About the Philippines

The Philippines is an island nation off the southeast coast of Asia made up of a chain of 7,000 islands extending 1,100 miles. Most of the islands are small and uninhabited, and the majority of the people live on the 11 largest islands.

The islands are usually struck by five or six typhoons a year, which trigger landslides and tsunamis that cause great damage. Several active volcanoes and earthquakes also cause frequent damage.

The Philippines is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. Half of the country’s area is covered by forests that contain thick groves of bamboo and approximately 9,000 other kinds of flowering plants. One thousand varieties of birds can be found there, while the waters surrounding the islands are teeming with more than 2,000 species of fish