Philippines 🇵🇭

Quick facts

• Capital: Manila
• Continent: Asia
• Population: 115,559,009
• Area: 300,000 km²
• Density: 385 people per km²
• Currency: PHP
• Languages: Filipino, English
• ISO code: PH

Where Philippines sits

Philippines 🇵🇭 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Manila. It covers 300,000 square kilometres — 72nd in the world — and is home to about 115,559,009 people, 13th globally.

The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.

How Philippines compares

Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Philippines sits closest to Egypt and Ethiopia. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Italy and Oman.

At 385 people per square kilometre it is about 6.5 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.

Filipino is listed as official in Philippines alone. The PHP is used by Philippines and no one else.

To see Philippines next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.

How to remember Philippines

Manila is on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, on the island of Luzon in the north. For the flag, count it out: one sun, eight rays, three stars, three island groups.

The flag of Philippines: blue, red, white and yellow

🇵🇭 The flag is two horizontal stripes, blue above red, with a white triangle by the flagpole holding a yellow sun with eight rays and a small yellow star in each corner. Blue stands for peace and justice, red for courage and the white triangle for equality. The sun's eight rays stand for the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, and the three stars for Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Region and neighbours

Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia, an archipelago of about 7,641 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, grouped into Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. As an island country it has no land neighbours.

Three facts about Philippines

1. The islands were named Las Islas Filipinas in honour of King Philip II of Spain.
2. Mount Apo on Mindanao, 2,954 m high, is the highest mountain in the Philippines.
3. Manila is one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.

Sources: Wikipedia: Philippines, Wikipedia: Flag of the Philippines, Wikipedia: Manila, CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Philippines

• Asian capitals quiz — match Philippines to Manila
• Asian flags quiz — spot the Philippines flag among its neighbours
• Island nations quiz — Philippines is an island country

Quizzes that include Philippines

Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Philippines those are:

• Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
• Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
• Asia capitals quiz — match it to Manila
• Philippines capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Philippines
• Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day

Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.

Read more about Philippines

• Capital of Philippines: Manila — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
• All 48 countries of Asia

Nearby countries

• Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
• Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
• Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
• Bahrain 🇧🇭 — capital Manama
• Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
• Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
• Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
• Cambodia 🇰🇭 — capital Phnom Penh
• China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
• Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
• India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
• Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta

Frequently asked questions

What are the colours of the Philippines flag?

The flag of Philippines is two horizontal stripes, blue above red, with a white triangle by the flagpole holding a yellow sun with eight rays and a small yellow star in each corner. Blue stands for peace and justice, red for courage and the white triangle for equality. The sun's eight rays stand for the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, and the three stars for Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Which countries border Philippines?

None. Philippines is an island country in Southeast Asia, an archipelago of about 7,641 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, grouped into Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, so it has no land borders with other countries.

How can I remember the capital of Philippines?

Manila is on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, on the island of Luzon in the north. For the flag, count it out: one sun, eight rays, three stars, three island groups.