Philippines: 300,000 sq.km for about 91 million inhabitants. Capital: Manila. Comprising 7,100 islands, The Philippines is an an archipelagic state. The Philippines has a two-house legislature - the Congress - which comprises a House of Representatives, with up to 250 members, and a 24-member Senate. The Philippines has a tropical marine climate dominated by a rainy season and a dry season. Time zone: (GMT +8). Religions include: Christian, Islam, traditional beliefs. Electricity current 220 Volts. The biggest towns include: Quezon City, Manila, Caloocan, Davao, Cebu, Zamboanga etc. Driving on the right hand side. Currency Peso: 1 US$ = 42.3 peso approx. Official language: Filipino & English. The ethnic/language groups include Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon etc. Filipinos are mostly of Austronesian descent, but there are significant minorities. There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide. The Philippines is a newly industrialized country with an agricultural base, light industry, and service-sector economy. Major industries include Electrical machinery, clothing, food and live animals, chemicals, timber products. Filipinos are very hospitable and give appropriate respect to anybody regardless of race, culture and belief.