Spanish East Indies

The Spanish East Indies (Spanish: Indias orientales españolas Spanish pronunciation: [ˈindjas oɾjenˈtales espaˈɲolas]; Filipino: Silangang Indiyas ng Espanya) were the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901, They were governed from Mexico City and Madrid through the captaincy general in Manila.

Spanish East Indies Indias orientales españolas
1565–1901[1]
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Plus Ultra "Further Beyond"
Anthem: Marcha Real "Royal March"
Spanish East Indies
Status	Territories of Spain (Territory of New Spain from 1565 to 1821, and province of Spain from 1821 to 1898)
Capital	Cebu (1565–1571) Manila (1571–1898) Iloilo (13 August 1898 – 10 December 1898)
Common languages	Spanish (official) Philippine languages, Micronesian languages
Religion	Roman Catholicism (state religion), Islam, Philippine traditional religion, Micronesian traditional religion
Monarch
• 1565–1598 (first)	Philip II
• 1886–1898 (last)	Alfonso XIII
Governor-General
• 1565–1572 (first)	Miguel López de Legazpi
• 1898 (last)	Diego de los Ríos
Legislature	Cortes Generales
Historical era	Spanish colonization
• Colonization	27 April 1565
• Treaty of Paris (1898) German–Spanish Treaty (1899) Treaty of Washington (1900)	23 March 1901[2]
Area
1877[3]	345,155 km2 (133,265 sq mi)
Population
• 1877[4]	5,567,685
Currency	Peso fuerte
Preceded by Succeeded by New Spain Ancient Barangays Tondo Rajahnate of Maynila Madja-as Namayan Caboloan Cainta Ma-i Kedatuan of Dapitan Kingdom of Butuan Rajahnate of Cebu Lanao Sultanates Confederation Sultanate of Maguindanao Sultanate of Sulu Military Government of the Philippine Islands Guam First Philippine Republic Republic of Zamboanga German New Guinea Dutch Formosa

Areas

The territories are:

• the Captaincy General of the Philippines (1565–1898) (now the Philippines)
• Palaos (1574–1899)
• the Marianas (1667–1898 or 1899) (now Guam and Northern Mariana Islands)
• the Carolines (Nuevas Filipinas) (1686–1899) (now the Federated States of Micronesia)
• the Marshall Islands (1874–1885)
• parts of Formosa (now Taiwan) (1626–1642)
• parts of Sulawesi (Celebes) and of the Moluccas (Maluku Islands) (1580–1663) (now parts of Indonesia)

History

The King of Spain called himself "King of the East and West Indies".

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, they were ruled directly from 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. 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 of America occupied the Spanish 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.

References

1. https://photos.state.gov/libraries/164311/tratados_bilaterales/Insular%20Possessions%20Bevans%20623.pdf ^{[dead link]}
2. https://photos.state.gov/libraries/164311/tratados_bilaterales/Insular%20Possessions%20Bevans%20623.pdf ^{[dead link]}
3. Population of the Philippines Census Years 1799 to 2007 Archived 2012-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. National Statistical Coordination Board.
4. Population of the Philippines Census Years 1799 to 2007 Archived 2012-07-04 at the Wayback Machine. National Statistical Coordination Board.