Spanish East Indies

Spanish East Indies
Indias orientales españolas (Spanish)
Silangang Indiyas ng Espanya (Filipino)
1565–1901
Motto: Plus Ultra
"Further Beyond"
Anthem: Marcha Real
"Royal March"
  Spanish East Indies
StatusColonies of the Spanish Empire
Capital
  • Cebu (1565–1571)
  • Manila (1571–1898)
  • Iloilo (13 August 1898 – 10 December 1898)
Official languagesSpanish
Common languagesPhilippine languages
Micronesian languages
East Formosan languages
Hokkien[a]
Religion
Catholicism (state religion),
Islam, Philippine traditional religion, Micronesian traditional religion, Taiwanese aboriginal traditional religion, Overseas Chinese folk religion
Monarch 
• 1565–1598 (first)
Philip II
• 1886–1898 (last)
Alfonso XIII
LegislatureCortes Generales
Historical eraSpanish Empire
• Legazpi colonizes Cebu
27 April 1565
26 August 1642
12 June 1898
10 December 1898[1]
12 February 1899
23 March 1901
Area
1877[2]345,155 km2 (133,265 sq mi)
Population
• 1877[2]
5,567,685
CurrencySpanish dollar, Spanish peseta
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Viceroyalty of New Spain
1642:
Dutch Formosa
1897:
Dictatorial Government of the Philippines
1898:
Military Government of the Philippine Islands
Naval Government of Guam
1899:
German New Guinea
Today part of

The Spanish East Indies[b] were the colonies of the Spanish Empire in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901, governed through the captaincy general in Manila for the Spanish Crown, initially reporting to Mexico City, then later directly reporting to Madrid after the Spanish American Wars of Independence.

The king of Spain traditionally styled himself "King of the East and West Indies" (Spanish: Rey de las Indias Orientales y Occidentales).

From 1565 to 1821 these territories, together with the Spanish West Indies, were administered through the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City. After independence of the Mexican Empire, Manila reported directly to Madrid. The territories ruled included present-day Philippines, Guam and the Mariana Islands, as well as Palau, part of Micronesia and for a brief period Northern Taiwan and parts of North Sulawesi and the Moluccas (Dutch East Indies (VOC)). Cebu was the first seat of government, which later transferred to Manila.

As a result of the Spanish–American War in 1898, the United States occupied the Philippines and Guam, while Spain sold other smaller islands to Germany in the German–Spanish Treaty of 1899. The few remaining islands were ceded to the United States when the Treaty of Washington was ratified in 1901.


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  1. ^ "United States–Spain Treaties in Force, January 1, 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  2. ^ Population of the Philippines Census Years 1799 to 2007 Archived 2012-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. National Statistical Coordination Board.