The Philippines is a constitutional republic in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. The country is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, with Taiwan to the north across the Luzon Strait, Vietnam to the West across the South China Sea.

With an estimated population of about 92 million people, the Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country.

More than 90% of the population are Christians: about 80% belong to the Roman Catholic Church while 10% belong to other Christian denominations, such as the Philippine Independent Church, Iglesia ni Cristo, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, United Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Orthodox Church.

Philippine culture is a combination of Eastern and Western cultures. The Philippines exhibits aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay heritage, yet its culture also displays a significant amount of Spanish and American influences.

Various sports and pastimes are popular in the Philippines including basketball, boxing, volleyball, football, badminton, taekwondo, billiards, ten-pin bowling, chess, and sipa. Motocross, cycling, and mountaineering are also becoming popular.

There are 85 public airports in the country, and around 111 more that are private. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the main international airport.