Philippines

The Philippines is home to many ethnolinguistic groups across its 7,000-plus islands, with Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English as official languages and dozens of regional tongues. Centuries of Spanish and American rule shaped its culture.

It is one of Asia's two predominantly Christian nations, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, with a Muslim minority concentrated in the south.

Society

The Philippines has high literacy and a young, growing population that powers its labor exports, though poverty and inequality remain widespread.