South China Sea on the west, the Philippine Sea on the east and the Celebes Sea on the

southwest,
the Philippines shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Vietnam to
the west, Palau to the east, and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south.
The Philippines' location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator makes the Philippines
prone to earthquakes and typhoons, but also endows it with abundant natural resources and some
of the world's greatest biodiversity. The Philippines is the world's 5th largest island country with an
area of 300,000 km 2 (120,000 sq mi).[22][4][5] As of 2015, had a population of at least 100 million.[7] As of
January 2018, it is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in
the world. Approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas,[23] comprising one of the
world's largest diasporas. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In
prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants. They were followed
by successive waves of Austronesian peoples.[24] Exchanges
with Malay, Indian, Arab and Chinese nations occurred. Then, various competing
maritime states were established under the rule of datus, rajahs, sultans and lakans.
The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for the Spanish,
in Homonhon, Eastern Samar in 1521 marked the beginning of Hispanic colonization. In 1543,
Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor
of Philip II of Spain. With the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico City, in 1565, the first
Hispanic settlement in the archipelago was established.[25] The Philippines became part of
the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. This resulted in Catholicism becoming the dominant
religion. During this time, Manila became the western hub of the trans-Pacific trade connecting Asia
with Acapulco in the Americas using Manila galleons.[26]