Welcome to the Philippines Islands

Welcome to the Philippine Islands... an archipelago of 7,107 clustered islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, a tropical paradise of lush greens and white sands that shall enchant any traveler.

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew were the first Europeans to arrive in the archipelago in March 1521, landing on the island of Cebu where the first Catholic mass in Asia was held. Magellan would later be killed in battle by natives of neighboring Mactan Island lead by chieftain Lapu lapu.

It was only several years later when the Philippines was actually given its name. The second group of Europeans lead by conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in 1565, and the Philippines got its name after King Philip II of Spain. This began the colonization of the Philippines, with the first Spanish settlements in Cebu. In 1571 he established Manila as the capital of the new Spanish colony.

There is much to be discovered about this paradise of islands, and you will discover more of that here on Philippines Islands.