territorial defense and assisting with internal security; much of the AFP's operational focus is on internal security alongside the Philippines National Police, particularly in the south, where several separatist insurgent, terrorist, and criminal groups operate and a considerable portion of the AFP is typically deployed; additional combat operations are conducted against the Communist People’s Party/New People’s Army, which is active mostly on Luzon, as well as the Visayas and areas of Mindanao; prior to a peace deal in 2014, the AFP fought a decades-long conflict against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a separatist organization based mostly on the island of Mindanao, which had up to 40,000 fighters under arms<br><br>maritime security is also a priority; the AFP's naval forces conduct naval interdiction missions in support of security operations on the southern islands, including joint maritime patrols with Indonesia and Malaysia; rising tensions with China over disputed waters and land features in the South China Sea since 2012 have spurred the AFP to place more emphasis on blue-water naval capabilities, including acquiring larger warships such as guided missile frigates, corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, and landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious assault ships<br><br>the Philippine military was formally organized during the American colonial period as the Philippine Army; they were established by the National Defense Act of 1935 and comprised of both Filipinos and Americans; the US and Philippines agreed to a mutual defense treaty in 1951; based on agreements signed in 2014 and 2023, the Philippine Government allows the rotational presence of US military forces, aircraft, and ships at up to nine bases in the Philippines; also in 2023, the US agreed to assist in modernizing Philippine defense capabilities, deepen interoperability, enhance bilateral planning and information-sharing, and combat transnational and nonconventional threats (2025)

Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA; established 2019) (2025)

has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and related technologies, largely for climate studies, national security, and risk management; also prioritizing development of space expertise and industry; manufactures and operates satellites (mostly micro- and nano-sized), including remote sensing and scientific/experimental; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, the ESA (and some of its member states), India, Japan, Russia, and the US (2025)

1994 - formed a consortium of companies to acquire and operate satellites<br><br>1996 - acquired first communications satellite (Agila-1) from Indonesia after it was already in orbit<br><br>2014 - initiated a scientific remote sensing (RS) microsatellite development program in collaboration with Japan, resulting in first RS microsatellite (Diwata-1) being deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016<br><br>2018 - first domestically designed and built scientific/technology-demonstrator cube satellite (Maya-1) deployed from ISS; second RS microsatellite (Diwata-2) developed with assistance from and launched by Japan<br><br>2023 - signed agreement with the ESA and EU to expand cooperation on Earth observation/RS data sharing<br><br>2025 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space exploration

Abu Sayyaf Group; Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – East Asia (ISIS-EA) in the Philippines