| • Economy During the past years, protectionism and state intervention have been replaced by economic liberalization and industry deregulation. • Geography The official count of islands that form the Republic of the Philippines is 7,107 islands. However, of these islands, only 2,000 are inhabited. • Government The administration of the Philippines is divided into 16 regions, 77 provinces, 67 officially chartered cities, 1,540 municipalities, and 41,935 barangays. • History It is believed that the history of Philippines began somewhere between 150,000 and 30,000 years ago. • Language In this island republic, the national languages or the two most common and widely spoken languages are Pilipino and English. • People The Philippines is home to a population estimated at 68 million people (growth rate of 2.5% annually), of whom 11 million people live in Metro Manila area. • Religion The Philippines can claim its uniqueness as the only Christian country in Asia because over 90% of the population are Christians. |