BRIEF HISTORY FO THE PHILPPINES

The Philippines is an archiepelago of 7,107 island in the south China Sea situated between Taiwan to the north and Borneo to the south. Just 2,000 of its island are inhabited and only 500 are larger than a kilometre square. The nine largest islands in Luson, Mindanao, Palawan, Panay, Mindoro, Samar, Negros, Leyte and Cebu make up 90% of the nation's land area.

The original people of the Philippines were the ancestors of the people known today as Negritos or Aeta. They are an Austro-Melanesian people with dark skin and tigth, curly brown hair. They are also distinctively small and of short stature. As the Pygmies in the equatorial forest of Africa, the Aeta are believe to have adapoted locally to the tropical jungles of the Philippines.

The Aeta are a nomadic hunting and gathering people who forage in small family bands with an informal organization and leadership. They were once widespread througout the Philippines but are now found only in the remote highland areas of Luzon Palawan, Panay, Negros and Mindanao.

Spanish Colony The Japanese Conquest The American Period Philippines Presidents