Flag of Philippines

The Philippines is an island state in Southeast Asia, forming the northern part of the island.

This archipelago received various names which were not retained that of the archipelago of Saint-Lazare, as originally attributed to the islands of the Larrons or Marianas; of Magellanie, in memory of its discoverer, in 1521; of the western islands, recalling that its journey was made from East to West; it was also the Spanish Indies. The name that remained was given to him by Lopez de Villalobos (1543) in honor of the prince of Asturias, the future Philip II. Virtual Possession of Spain at the time of its discovery, the Philippines was conquered only successively.

The first settlements date back only to 1565; the solemn possession of Manila, founded by Lopez de Legaspi, took place on 15 May 1571; the Sulu Archipelago (Basila, Jolo, Tawitawi Islands, etc.) was submitted only in 1876. After three and a half centuries of sovereignty, Spain had to cede the Philippines to the United States in December 1898.

The archipelago was occupied by Japanese troops during the Second World War, taken over by the United States in 1944-1945, and returned to independence in 1946. The Philippines has been a republic since that time (the history of the Philippines).