THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic nation located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, bordering countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau and the Republic of China, although it is the only Southeast Asian country to share no land borders with its neighbors. The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country with a population approaching 87 million people. Its national economy is the 38th largest in the world with a 2006 gross domestic product (GDP) of over US$117.562 billion. There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.
MISSIONARIES:
Jesalva, Armie & Betty
Lewis, Travis & Angela
HISTORY:
Trade in the Philippines can be dated back to early Chinese and Japanese History, but it wasn't until 1521 that they would see their first European contact. Western influence was the catalyst behind the growth of Christianity and emergence of new culture in the Philippines; however, Spain did not successfully begin to colonize the islands until around 1565. The first Spanish colony was a military base in the town of Manila, which is the current capitol of the Philippines.
The Philippines finally won its independence from Spain in 1898. However, it was occupied on two separate occasions following that declaration; first by the United States from 1900 to 1942 and then by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. While under American occupation, the Philippines experienced economic growth and the implementation of Americanized educational and legal systems and the introduction to an American style of government. Following the Japanese occupation in 1946, the Philippines regained official democratic status as a Republic. True democracy was then achieved by the Filipinos after the People Power Revolution in 1986 which led to the downfall of the reigning dictators.
RELIGION:
The Philippines is one of two countries in Asia with Roman Catholic majorities; the other being East Timor. The Philippines is separated into dioceses of which the Archdiocese of Manila enjoys primacy. About 91% of Filipinos identify themselves as Christians, with 80% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. 2% are composed of Protestant denominations and 9% either to the Philippine Independent Church or others. While Christianity is a major force in the culture of the Filipinos, indigenous traditions and rituals still influence religious practice.
Approximately 5% of Filipinos are Muslims, and are locally known as "Moro's", having been dubbed this by the Spanish due to their sharing Islam with the Moors of North Africa. They primarily settle in parts of Mindanao, Palawan and the Sulu archipelago, but are now found in most urban areas of the country. Most lowland Muslim Filipinos practice normative Islam, although the practices of some Mindanao's hill tribe Muslims reflect a fusion with animism. There are also small populations of Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and animists, which, along with other non-Christians, non-Muslims and those with no religion, collectively comprise 2.5% of the population.
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