MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The Philippines is holding general elections Monday to elect a president and vice president and other congressional representatives nationwide. Here are some facts and figures about the country:
GEOGRAPHY: An archipelago of 7,107 islands flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, and often an entryway for Pacific storms blowing into Asia. The nation has a tropical climate.
PEOPLE: Population of more than 100 million, mostly descendants of settlers from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, with a large Chinese minority.
RELIGION: About 80 percent are Roman Catholic, most others are Protestant and about 5 percent are Muslim.
LANGUAGE: Filipino, a Malay language based on Tagalog, is the predominant language. English, the second official language, is widely used in business and government.