The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South
China Sea situated between Taiwan to the north and Borneo to the south. Just 2,000 of it's islands are inhabited and only 500 are larger
than a kilometre square. The nine largest islands of Luzon,
Mindanao, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Samar, Negros, Leyte, and
Cebu make up 90% of the nation's land area.

The original people of the Philippines were the ancestors of the
people known today as Negritos or Aeta. They are an Australo-
Melanesian people with dark skin and tight, curly brown hair. They
are also distinctively small and of short stature. As the Pygmies in
the equatorial forests of Africa, the Aeta are believed to have
adapted locally to the tropical jungles of the Philippines.

The Aeta are a nomadic hunting and gathering people who forage
in small family bands with an informal organization and
leadership. They were once widespread throughout the Philippines
but are now found only in the remote highland areas of Luzon,
Palawan, Panay, Negros and Mindanao.