Philippines
/ˈfɪlɪpiːnz/- a country in SE Asia consisting of an archipelago of over 7,000 islands separated from the Asian mainland by the South China Sea; pop. 97,976,600 (est. 2009); official languages, Pilipino and English; capital, Manila菲律宾（东南亚国家, 由包括7,000多岛屿的群岛组成, 隔南中国海与亚洲大陆相望, 2009年估计人口97,976,600; 官方语言菲律宾语和英语; 首都马尼拉）。
The main islands are Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Leyte, Samar, Negros, and Panay. Conquered by Spain in 1565, the islands were ceded to the US following the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Philippines achieved full independence as a republic in 1946. From 1965 the country was under the increasingly dictatorial rule of President Ferdinand Marcos （1917-89）; he was driven from power in 1986 and replaced by Corazon Aquino （b. 1933）, President 1986-92.