PHILIPPINES
HISTORY Around 2500 BC, the first settlers arrived from Asian mainlands. They were also followed by Malayan and Indonesian settlers from 3000 BC from there on after. In the 14th century AD, large trading was being handled in India, Indonesia,China and Japan. In 1521, Spain explored the Philippines. Spain kept possession of the islands for 350 years. The Philippines were surrendered to the US in 1899 by the treaty of Paris right after the Spanish American war. Also, Emilio Aguinaldo (leader) had declared their independence. In 1902, peace was established except making peace with the Islamic Moros on the southern island of Mindanao.
CULTURE The Philippines have multiple cultural influences, most of the influences are results of colonizations obtained mainly from the culture of Spain and the United States. Regardless of all those previous colonizations the Filipino s still managed to obtain their old Asian culture and were seen in their lifestyle, beliefs and customs. The Filipino culture is very obvious and have been appreciated around the world. Filipinos admire making music for performing dances and singing groups for their festive celebrations. Their religion is mostly Christianity while some are Catholics or have have other different beliefs. Filipino s have a national sport of their own called arnis which is also a form of martial arts. Boxing has made the Filipino s famous around the world because of Manny Pacquiao, which made more Filipino s rise to stardom in the arena.
ENTERTAINMENT SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH has a lot of historical paintings and is the oldest church in the Philippines. It was built between 1587 and 1606. BANAUE RICE TERRACES are 2,000 years old. They were carved to prevent flooded pond fields for the cultivation of rice and they're thousands of feet to climb.
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area. It's a massive cave that has an underground river that flows into the ocean. Manila Zoo opened on July 25, 1959. It is the oldest zoo in Asia with 832 types of animals from around the world.
Manila Ocean Park is a world-class marine park and an educational facility. Ayala Museum has 60 handcrafted dioramas that have written history of the Philippines. The museum also has a one of a kind boat gallery that have miniatures of the Philippine maritime trade and colonial economy.
Star City Amusement Park it s one of the most popular amusement park in the country. It started as an annual Toys and gifts fair and then became what it is now, yet still creating more rides and sights for their guests. Enchanted Kingdom is the closest version of Disney in the whole country. The Kingdom has rides, firework shows, dance presentations and much more.
HISTORICAL Fort Santiago was built in 1571 for a Spanish conquistador named Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. It is the oldest Spanish fortress in the Philippines. It has the Japanese-era M4 Sherman container, WWII artillery and also the subterranean channels used by the Japanese. Rizal Shrine is dedicated to Dr. Jose Rizal. He was executed by the Spanish military on December 30, 1896 because he spoke about the ideals of revolution against Spanish rule.
Edsa Shrine is known as the Queen of Peace. The statue was established on December 15, 1989. It was dedicated to mother Mary, who was believed to be a magical intercessor to end dictatorship in a peaceful manner. Corregidor has really important historical stuff. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, the Corregidor became headquarters for the allied forces during WWII. It also became the Philippine commonwealth government.
Leyte Landing Memorial Park is known for Gen. Douglas McArthur when he promised saying he'd return to Red Beach. He kept that promise and came back with an army of 700 ships that contained 174,000 American soldiers on October 20, 1944. The name Red Beach was given to the beach because it was drenched in blood. Malacanang Palace was built in the mid-18th century. It was originally for the residence of a Spanish aristocrat before it became the office of the Spanish. Then later on, it became the office of the American governor-generals. Then lastly became the official residence of the Filipino president since 1935.
Barasoain Church is the most important religious church in all the Philippines. It was founded in 1859 and was served as the session hall of Malolo Congress. Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the mankind s best engineering accomplishments. 2,000 years ago, it was carved into the mountains using their hands and some crude equipment.
NATURAL Honda Bay has multiple white sand beaches, fishing villages and rainforests. There are several islands, each island has something different. For example, there's an island called starfish island, and it has lots and different kinds of starfish. Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef. There are over one thousand of species found, and many are endangered species. It's the most biggest reef. (82,000 acres)
Chocolate Hills are groups of hills that aren't very tall, they're shape is unusual. It has a very unique landscape especially because it's a small island. Coron Island has a very mysterious skyline. It has two lakes that are crystal clear. Those two lakes are the primary attractions for tourists. Lake Kayangan is for people to go swim in and Lake Barracuda is more for divers.
Hundred Islands has hundreds of islands that are different shapes and sizes. Some islands just simply look like a small piece of land and others while others have undamaged caves. It's known as a great place for hiking. Taal Volcano since the 16th century, Taal volcano had over thirty eruptions. They were all mostly small eruptions. One affected the entire region violently and caused over 5000 deaths.
Siargao is shaped as a tear drop. This island is known for surfing and also well known for game fishing. It also has a few islands. Siargao is a local favorite in the Philippines. Mount Apo is the highest mountain and volcano in the Philippines, and it's at 2,954 meters above sea level. No one knows when the last eruption was. Mount Apo is the home of 270 bird species. It's also marked for the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage list.
Unique Or Unusual Places Hinatuan Enchanted River a very clear blue river. Sagada has coffins on cliffs and caves.
The Ruins In Talisay used to be a great big mansion, it still stands but ruined. Waterfalls Restaurant a restaurant that's in a shallow river where people eat their food from the base of a waterfall.
Fire Mummies are human remains and are a national Philippine treasure. Sunken Cemetery has a town with a cemetery that has sunken beneath the sea.
Tarsier Sanctuary has a patch of forest that have to save lives of google eyed primates. Christ of the Divine Mercy is a 50 foot tall statue of Jesus that has a stairway and leads to its body.
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