The Philippines
| Name: | The Philippines, officially, the Republic of the Philippines |
| Status: | Republic |
| President (Head of State): | Benigno S. Aquino III since June 30th 2010 |
| Surface area: | 300,000 km2 (1 /2 the size of France) |
| Population: | 81.2 million people in 2001 (France: 58.3 million people) |
| Density: | 276 people/ km2 (France: 106 people/ km2) |
| Capital: | Manila |
| Principal cities: | Manille, Cebu, Davao |
| Principal islands : | Luzon, Visayas (of which Mindoro, Masbate, Panay, Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Palawan are the main islands) and Mindanao |
| Neighboring countries and distance from the Philippines: | Taiwan – 240 km; Vietnam – 1210 km; Borneo – 24 km |
| Population and ethnicities: | Negritos, Proto-Indonesians, Malais |
| Official languages: | English and Tagalog |
| Religions: | Catholic (84%), Muslim (4.5%), Protestant (3.5%) |
| Currency: | Philippine peso (PHP), 1 Euro = 60 PHP |
| Time zone: | GMT +8 hours (+6 hours in summer and +7 hours in winter compared to France) |
| The flag: | The Philippine flag was first displayed in its current form on June 12, 1898. The color white symbolises purity. The blue, peace and equality. The red, courage and perseverance The sun represents liberty. The eight rays evoke the 8 provinces that revolted against the Spanish government. Lastly, the 3 stars symbolise the unity among the 3 principal regions: Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao |
