HISTORY

Philippines, Asia, no mass tourism, but much to explore!

Until 1571 the Philippines was a free country which did well in trade with countries like China, Japan, Vietnam, India and Europe. That stopped brutally when the Spanish arrived and you can still find a lot of Spanish influence. But the longing for freedom kept growing and in 1898 they fought on the side of the Americans during the Spanish-American war. When the Spanish were defeated they declared the Philippines independent. The Americans however thought that the Filipinos could not take care of themselves and purchased the islands from the Spanish for $ 20 million. When the Americans finally recognized the desire for independence, the Japanese invaded the Philippines, that was in 1942. The US liberated the Philippines 2 years later and then they received full independence in 1946. Before the arrival of the Spanish the inhabitants were are collection of many cultures and, if you look for it, you can still see a lot of differences through out the country. Because of the Spanish influence more then 90% of the population is a Christian. Muslim communities are thought to encompass about 5% of the population, predominantly in Mindanao and the Sulu Islands.