Philippines
| Philippines | |
|---|---|
| Federal Republic of the Philippines | |
| República Federal de Filipinas | |
 | |
 Location of Philippines | |
| Motto | "Un país, un alma" |
| Capital | Manila |
| Largest City | Cebu |
| Government Type | Federal republic |
| Languages | Spanish Chabakano Tagalo Cebuano Others |
| Currency | Philippine peso |
The Philippines (Spanish: Las Filipinas, Chabakano: Pilipinas), officially the Federal Republic of the Philippines (Spanish: República Federal de Filipinas, Chabakano: Republika Pedral Pilipina), is an country located in southeast Asia consisting of over 8,400 islands. The Philippines shares a land border with Soenda in Borneo and maritime boundaries with Tauland, Japan, Timor, and China.
Etymology
Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas after Philip II of Spain, then the Prince of Asturias. Shortly after, the title Las Islas Filipinas would be used to refer to the entire colony. Before Spanish rule was established, other names such as Islas del Poniente and Magellan's name for the islands, San Lázaro, were also used by the Spanish to refer to islands in the region.
In 1926, Spain began the process of officially referring to the islands as The Philippines rather than The Philippine Islands. The full official title, the Federal Republic of the Philippines, was included in the 1935 constitution as the name of the future independent state. It is also mentioned in all succeeding constitutional revisions.
History
Negritos, some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples. Adoption of Animism, Hinduism and Islam established island-kingdoms called Kedatuans, Lakanates, Rajahnates and Sultanates. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Spain, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. The Colonies were governed through the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1565 to 1872 when the Archipelago, along with all of Spain's dependencies and protectorates in Southeast Asia, is reformed and re-established as its own Viceroyalty. During this time, Catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. In 1896, the Communard-inspired Katipunan Insurrection began and almost led to the complete overthrow of Spanish rule if not for the Spanish capture and execution of its founder, Mayo de Pag-Asa, and their subsequent strings of victories against the Katipunan in the nine provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Morong, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Tarlac. The revolt unofficially ended in October 28, 1897 through the signing of the Treaty of Malolos and the voluntary exile of the remaining Katipunan leadership to Kwongchou, but several katipunan factions would continue fighting on until 1916. The transition to Independence would finally occur after majority voted for Independence in Spain's referendum after its Republican Revolution in 1929. A New Constitution was created and approved by the Spanish Government in a plebiscite on June 12, 1931, with a five-year transitory period to independence.
