The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands, categorized into three main geographical regions (from north to south) known as Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The country, located in Southeast Asia, was named after King Phillip II of Spain and was a former Spanish colony of 300 years. Leaders like Emilio Aguinaldo, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, along with countless more, fought tirelessly to liberate the country from colonial rule until the Philippines alas gained its independence on June 12th, 1898.
Today, over 120 languages and dialects are spoken in the Philippines, but Filipino is recognized as the country’s national language. As of 2020, the population of the Philippines averages at 109 million people.