Category: Philippines

In the Middle Ages, the islands of present-day Philippines were inhabited by people from various language groups, without a unified government. In 1521, the Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães, in the service of Spain, landed on the island of Cebu and died on the island of Mactan, in an attack by natives. The Portuguese protested, claiming to be a Portuguese area, which led to a revision of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1529. In 1565, the Spanish founded a settlement on the island of Cebu and, in 1571, they founded Manila, the current capital. The name of the country is a tribute to King Felipe II, who, in 1580, also became King of Portugal, unifying the crowns. In 1898, after a war with the USA, Spain gave up the Philippines. In 1942, the Japanese invaded these islands. In 1946, the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed. The country’s population is 103 million (2016).