Flag Coat of arms Motto Maka-Diyos, Makatao, Makakalikasan, at Makabansa (English: "For God, People, Nature, and Country") Anthem Lupang Hinirang "Chosen Land"

Capital Manila 000) 14°35'N, 121°0'E Largest city Quez?n City Official languages Filipino (Tagalog), English1 Recognised regional languages Bikol, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Waray-Waray.[1] Demonym Philippine, Filipino Government Unitary presidential constitutional republic  -  President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo  -  Vice President Noli de Castro  -  Senate President Manuel Villar, Jr.  -  House Speaker Jos? de Venecia, Jr.  -  Chief Justice Reynato Puno Independence from Spain from United States   -  Declared June 12, 1898   -  Self-government March 24, 1934   -  Current constitution February 2, 1987  Area  -  Total 300 000 km? (72nd) 115,831 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0.61%[2] Population  -  2007 estimate 88,706,3002 (12th)  -  2000 census 76,504,077   -  Density 276 /km? (42nd) 715 /sq mi GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate  -  Total $508 billion (25th)  -  Per capita $5,714 (103rd) GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate  -  Total $123.115 billion [10] (33rd)  -  Per capita $1,415 (109th) Gini? (2000) 46.1 (high)  HDI (2007) 0.780(2007) (medium) (74th) Currency Peso (International ) Piso (Filipino ) (PHP) Time zone PST (UTC+8) Internet TLD .ph Calling code +63 1 Spanish and Arabic are promoted on an optional and voluntary basis. 2 Philippine Census 2007 Population Projection (medium assumption) Philippines Portal The Philippines (Filipino: Pilipinas), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas; RP), is an island nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine Archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country,[3] with a population of 88 million.[4] Its national economy is the 46th in the world with a 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$116 billion.[5] Filipinos are mostly of Austronesian descent, but there are significant Chinese, American, Spanish, and Arab minorities.[6][7][8] There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.[citation needed] The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the 16th century, and then a U.S. colony after the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. The Philippines has many affinities with the Western world, derived mainly from the cultures of Spain, Latin America, and the United States. Roman Catholicism 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.