Mexican settlement in the Philippines territory subject to the designs of Washington, D.C. During the Spanish period, the islands formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, coupled with other areas of the Pacific Ocean such as the Marianas and the Caroline Islands and during a short period in northern Taiwan. The Spaniards made trade routes from Mexico to the Philippines, the main ports of Mexico today to start their starting points were Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta with their final destination to Manila, the current capital of the Philippines. The Spanish ships on these routes were known as the Manila galleons. After the arrival of
Geography of the Philippines of mountain ranges in this region is called "Zamboanga Cordilleras", with the highest elevation at Mount Dapi, which is high. The southern coastline is irregular, featuring two smaller peninsulas, the Sibuguey and Baganian, extending southward to the Moro Gulf. To the north of the Diwata Mountains at northeast Mindanao lie Siargao island and the Dinagat group of islands. Southwest of the Zamboanga Peninsula is the Sulu Archipelago, a chain of islands which comprise the smaller archipelago provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The Philippines is divided into a hierarchy of local government units (LGUs) with the 81 provinces and 38