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the Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. Taiwan lies north across the Luzon Strait. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest separates it from the island of Borneo and to the south the Celebes Sea from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. An archipelago comprising 7,107 islands, the Philippines is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The capital city is Manila.

With an estimated population of about 92 million people, the Philippines is the worlds 12th most populous country. It is estimated that there are an additional 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. Its tropical climate sustains one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world.

In prehistoric times, Negritos became some of the Philippines earliest inhabitants. They were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples who brought with them influences from Malay, Hindu, and Islamic cultures. Trade introduced Chinese cultural influences. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 marked the beginning of an era of Spanish interest and eventually dominance. The Philippines became the Asian hub of the Manila-Acapulco galleon treasure fleet. Christianity became widespread. As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, there followed in quick succession the short lived Philippine Revolution, the Spanish American War, and the Philippine American War. In the aftermath, the United States replaced Spain as the dominant power. Aside from the period of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until the end of World War II when the Philippines gained independence. The United States bequeathed to the Philippines the English language and an affinity for Western culture. Since independence the Philippines has had an often tumultuous experience with democracy, with popular People Power movements overthrowing a dictatorship in one instance but also underlining the institutional weaknesses of its constitutional republic in others.

The name Philippines is derived from that of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos during his expedition in 1542 named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas after the then Prince of Asturias (Spain). Eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before it became commonplace, however, other names such as Islas del Poniente (Islands of the West) and Magellans name for the islands San Lazaro were also used by the Spanish to refer to the islands.

The official name of the Philippines has changed several times in the course of the countrys history. During the Philippine Revolution, the country was officially called Republica Filipina or the Philippine Republic. From the period of the Spanish American War and the Philippine American War until the Commonwealth period, American colonial authorities referred to the country as the Philippine Islands, a translation of the Spanish name. It was during the American period that the name Philippines began to appear and has since become the countrys common name. The official name of the country is now Republic of the Philippines.