Geography of the Philippines

Philippines Geography

• The Philippines is an archipelago consisting of a total of 7,641 islands.
• The Philippines is bounded by the South China Sea to the west.
• The country shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north.

Capital and History

• The country's capital, Manila, is located in Luzon and became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade.
• The archipelago's earliest inhabitants were the Negritos.
• Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in 1543.
• The beginning of Spanish colonization in the Philippines was marked by the arrival of the Spanish fleet led by Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565.
• The Philippines became ruled by the Crown of Castile after the Spanish colonization.
• The Philippines gained independence on July 4, 1946.
• The Philippine–American War ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1898.

International Relations

• The Philippines was ceded to the United States by Spain after the 1898 Spanish–American War.
• The Philippines was controlled by the United States until the Japanese invasion during World War II.
• The Philippines is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Filipino American Literature

• The final project option in the Filipino American Literature class allows students to explore metaphors using creative works.
• The instructor gains insight into the creative thinking of non-creative writing major students through their final projects.
• Writers use Taylor Mali's Metaphor Dice to explore metaphors.
• The Metaphor Dice is a tool used to create random metaphors and stimulate creative writing.
• The instructor finds creative final projects more enjoyable to read because they showcase students' creativity and imagination.

Poetry and Literature

• Philippine literature encompasses various literary media, including poetry, fiction, and drama.
• Journalist Nena Jimenez described love of country, family, and the struggle for independence as the most common elements of Philippine literature.
• Poetry by Chance is a collection of poems prompted by different rolls of Metaphor Dice.
• Jared Singer authored the book before Poetry By Chance.
• The main theme of Philippine literature, according to journalist Nena Jimenez, is the struggle for identity and freedom.
• Jared Singer is the editor of Poetry By Chance: An Anthology of Poems Powered By Metaphor Dice.
• Grammar was not used as a writing tool in creating the poems in Poetry By Chance.