Philippines

The republic of the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands, approximately 700 of which are inhabited. Its total land area is approximately 300,000 square kilometers (116,600 square miles). The islands are usually divided into three groups, from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Luzon has the two largest cities, Quezon City with 2.2 million inhabitants, and Manila (the nation's capital) with 1.6 million people. Both are part of Metropolitan Manila (or the National Capital Region), a large conurbation of 636 square kilometers with 12 million people (a density of 17,751 people per square kilometer). Total population is about 85 million, roughly two thirds of whom reside on the island of Luzon. Population growth is about 1.8 percent per year, with 24.89 births per ...