Sunday, January 08, 2006

Philippine Map and Anthem

The Philippines is located off the south-east coast of Asia and sprawls between Asia mainland and Australia between latitude 21°25'N and 4°23'N and longitude 116°E and 127°E.
Manila is the country's capital with a population of 1,581,082 as of May 2000.
The Philippines has a total land area of about 300,000 sq. km. (115,830 sq. miles) and comprises 7,107 islands, some 4,000 of which are named and 1,000 are still inhabited.
The Philippine Archipelago is one of the largest island groups in the world.
It is divided into three major island groups, namely: Luzon, 104,687.80 sq. km.; Visayas, 57,201.92 sq. km.; and Mindanao, 94,630.10 sq. km.
Lupang Hinirang

Bayang magiliw perlas ng silanganan, alab ng puso sa dibdib mo'y buhay.
Lupang hinirang duyan ka ng magiting sa manlulupig di ka pasisiil.
Sa dagat at bundok sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw may dilag ang tula at awit sa paglayang minamahal.
Ang kislap ng watawat mo'y tagumpay na nagniningning ang bituin at araw niya kailan pa ma'y di magdidilim.
Lupa ng araw, ng luwalhati't pagsintaBuhay ay langit sa piling mo.
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo.
English Translation
Land of the morning, Child of the sun returning, With fervor burning, Thee do our souls adore.
Land dear and holy, Cradle of noble heroes, Ne'er shall invaders Trample thy sacred shore.
Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds And o'er thy hills and sea, Do we behold the radiance, feel and throb, Of glorious liberty.
Thy banner, dear to all our hearts, Its sun and stars alight,
O never shall its shining field Be dimmed by tyrant's might!
Beautiful land of love, O land of light, In thine embrace 'tis rapture to lie, But it is glory ever, when thou art wronged, For us, thy sons to suffer and die.
Spanish Translation
Tierra adorada Hija del sol de Oriente Su fuego ardiente en ti latiendo esta.
Patria de amores! Del heroismo cuna, Los invasores No te hallaran jamas.

En tu azul cielo, en tus auras, En tus montes y en tu mar Esplende y late el poema De tu amada libertad.

Tu pabellon, que en las lides La victoria ilumino No vera nunca apagados Sus estrellas y su sol.

Tierra de dichas, del sol y amores, En tu regazo dulce es vivir. Es una gloria para tus hijos, Cuando de ofenden, por ti morir.

The Philippine National Anthem, then known as Marcha Nacional Filipinas or the Himno Nacional Filipino was played in 1898 without words. Jose Palma, in 1899, gave it its first lyrics in Spanish, with the inspiring Filipinas.

In the 1920s, after the repeal of the Flag Law, it became necessary to translate the lyrics. The American colonial government commissioned the translation of the Spanish lyrics to English.
A Filipino writer, Camilo Osias, and an American, A.L. Lane, translated Filipinas. The Philippine Commonwealth officially adopted the Filipino translation of the National Anthem in 1934.
An entire pre-war generation of Filipinos thus grew up singing the National Anthem in English.
Finally, during the term of President Ramon Magsaysay, the National Anthem was translated by Julian Cruz Balmaceda and Ildefonso Santos.
On May 26, 1956, the National Anthem, Lupang Hinirang was finally sung in Filipino. Minor revisions were made in 1962, and it is this final version which is in use today.

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