Philippines

The Philippines consists of 88 million inhabitants and 7107 islands. The archipelago is enclosed by the Philippines sea and the South China sea. Nearest neighboring countries are Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. The two largest islands are Luzon and Mindanao. Most of the islands consist of mountains and hills. Furthermore, a few lakes, rivers and fertile lowland areas. The coasts have short beaches, many bays and are surrounded by coral reefs. There is a tropical climate with a lot of rainfall. On the island of Luzon is the capital Manila with 1.7 million inhabitants. Sights are the walled city of Intramuros, the San Agustin church, Rizal Park, the Manila cathedral, the Nayong Pilipino open-air museum, the Santiagos fort and the Malacanang palace. Other important cities are Quezon, Olongapo, Legazpi, Borongan, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and Zamboanga. The UNESCO World Heritage Site includes the Marine Park of the Tubbataha Reefs, the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, the historic center of the city of Vigan and the Puerto Princesa National Park with underground river. Other attractions are the rice terraces of Banaue and the nature island of Palawan with St. Paul Subterranean National Park, the Honda Bay and the cliffs of El Nido.