Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, Island country, in the western Pacific Ocean, on an archipelago off the southeast coast of Asia.

• Area: 114,145 sq mi (295,633 sq km).
• Population: (2023 est.) 114,755,000.
• Capital: Manila; other government offices and ministries are located in Quezon City and other Manila suburbs. Filipinos are predominantly of Malay descent, frequently with Chinese and sometimes American or Spanish ancestry.
• Languages: Filipino (Pilipino) and English (both official); the other main groups are Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, and Bicol.
• Religions: Christianity (predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, other Christians); also Islam.
• Currency: Philippine piso (peso). The Philippines consist of about 7,100 islands and islets.

The Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets lying about 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Vietnam. Manila is the capital, but nearby Quezon City is the country’s most populous city. Both are part of the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), located on Luzon, the largest island. The second largest island of the Philippines is Mindanao, in the southeast.

The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, who was king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century. Because it was under Spanish rule for 333 years and under U.S. tutelage for a further 48 years, the Philippines has many cultural affinities with the West. It is, for example, the second most populous Asian country (following India) with English as an official language and one of only two predominantly Roman Catholic countries in Asia (the other being East Timor). Despite the prominence of such Anglo-European cultural characteristics, the people of the Philippines are Asian in consciousness and aspiration.