The Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,100 islands, bounded in the west by the South China Sea, in the south by the Celebes Sea, in the east by the Philippine Sea (which opens into the Pacific Ocean), and in the north by the East China Sea. It consists of seventy-seven provinces grouped in fifteen regions. By religion, the population divides into three broad categories: Christians, Muslims, and followers of indigenous religions. Christians, the most numerous, are concentrated in the lowlands of Luzon and the Visayan Islands. Muslims are concentrated in Mindanao, the Sulu Islands, and southern Palawan. Followers of indigenous religions mostly inhabit upland northern Luzon, Mindanao, and Palawan.