AS10: Lighthouses of The Philippines

These islands were claimed for Spain by Magellan in 1521, at which time a largely Malay population resided there. Spanish rule existed there until 1898 when Spain and the USA fought over the lands. Spain ceded sovereignty to the US who allowed the islands to become a self-governing commonwealth. Following the carnage of WWII, the Philippines was the first of the liberated Asian countries to receive full independence in 1946.