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It's during the dry season. In most of the tourism areas, it runs six months, from about mid-November to mid-May. The first half of this season is the coolest, making it ideal for traveling. The second half is hotter.
Many Filipinos who live abroad traditionally return to the Philippines during the dry season for the extended Christmas period to visit family and friends. Airline seats and hotel rooms become scarce. Ditto for Easter week and the Chinese Lunar New Year.
It's during the the wet season. It runs from about Mid-May to mid-November. It rains a lot and humidity can be uncomfortable. And typhoons can pass through, especially in July and August.
Humans from the Malayan Peninsula settled parts of the Philippine Islands at least 30,000 years ago.
The first to set foot on the islands were the explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew in 1521. Some people erroneously believe that Magellan was the first to circle the globe. He was killed by the native chief Lapu Lapu six weeks after he landed in the Philippines. It was Magellan's crew who completed the historic journey.
It spanned over three centuries, ending in 1898. Native uprisings periodically occurred.
Spain sold the Philippines to the USA in 1898 for 20 million US dollars. American control lasted virtually a half-century, not without protests. During that time, the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941, but were defeated by the Americans and Filipinos several years later.
In 1946, America relinquished its sovereignty, and the Philippines became an independent nation.
The Philippines has over 7,107 islands (second only to Indonesia). The collective coastline - if stretched out - would almost encircle the equator.
Namesake
Official
Misspelling
Many Filipinos haveThe population of the Philippines is roughly 90 million. Five out of six Filipinos are Roman Catholics. About 5% are Muslims, who are concentrated mainly in the south in Mindanao.
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