Land area : 299,764 sq. km

Location : The Philippines is located at the heart of Southeast Asia . It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Celebes (sulawesi) Sea on the south, and the South China Sea on the west and north

Capital : Manila

Political subdivisions : 17 regions, 79 provinces

Population : 79.5 million (2002)

Ethnic stock : Christian Malay - 91.5%, Muslim Malay - 4%, Chinese - 1.5%, Others - 3%

Languages spoken : Filipino, English, Spanish, Chinese, eight (8) major local dialects

Major religions : 85% are Roman Catholics the rest are Protestants and Muslims.

Currency unit : Philippine Peso (US$1=Php55.059 as of March 19, 2003 )

Time zone : GMT +8 hours