So, this is where I'll live for the next 18 months...
The Philippine Islands are a cluster of more than 7000 islands, lying north of the Malay Peninsula in South East Asia. The islands got their name from the Spanish - they named the country Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain. The people speak Filipino, English and Spanish.
The Philippines have more than 20 active volcanoes and regularly experiences earthquakes. A large part of the terrain is mountainous, the volcanic eruptions in the area have given the Philippines fertile soils and spectacular landscapes and underwater areas.
The two largest islands are Luzon to the north and Mindanao to the south.
The Philippines are the only Christian nation in Asia, over 82% of its population follows the Roman Catholic faith.
