Philippines, Republic of the

Philippines, the "Pearl of the Orient' is located in Southeast Asia. Its consists more than 7,000 islands, grouped into Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Ferdinand Magellan landed here in March 16, 1521 and for more than 300 years, the Philippines was a Spanish Colony. It declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. During the Filipino-Spanish war for independence, Spain ceded the island to the US. After World War II in 1946, the US gave the country full independence.

The Philippines has many affinities with the Western World, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicisms became the predominant religion, although the pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices and Islam continue to flourish. The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino, which is based on Tagalog and English.