The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines consists of island countries in Southeast Asia. It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of about 7,640 islands.  They are bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the southwest. They share maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east and southeast, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia and Brunei to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest.  Manila is the nation’s capital.

The Philippines’ location is close to the equator, which makes the island nations prone to earthquakes and typhoons.  The Philippines covers an area of 120,000 square miles, with a population of around 109 million people, making it the world’s twelfth-most populous country.