Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines covers a land area of just under 300,000 km2. It is an archipelago of about 7,641 islands which stretches between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-affected countries in the world, situated along a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicentres. The low-lying islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Philippines is a constitutional republic with a democratically elected presidential system based on the United States model. The economy is rapidly transitioning from agriculture to services and manufacturing.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has an estimated 90,000 soldiers and is backed by 120,000 ready reserves. The Air Force has an estimated 17,000 personnel and operates 203 aircraft. The Navy has around 25,000 members. The Philippines considers itself a staunch ally of the United States. The Mutual Defence Treaty between the Philippines and the United States was signed in 1951, later supplemented with the Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999.