From beautiful emerald rice fields to bright sandy beaches, tropical forests filled with wildlife to teeming mega-cities, the Philippines is a paradise with friendly people and vibrant cultural experiences just waiting to be explored. Here are 50 facts about the Philippines covering its history, culture, people, economy, archipelago and some interesting things.

#1. The Republic of the Philippines is the world’s second largest archipelago made up of over 7,100 islands. The country is divided into three key geographical areas. Luzon is the large island to the north on which the capital city Manila is located. Mindanao is the large island to the south. The Visayas are the group of islands lying between them in the middle. The Philippine’s flag has three stars on it to symbolize these three sections of the country.

#2. The Philippine islands are surrounded by the Philippine, South China, Celebes, and Sulu Seas as well as the Luzon straight. This provides them with 36, 289 kilometers (22,540 miles) of coastline that includes natural harbors, beautiful coves, and spectacular sandy white beaches. The country has the fifth largest coastline of any country in the world. Taiwan is directly to the north of the Philippines.

#3. Located on the western edge of the Pacific’s Ring of Fire, the Philippines has hundreds of volcanoes and an average of 20 earthquakes per day (most so faint they can’t be felt). The three most active volcanoes are Mount Pinatubo, the Taal Volcano, and the Mayon Volcano.

#4. The Negritos were the area’s earliest inhabitants in prehistoric times (and still live in nomadic tribes in the tropical forests today). Exchanges of peoples with Chinese, Indian, Malay and Islamic states then occurred.