The Philippines is comprised of 7,107 islands which makes it one of the largest group of islands in the world, but only over 2,000 islands are named and inhabited. The country is divided into 3 major group of islands, Luzon, Vizayas and Mindanao. The Philippines has a total land area of 115,830 square miles. It is bounded in the west by South China Sea, and in the east by the Pacific Ocean.
The first inhabitants of the island were the pygmies, the Negritos or the Atis. They were short people with dark skin and curly hair. They were believed to have come from the south by crossing the then existing land passages. Between 4000 and 3000 B.C. the Malays came in boats and built communities in the islands. They had their own laws, government, alphabets, language and literature. During the 19th century, they started their trade with the Chinese who began settling in the islands. Then the Arabs came and introduced Islam in the 14th century.
|
