The
Philippines is a rich tropical
archipelago of 7,107 islands stretching gracefully over the western
Pacific Ocean, situated about 700 miles (1,130 km) east of the
Indochinese peninsula. It is roughly the size of Italy and is the
world's second-largest archipelago after Indonesia.
Based
on its strategic location, the country is blessed with abundant natural
resources which has attracted traders, explorers and adventurers for
centuries.
The
country was named after King Philip II of Spain in 1543, twenty-two
years before Spain established a permanent colonial presence here. What
the Philippines is today is a legacy of these early visitors. Language,
art culture, ethnology, religion and architecture were influenced by
settlers from powerful empires.
Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are the three main islands that make
up the Philippines:
Luzon is the largest,
most populous and northern-most of the main islands making up the
Philippine archipelago; contains 24 of the country's 72 provinces, plus
the city of Manila -- the country's
premier international gateway and is the nation's political, social,
cultural, commercial and transportation capital. Pilipino (Tagalog) and
English are the main language.
Visayas is the general
name given to the islands that occupies the central portion of the
archipelago, between Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south. It is
composed of the principal islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte,
Samar, and Masbate. Cebu City, known
as the Queen City of the South, with its international airport and
thriving deep water harbor is the most important commercial and business
center outside of Metro Manila; it is also the transportation center of
the Visayas region. Aside from Pilipino (Tagalog) and English, Visayan
is basically the dialect spoken in these areas.
Mindanao, the second
largest island in the Philippines, is bounded by the Philippine Sea on
the east, the Celebes Sea on the south, the Sulu Sea on the west, and
the Mindanao Sea on the north. The island consists of 12 provinces:
Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Misamis
Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao del
Norte, Surigao del Sur, Cotabato, and Davao.
