This position accounts for much of the variations in geographic, climatic and vegetational conditions in the country.
The topography of the bigger islands — particularly Luzon and Mindanao — is characterized by alluvial plains, narrow valleys, rolling hills and high mountains.
The highest mountains are found in Mindanao and Luzon, with the altitudes varying from 1, to 3, meters. Most of the smaller islands are mountainous in the interior, surrounded by narrow strips of discontinuous flat lowlands which constitute the coastal rims.
The shorelines of both large and small islands are irregular. The sampaguita is the national flower. Metro Manila is strategically located in the middle of Luzon, on the eastern coast of Manila Bay and at the mouth of the Pasig River, sprawled over an area of sq.
Manila sits in the middle of a swampy deltaic plain formed by accumulated sedimentary deposits from the Pasig River and other streams. The city is between the bay to the west, the highlands to the east, and Laguna de Bay to the southeast.
Most of its densely populated areas are found along the Pasig River running across the metropolis dividing it into two sections — the north and the south. Check out the Philippine Standard Time. Before the Spanish conquistadores came, a thriving community flourished on the banks of the Pasig River. The lord of the riverside kingdom was Raha Sulayman who held court on the south side of the river while his uncle, Lakandula, ruled on the north side.
The Spaniards were set on conquering this community. After the savage Battle of Bangkusay, where they overtook the natives with their awesome firepower, the Spaniards conquered Manila. In this Battle, Sulayman was killed.
Realizing its strategic position as a trading center and military outpost, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, head of the Spanish expedition, promptly declared Manila the capital of the new colonies won by Spain. On June 24, , Manila was declared the capital of the entire achipelago. Soon, Manila became a replica of a European medieval city. There were churches, palaces and city halls built in the Spanish baroque style.
Work began on building a wall around the city to keep the pirates and Moros at bay. It took years to finish this wall. The end result was an astounding eight foot-thick, three mile-long wall, with two forts and a bastion, guns in place, manned by a force of 5, men and 10, reserves.
This walled city became known as Intramuros. Beautiful as it was, Intramuros stood as a perfect illustration of the discrimination at that time against the natives called Indios.
Although it was built by Indio workers and Chinese artisans, Intramuros was meant only for the clergy and the Spanish nobility. The natives could not enter except to work as servants. Outside the walls, in the arabales or suburbs, lived the Indios, the Chinese and other foreigners. The diversity of trade and culture in the suburbs made it alive and interesting. Tondo, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, and Quiapo bustled with commerce. These places were home to the merchants, carpenters, blacksmiths, carriage makers, masons, and other artisans.
Over the centuries, the Spanish rule was occasionally threatened by attacks from the sea and by internal uprisings. The Chinese, Dutch and British all tried to lay siege on Manila but were unsuccessful.
This reform movement ultimately led to a revolution and by , the days of the Castilian rule were numbered.
The most lasting legacy of the Spanish rule was the Catholic religion which makes the Philippines the only Christian nation in Asia. But as soon as the Spaniards left, the Americans took over. The outbreak of war in the Pacific in disrupted American rule. Manila was declared an open city and the Americans withdrew their defenses. For three years, Manila was occupied by the Japanese imperial forces. Life at that time was made difficult by strict Japanese military rule. When the American troops entered Manila to liberate it, they had to bomb the city to dislodge the tenacious Japanese.
Manila was devastated. On July 4, , a year after the end of the war, the Philippine flag was hoisted signalling the recognition of Philippine independence. The Philippines has a population of From a long history of Western colonial rule, interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders, evolved a people of a unique blend of east and west, both in appearance and culture.
The Filipino character is actually a little bit of all the cultures put together. The bayanihan or spirit of kinship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for, is said to be taken from Malay forefathers.
The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards who introduced Christianity in the 16th century.
Hospitality is a common denominator in the Filipino character and this is what distinguishes the Filipino. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today. The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is recognizable by distinct traits and dialects — the sturdy and frugal Ilocanos of the north, the industrious Tagalogs of the central plains, the carefree Visayans from the central islands and the colorful tribesmen and religious Moslems of Mindanao.
How to contact us. Report misconduct. Subscribe to our newsletter. Annual report. Maps and resources:. Languages of the Philippines. It is also very closely related to the Ibaloi language spoken in the neighboring province of Benguet, located north of Pangasinan. Pampango or Kapampangan is the primary and predominant language of the entire Pampanga province, southern Tarlac, northeastern Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Zambales that border Pampanga.
The original settlers of Bicol were said to be composed of the Tagalog who migrated to Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur and the Visayans who moved to Masbate and Sorsogon.
These migrations and the isolation of certain areas led to the formation of different dialects in the Philippines. In Camarines Norte, the Bicol dialect is interchangeably used with Tagalog, while the one used in Masbate and Sorsogon is mixed with northern Visayan language. And the Catanduanes dialect had been influenced by Samar-Leyte language. Cebuano is one of the most widely spoken Philippines local languages.
You can hear it in the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, northeastern Negros Occidental, as well as the municipality of Hinoba-an and the cities of Kabankalan and Sipalay to a great extent, alongside Ilonggo , southern Masbate, many parts of Leyte, Biliran, parts of Samar, and large parts of Mindanao. It is the second-most widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Visayan languages, and is more distantly related to other languages in Philippines.
Waray-Samarnon is the native language of the Waray people and the second language of the Abaknon people of Capul, Northern Samar, and some Cebuano-speaking peoples of eastern and southern parts of Leyte. It is the third most spoken language among the Visayan languages, next to Cebuano and Hiligaynon.
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