These islands consisted mainly of farming communities when the Spanish arrived in 1521. During the late 19th century a rebel independence movement gained support from the United States. Spain ceded the islands to the U.S. in 1898, after the Spanish-American War, but Philippine rebels turned against their former allies and began a guerrilla war. After independence (1946), the dominant figure was Ferdinand Marcos, who won the 1964 presidential election. Blaming communist and Muslim unrest, Marcos suspended the constitution in 1972 and ruled a dictatorship. The wealthy got richer, poverty got worse, corruption became fashionable, and the economy virtually collapsed. In 1986 Marcos falsely claimed an election victory over Corazon Aquino, widow of assassinated opposition leader Benigno Aquino. This provoked a popular uprising, and Mr. and Mrs. Marcos fled into exile. Aquino was declared president and served a difficult and coup-ridden term. In 1992 Fidel Ramos, endorsed by Aquino, was elected president over six opponents.

SPECIAL FACT
When Mount Pinatubo erupted and buried the Clark military base in 1991, the U.S. said the country was welcome to keep the area.

GEOGRAPHY & TOURISM

This is a country of more than 7,000 islands (about 880 are inhabited), lying about 500 mi (805 km) from the southeast Asian coast. The two largest islands are Luzon, in the north, and slightly smaller Mindanao, in the south. Most of the terrain is mountainous, though Luzon has a large, densely populated central plain. The highest point is Mount Apo, on Mindanao, which rises to 9,691 ft (2,954 m). Mount Pinatubo erupted as recently as 1991, causing considerable damage. About two-fifths of the country is forested. The two biggest cities, Quezon City and Manila (the capital), are on Luzon. Southeast of Manila is the country's largest lake, Lagunalde Bay. The climate is hot and humid in low-lying areas. The wet season is from June to November.

SPECIAL FACT
The largest pearl on record-more than 9 in (23 cm) long and 5 inches (13 cm) wide-was found at Palawan in the Philippines in 1934.

Manila is the industrial center of the Philippines. The processing of domestic agricultural products accounts for about half of all industrial activity. Electronics assembly for export holds second place, and chemicals, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, and textiles are also important. In the 1990s drought and power-supply problems hampered production. Outside Manila the economy continues to be based on agriculture. Peasants work for large landowners who exercise economic and political power. Government land reform, although talked about since the 1940s, has never become a reality. Rice and corn are grown for local consumption. Coconuts, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, tobacco, coffee, and cotton are grown as cash crops. In addition, the nation is an illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade. Despite government eradication efforts, Filipino growers are reported to be producing more. The Philippines also has a commercial fishing industry, with much of the fish exported. 

CULTURE & THE ARTS

Filipinos, as people from the Philippines are called, have Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Negrito, Spanish, and American heritage. At least 80 different languages are spoken, and language is the most divisive cultural force. The major language groups include the Tagalogs, Cebuanos, Ilocanos, Ilongos, Bicolanos, and Waray-Waray. The government has tried to promote Tagalog-based Filipino as the official language. The Philippines are also home to numerous tribal groups who reside primarily in the mountains. Their occupations include subsistence farmer and hunter/gatherer. In 1972 the Filipino government declared that it had found a Stone Age tribe of people called the Tasaday who had never had contact with the modern world. This was later exposed as a hoax. One clue was that the tribe's language had words for tools and crop cultivation that a neolithic tribe would not have known about. While the Philippines is primarily a Christian nation, about 5 percent of the population is Muslim.

SPECIAL FACT
In the Philippines ice cream is often made from tropical fruits and vegetables. Flavors include coconut, baby coconut, and yam.

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