World Flag Shirts > Asia > Philippines
The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. In 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the Philippines and claimed the islands for Spain. After the Spanish-American War, the Philippines was ceded to the United States. In 1935, it was granted Commonwealth status and finally its independence in 1946. Its 36,289 kilometers (22,549 miles) of coastline makes it the country with the fifth longest coastline in the world. The Philippines' rainforests and its extensive coastlines make it home to a diverse range of birds, plants, animals, and sea creatures.
