About The Philippines
Filipinas
The Philippines, located in Southeast Asia, consists of 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. This country was discovered by Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Another Spanish explorer (Ruy López de Villalobos) named this country Las Islas Filipinas after King Philip II of Spain. After the establishment of Spanish settlements in 1565, the country ended up being colonized by that European power for over 300 years. The prolonged Spanish colonial presence made the Philippines the one Far Eastern country whose main religion was Roman Catholicism. The Spanish presence also explains why many Filipinos (as the locals are known) have Latin names (as opposed to Asian ones).
Filipino rebels (with help from U.S. Navy) drove the Spanish out of the Philippines in 1898 (when the Spanish-American War was in motion). Subsequent fighting between Filipino rebel and U.S. forces resulted in America making the Philippines a colony, and later a U.S. Commonwealth (until 1946, when it was granted independence from USA). From 1942 to 1945 (during the height of World War II), Japan occupied the Philippines. Fighting to push the Japanese out of that country turned major Filipino cities like Manila (the country’s capital) into rubble.
Since then, the Philippines is best remembered as being subjected to dictatorial rule by politician Ferdinand Marcos, who was elected in 1965, and imposed martial rule from 1972 to 1981 (under a cloud of corruption, extravagance, and brutality). Growing public discontent eventually led to the “people power revolution” in 1986, which removed him from power. One of the more prominent figures from that political movement, Corazon Aquino, was elected president of the country that year (making her the first woman to hold that office). Since then, the Philippines managed to maintain a stable democracy.
The Philippines’ tropical climate makes it a natural for tourism. Its beaches, mountains, rainforests, islands and diving spots are among the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The country’s rich historical and cultural heritage is also one of the attractions of the Philippines. Tourism became a major industry in the country as early as the 1970s. In 2014, the country recorded 4.83 million visitors (mainly from South Korea, USA, Japan, China, and Australia). In recent years, tourism has stood at nearly 6% of the country’s GDP. Destinations range from Manila (the country’s capital), to Cebu (a famed diving location), and Boracay (a major beach destination).