<Li> ^ The United States of America recognized the independence of the Philippines on July 4, 1946, through the Treaty of Manila . This date was chosen because it corresponds to the U.S. Independence Day, which was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until May 12, 1962, when President Diosdado Macapagal issued Presidential Proclamation No. 28, shifting it to June 12, the date of Emilio Aguinaldo's proclamation . </Li> <Li> ^ In accordance with article 11 of the Revolutionary Government Decree of June 23, 1898, the Malolos Congress selected a commission to draw up a draft constitution on September 17, 1898 . The commission was composed of Hipólito Magsalin, Basilio Teodoro, José Albert, Joaquín González, Gregorio Araneta, Pablo Ocampo, Aguedo Velarde, Higinio Benitez, Tomás del Rosario, José Alejandrino, Alberto Barretto, José Ma . de la Viña, José Luna, Antonio Luna, Mariano Abella, Juan Manday, Felipe Calderón, Arsenio Cruz and Felipe Buencamino . They were all wealthy and well educated . </Li> <P> The Philippines (/ ˈfɪlɪpiːnz / (listen); Filipino: Pilipinas (ˌpɪlɪˈpinɐs) or Filipinas (ˌfɪlɪˈpinɐs)), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is a unitary sovereign state and island country in Southeast Asia . Situated in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao . The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila . Bounded by the 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, Vietnam to the west, Palau to the east and Malaysia and Indonesia to the south . </P> <P> 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 has an area of 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi), and a population of approximately 103 million . It is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world . As of 2013, approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas, 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 . Exchanges with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations occurred . Then, various competing maritime states were established under the rule of Datus, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans . </P>

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