Historical Dictionary of the Philippines (3rd edition)

The Philippines form a vast archipelago off the shores of South East Asia. Historically and culturally they represent the meeting point, or, more accurately the tail ends of a variety of different cultures: the islands of the southern tip are close to Borneo, with which they share a strong Muslim culture. They were indeed part of the same loose sultanate until divided by an Anglo‐German treaty in the nineteenth century. The northern island of Luzon reaches out towards China, and has had a Chinese presence since at least the thirteenth century. A narrow trench of the deepest waters in the...