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Philippines

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of the Philippines

DATE OF FORMATION: 1946

POPULATION: 81.4 million

DENSITY: 707 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Filipino, English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, many other local languages

RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 83%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Other (including Buddhist) 3%

ETHNIC MIX: Malay 95%, Other 3%, Chinese 2%

GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections

CURRENCY: Philippine peso

 

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Lying on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines is the world's second-largest archipelago-state. Of its 7107 islands, 4600 are named and 1000 inhabited. There are three main island groupings: Luzon, Visayan, and the Mindanao and Sulu islands. Located on the Pacific "ring of fire," it is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. Economic growth outstripped population increase in the 1990s, until the 1997–1998 Asian crisis, but efforts to build a stable democracy have been compromised by high-level corruption, leading to the ouster of President Estrada in 2001.

 

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