The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago consisting of some 7,100 islands and islets lying about 800 km off the southeast coast of Asia and stretching 1850 km from north to south. It is bounded by the Philippine Sea to the east, the Celebes Sea to the south, and the South China Sea to the west and north. The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, who was king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the islands in the 16th century. Manila is the biggest city and the national capital. It is located on Luzon, the largest island. Only about two-fifths of the islands and islets have names, and only 350 are larger than one square mile.

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