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The Philippines has roughly 7,641 islands and it is surrounded by water.
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Group of islands + surrounding water = the Philippines is an archipelago
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Do take note of the names of the bodies of water surrounding the Philippines (which you’ll find in the next section) and its position in terms of latitude and longitude.
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However — names and numbers aside — the most important point that you should take away from this lesson is that the Philippines is in a very strategic location and that this has been the thing that has led to the most significant events of our history.
- Because of our location, our earliest ancestors were able to arrive here from neighboring countries, whether through land bridges or through boats.
- Because of our location, we have been able to establish trading relationships with our neighbors.
- Because of our location near the Moluccas, the Europeans who were looking for spices stumbled on our islands, leading to our eventual colonization by Spain.
- Because of our location, the Americans also came over and found our country to be a very suitable place to build military bases to protect their interests in the region.
- And because of our location, the Japanese thought it worthwhile to also come over and establish a foothold for what they hoped would eventually be a Japanese empire throughout Asia and beyond.
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Now, yes, these are oversimplifications of historic world events that are actually quite more complicated. But. The point is: everything that has happened to our country has had a lot to do with where we are located. And, for better or worse, our location is also going to have a major impact on our country’s future. We can only hope it will be a good one.
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