BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea situated between Taiwan to the north and Borneo to the south. Just 2,000of its islands are inhabited and only500 are larger tha a kilometre square.The nine largest islands of Luzon, Mindanao,Palawan,Panay,Mindoro,Samar,Negros, Leyte and Cebu make up to 90%of the nation`s land area.

The original people of the Philippines were the ancestors of the people known today as Negritos or Aetas. They are an Austalo-Melanesian people with dark skin and tight,curly brown hair.They are also distinctively small and short stature.As the Pygmies in the equatorial forests of Africa,the Aetas are believed to have adapted locally to the tropical jungles of the Philippines.

The Aetas are a nomadic hunting and gathering people who forage in small family bands with an informal organization and leadership.They were once widespread throughout the Philippines but are now found only in the remote highland areas of Luzon, Palawan,Panay, Negros and Mindanao.