The Philippines
The Philippines is made up of over 7000 separate islands that lie just to the north of Malaysia and directly to the south of Taiwan. The numerous islands are divided into the following three administrative regions: Luzon; Visayas; and Mindanao. The nations' capital Manila is located in most northerly region of Luzon and provides a home to over 55% of the 76.5 million population.
The islands experience frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity owing to the county’s location on the Pacific Rim of Fire. The geology of the region also accounts for the extensive presence of rich minerals such as gold, silver, copper, zinc, and nickel, and traces of the islands’ long history of mining can be found dating back to well before Spanish colonisation in the 16th century.
Politically the islands have a history of occupation and civil unrest which has historically inhibited their ability to industrialise. More recent times indicate a bright ‘first world’ future for the nation with over 6% recorded economic growth in 2005 and a large number of international business processing units, call centres and mining companies being attracted to the islands.