In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer in the service of the Spanish King, celebrated the first Easter Mass on Limasawa island. From this beginning, the archipelago, later named Las Islas Filipinas after Prince Felipe of Asturias, became the only Christian country in Asia. The 7,107 islands of the Philippines are blessed with numerous beaches, coral reefs and volcanoes, while its gregarious people, composed of over too ethnological groups, are contagiously optimistic despite centuries of political misrule. Festivals are central to Philippine culture. Visitors to Kalibo are blackened wim soot during the Atiatihan festival, while childless couples journey to Obando to dance the fandango as a fertility rite. In this informative and practical book, Evelyn Peplow guides her readers to the best the Philippines has to offer. The book also contains a generous sampling of literature about the Philippines, including Theodore Roosevelt on the battle against Spain and James Fenton on stumbling into Ferdinand Marcos's palace sanctuary. New revised third edition Introduction to Philippine history, geography, people and society Information about art and culture, food and drink. Detailed survey of Metro Manila and the major islands. Special topics include cock-fighting, jeepneys and the galleon trade. Enlightening literary extracts from Pico Iyer, lames Fenton, Theodore Roosevelt and others Extensive information on scuba diving and other action sports. Basic Pilipino vocabulary.