Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 23,547,252
females age 16-49: 23,177,487 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,232,050
females age 16-49: 19,827,538 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,012,779
female: 977,030 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Philippines

Disputes - international:

Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands,
known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by
China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in
the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of
conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the
national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed
a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly
Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah
State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting
the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty
claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue
with Palau

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 300,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu
Sayyaf groups) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in
recent years despite government crackdowns; major consumer of
amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas
where Manila's control is limited

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Pitcairn Islands

Introduction
Pitcairn Islands

Background:

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in
1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn
was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838)
and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South
Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the
population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.

Geography
Pitcairn Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between
Peru and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

25 04 S, 130 06 W