Why It's Called That
The Philippines got its name from a starving fleet
In 1543 a hungry Spanish fleet named a few islands after a sixteen-year-old prince. Months earlier it had named Mindanao after his father. Only the son's name stayed.
0:55 · The Philippines · October 8, 2026
The story
The Philippines got its name from a starving fleet. 1543. The fleet of Ruy López de Villalobos was stranded in the south, and its food was running out. On August 4, it sent a ship to islands said to be well supplied with food.
The crew called those islands Felipinas, after their prince. The prince was Philip of Spain. He was only sixteen. Were those islands Leyte or Samar? Historians still argue about it.
But here's the twist. Months earlier, the same fleet had named the big island to the south Cesarea Karoli, after Charles, the emperor, and Philip's father. The father's name faded. The son's name spread. By 1609, about forty large islands were known as Filipinas.
And on January 21, 1899, in Malolos, it became the name of a nation. The Philippine Republic. Which island should we tell next? Tell us in the comments.
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