The Philippines is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
The Philippines ( [ ˈfɪlᵻpiːnz ] Pilipinas [ ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs ] ) , officially the Republic of the Philippines ( [ Republika ng Pilipinas , links = no ] ) , is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean . It consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south : Luzon , Visayas , and Mindanao . In 1543 , Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain .